"Snatch" on DVD

A DVD That Grabs You

by Johnny Bray

Let the record show that this movie is not about what you would think based on the title.

Guy Ritchie directs this very fast and funny movie about a stolen diamond. A massive number of characters interconnect to make the whole story come together.

Snatch is Ritchie's follow-up to his previous Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Though both movies are identical in most aspects, the advantage Snatch has, is it is much easier to follow.

A huge cast, compiled mostly of Brits, turn what could have been a very weird movie into a very entertaining masterpiece.

Brad Pitt turns in the best performance as an Irish gypsy who refuses to obey the rules of fixed fights.

His character is amusing in itself, but also because it pokes fun at Ritchie's previous film. In Lock Stock, many of the characters' accents were incomprehensible to anyone not British. Pitt's gypsy has an accent which can't even be understood by the other characters.

Snatch's main drawback is it's similarities to its predecessor. It follows the same formula as Lock, Stock in almost every way. It merely has new characters and a different central plot. Even some of the actors are the same.

However, if you're going to copy a movie, what better to copy than your own masterpiece?

Other than that, Snatch is a truly phenomenal film. It has action, comedy, suspense, mystery, more action and more comedy.

It's directed in an almost music video-ish style, making it very fast and very entertaining.

You have to make sure you pay close attention though, because if you blink, you might miss something.

But even if you do, this movie is a must-see.

Is it me, or are studios getting carried away with the whole "2-disc set" thing? In many cases, the material on the second disc could easily fit on the first disc.

Such is the case here. There's really not a lot on the second disc. There's a "Making Of" featurette, storyboard comparisons, deleted scenes, a video photo gallery, TV spots and trailers, and the typical DVD-ROM stuff.

The first disc features the audio commentaries, "Stealing Stones," and "Branching."

The picture and sound quality are excellent, and there's just something about this film that makes you appreciate good sound. The video is in anamorphic widescreen (16x9 TV compatible) and Pan&Scan. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1.

Snatch, from Columbia Tristar Home Video
100 min, anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 TV compatible/Pan&Scan, Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Sherbedgia, Jason Statham
Produced by Matthew Vaughn,
Written and directed by Guy Ritchie

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