Snatch (2000)

"You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."

Gambling addict Franky "Four-Fingers" (del Toro) steals an 86-carat diamond.  He goes to London to meet with diamond dealer Doug the Head (Reid) on behalf of American jeweler Cousin Avi (Farina).  But news of the robbery reaches Russian crime boss Boris "The Blade" Yurinov (Serbedzija), who wants the diamond.  He convinces pays small-time criminals Sol (James), Vinny (Gee), and Tyrone (Ade) to rob Franky.

Meanwhile, boxing promoters and slot machine owners Turkish (Statham) and Tommy (Graham) make a deal with vicious gangster Brick Top (Ford).  Their prize fighter, Gorgeous George (Fogerty), will fight in one of Brick Top's bare knuckle boxing matches.  But George is injured in a fight with Gypsy Mickey (Pitt) who is convinced to fight in George's place.

With Franky missing, Avi is concerned and flies to London.  He hires Bullet Tooth Tony (Jones) to help him find Franky and the diamond.  Boris is willing to kill anyone that gets in his path for the diamond.  And Turkish worries for his life when Mickey upsets Brick Top.  Who will survive to find the diamond?


This was director Guy Ritchie's second feature film.  Like his debut film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, he also wrote the film.  And, once again, Matthew Vaughn produced the film.  This film has a very similar style to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but it is not a sequel or related to that film.

The film juggles a large cast and several different story lines with ease.  Many of the characters never meet, but their story lines intersect.  It all feels believable, to their world, and still entertaining.

The film brings back many of the stars from Ritchie's previous film.  Jason Statham is again at the center of the film, again as a petty criminal.  Alan Ford, who was the narrator of LLATSB, gets to be menacing as Brick Top.  And Vinnie Jones, who was one of the best things about LLSATB, gets to beat people up again.  Once again he gets to be funny, and violent.  Jason Flemyng has a small role as one of the Gypsy's.  Brad Pitt was a fan of LLSATB and lobbied for a part in this film.  Dennis Farina and Rade Serbedzija get to yell a lot and shoot at people, as the other primary antagonists (after Ford).

One of the main criticisms of LLATSB was the language: many critics could not understand some of the characters.  Ritchie's answer to that issue was the Gypsy characters.  The Gypsys, specifically Mickey, are indecipherable.  Pitt was unable to master a British accent, so the distinct Gypsy speech helped solve that problem.  This is also a joke in the film, as most of the characters cannot understand the Gypsy characters.

An enjoyable film, in the same vein as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.

Snatch (2000) 102 minutes
Rating: R for strong violence, language and some nudity
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jason Statham as Turkish
Stephen Graham as Tommy
Brad Pitt as Mickey O'Neil
Alan Ford as Brick Top
Robbie Gee as Vinny
Lennie James as Sol
Ade as Tyrone
Dennis Farina as "Cousin Avi"
Rade Serbedzija as Boris "The Blade" Yurinov
Vinnie Jones as Bullet Tooth Tony
Adam Fogerty as Gorgeous George
Mike Reid as Doug the Head
Benicio del Toro as Franky "Four-Fingers"