Guy Ritchie directs like no one else does. Snatch is a hilarious account of the under-world tribe that depicts in no less humorous way the things that are perceived by the common man. While the characters have been selectively hand-picked to provide for the funniest of accents, the dialogue delivery is stupendous at the very least.
The Jargogled pronunciations of Mikey O’Neil a.k.a Pikey the vagabond, the Gypsie and the Brad Pitt, the “Zee” Germans Turkish(Jason Statham) accent, Brick Top’s(Alan Ford) nemesis, Tyrone’s ‘niggerish’ demanour, Doug the ‘Jew’ Head’s business acumen, Boris the Blade’s(or the Bullet-Dodger)(Rade Serbedzija) monstrosity, bounty hunter Bullet Tooth Tony(Vinnie Jones). While there are a host of other such characters that fill the screen with crafty enunciations and sadistic pronunciations the story-line is weak and borrowed. Hats-off to Ritchie the director for carrying off an ensemble of actors with characterstic elan and pompous depiction.
Snatch is a story of a 86 carat diamond that is initially in the hands of Franky-Fucking-Four-Fingers, who incidentally loves to gamble(the depiction, again is legendary), it passes hands to a variety of colorful characters including Tyrone, the chubby get-away guy, Boris the Blade, Brick-Top, the pig, and finally the “dag”. The movie reminds a lot of Ritchie’s earlier directorial venture Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in terms of dialogue delivery, theme and visual style. Franky-Fucking-Four-Fingers talking to Avi is hilarious and well-scripted, so is the narrative style of Turkish who has a side-kick in Tommy who indulges in protection with a Heavy gun that is reliable in that “you can hit him if the wheel fails”.
To say that despite the uncharactersic similarity with Lock,Stock the movie lives up to its reputation would not be going too far. I liked the movie for what it is, with or without Lock Stock. Seldom do I come across a movie that breaks away from the type-cast roles and cliched punchlines. Guy Ritchie delivers like nobody does and is a master at creating situational/incidental comedy with an ironical twist at the tail. The unique part in the movie is that there is not one scene that does not relate to the actual plot and inspite of the seemingly diverse and randomly interjected short-stories, it all eventually connects somewhere in between.
I am including some quotes that I found suitably hilarious and catchy. For more on QQ see here.
Quotable Quotes(QQ):
- Do you know what “nemesis” means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an ‘orrible cunt… me- Brick Top.
- You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity- Bullet Tooth Tony.
- In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary… come again? – Brick Top
- I’m gettin’ heartburn. Tony, do something terrible- Avi
- London? – Avi’s colleague
- Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup ‘o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins… LONDON.- Avi
The movie has been a commercial success and has went on to develop a devoted cult following what with the crispy dialogues and muck-raking script. The preface to the movie presents a vivid picture of what is to follow when before the robbery, the protagonist elaborates on the difference between a ‘virgin’ and a ‘young woman’ both impying the same meaning, but when held in the context of Virgin Mary who had to bear a son, being a Virgin it becomes a rhetorical statement.
The soundtrack is secutive and lives up to the movie particularly the bare-knuckle boxing match with the Irish traveller “Pikey”, when the subdued Gorgeous George falls prey to the might of Mikey and Golden Brown (The Stranglers) is brought out. The diamond soundtrack is ticklish and distinct.
Overall, the movie stands out despite a weak story line. The huge ensembled cast is a major thrust to the continuity of the movie and brilliant scripts make the movie a must-watch for the movie buffs out there.
Jargogled Impressions. 