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[tab title="Movie Review"]
I’m pretty sure no one saw this coming. Pay little attention to the “inspired by a true story” opening suggestion. The statement comes with its fair share of expected emotional bear traps for cynics and warm-fuzzy filmgoers. Focus on the driving narrative instead and you’ll be amazed at its authenticity. Snitch, without the pretenses that come thudding along such “true” films, garners general tension and concern as a one-time deadbeat dad enters the dangerous underworld of narcotics in order to save his son. And it stars Dwayne Johnson. And, yes, it is indeed based on a true story.
The film certainly sounds – on paper – like it could be another no-brainer action castaway for the month of February and, while it has a nice action-oriented sendoff, the film is less about testerone and more about inner turmoil. No, there’s not a heavy body count. No, the blood does not flow freely. And, no, this is not a father and son hootenanny. The tone is not playful nor is it cartoonish. The director and longtime stuntman Ric Roman Waugh keeps things dangerous and intense. For some audiences, Snitch just might be the only choice when weighed next to the Wile E. Coyote antics of A Good Day to Die Hard.
Written by Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road), Snitch is the story of John Matthews (Johnson) and his descent into the criminal underworld in order to prevent his son Jason (Rafi Gavron) from serving 10 years in prison for a damn stupid mistake. A father sacrifices all to ease the sentencing of his son. Now, before you all check out and say right, right, that’s just not possible, know this: there’s a law in the books that allows for this reduction if drug dealers are ratted out. Still not sure? Check out the piece Frontline did on it; that expose is quite eye-opening actually.
While it takes some convincing, U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) and the audience (as we need the most convincing) finally see to it that Johnson gets the go-ahead nod to bring the drug dealers to justice so that his son might be allowed a life. Co-starring a fantastically realistic Michael Kenneth Williams as Malik - a drug dealer Johnson partners up with – the tension of the situation never loosens its grip on the audience as we realize, in spite of Johnson’s physique, that he is quite clearly in over his head.
It’s bound to throw some audience members a curveball. This will be a film critics will praise and most audiences will trash due to its tone. Unexpectedly, Snitch becomes a bit of a character piece as John must overcome the odds against him while in the underground and his own history with his son. Certainly, the pattern of the film feels very familiar and, with a couple of rough areas involving angst-ridden clichéd dialogue and choppy camerawork, a dramatic leap of faith but that doesn’t necessarily mean this film isn’t thinking about its next move.
With a sudden pedal-to-the-metal velocity, Benjamin Bratt arrives one hour into the picture and the tension, already chugging along nicely, becomes a slow burn of controlled intensity involving complicated moral choices for its character and an 18-wheeler. There’s something very calculated about Snitch. Its timed earnestness as an underplayed action film and the subtle nuances from Johnson’s acting makes it a win. Maybe all those Disney flicks helped him with his on-screen sincerity, I don’t know. Thankfully, long gone are the days of his “acting” in The Scorpion King.
Is it time to broaden Dwayne Johnson’s career? Snitch thinks so.[/tab]
[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for drug content and sequences of violence.
Runtime: 112 mins.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Writer: Justin Haythe, Ric Roman Waugh
Cast: Dwayne Johnson; Barry Pepper; Jon Bernthal; Susan Srandon; Benjamin Bratt
Genre: Drama | Thriller | Action
Tagline: How far would you go to save your son?
Memorable Movie Quote: "I should have never taken that package. I'm not a drug dealer."
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Official Site: www.snitch-movie.com
Release Date: February 22, 2013
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: No details available.
Synopsis: In the fast-paced action thriller Snitch, Dwayne Johnson stars as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. attorney to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission -- risking everything, including his family and his own life.[/tab]
[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
No details available[/tab]
[tab title="Trailer"]
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