| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that characters use frequent racial, ethnic, and religious slurs. In this criminal world, the issue of law is non-existent. Murder and theft are depicted as a way of life in an ostensibly non-criminal group (jewelers). The ensemble says "f--k" about as much as the average teenager says "like." All of the characters are gangsters and criminals, most of whom drink, smoke, swear, and brawl on a continual basis. A brief scene in a bar includes topless dancers. A deck of playing cards with photos of bare-breasted women is seen. Strong but comic violence is the movie's rason d'etre.
Set in London, Guy Ritchie's violent crime caper SNATCH follows three sets of characters who are all after a stolen diamond. Business partners Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham) team with Irish boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) in a devious plan that has Mickey purposely losing a fight. In another corner are a Russian mobster and his partner-in-crime Franky Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro); the third team includes New Yorker Avi (Dennis Farina) and his hired hand Bullet Tooth Tony (Vinnie Jones).
It would probably take two or three viewings to work out all the plot twists of Snatch. Actually, it's to the credit of writer-director Guy Ritchie that these tangled relationships are as clear as they are. But plot isn't what this movie is about. Mixing Damon Runyon's love of lowlife lingo ("Who took the jam out of your doughnut?") with a bit of Tarantino-ish violence, the plot is just a frame for a gallery of eccentric characters, lively dialogue, and offbeat situations.
The ensemble cast provides many delightful characterizations, including British comic Alan Ford as crime boss Brick Top and Brad Pitt as an Irish gypsy with an accent so thick that no one can understand anything he says. Energetic as it is, Snatch isn't for all tastes. The incessant violence will bother some viewers, particularly a few scenes that cross the line from comical to nasty. One eighteen-year-old viewer felt that "The movie threw too much stuff at you--I never knew where it was going to go." His girlfriend liked the characters, and was pleasantly surprised at how good Pitt was in a non-starring role, but had trouble with the accents and overall found it "way too violent."
Families can talk about whether the plot really mattered in this movie, or if other elements took over.
| Studio: | Sony Pictures |
| Director: | Guy Ritchie |
| Cast: | Benicio Del Toro, Brad Pitt, Vinnie Jones |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 102 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 17, 2002 |
| DVD release date: | October 17, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence, language and nudity |