Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Michael Kenneth Williams
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
First Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson started out as a WWF/WWE star, then he went into acting, then he went back into wrestling, and now it appears that he's back into acting again. Some celebrities grow a persona so big that it seems impossible to grow out of. The Rock really made a household name for himself in WWE, becoming one of the most recognizable names they've ever had. When you see him in a movie it's hard not to think oh look, there's The Rock. He's an icon. Kids grew up wanting to be this guy. For me, it's hard to take his roles seriously, especially after he did The Tooth Fairy which I thought was an all time low.
Did Snitch suffer from this so called "icon syndrome" attached to The Rock? Read on.
Review
I'm going to start by saying that this wasn't a bad screenplay. It had all the makings of an emotional thrill ride.
It starts off really quick. John Matthews finds himself in a difficult spot. His son was caught holding a package full of MDMA and Ecstasy for a friend, which means he's facing 10 years in prison! Talk about a helpless feeling for a parent. The DEA wants to cut a deal with his son, saying that if he snitches on some dealers higher up in the cartel that they'd lower his sentence. He can't do that. He's just a kid, he doesn't actually know anyone.
This is where the story gets interesting. John knows he hasn't been there for his son. He has a second family and works at his construction company all day long. In attempt to change his absence in his son's life, John takes matters into his own hands. He meets up with one of his employees with a record and asks for an introduction into the drug business. He offers him 20 thousand dollars in return. Of course this doesn't come without conflict. This employee, Daniel, has a life of his own that we get to see and he can't afford to conspire in such a situation without risking life in prison. Of course he'd get dragged into it too!
The film transpires through some intense scenes, some decent shoot-outs, and a well done chase with John in a truck carrying millions of cash.
I enjoyed it.
Why did this movie work for me? Well, the entire time John's life is on the line. I care for John because he's risking his life for his son. This is something very human and very real. The story is based on this authentic sympathy and John is easily a person I could root for.
The stakes are always being raised. It's not just John's life. It quickly becomes about Daniel's life too. Then it becomes the whole family's lives. As they get deeper into the cartel, the cartel digs deeper into their personal lives. If they don't succeed, or their cover gets blown, there are serious consequences.
Has this movie been done before? Yeah, there are lots of similarities you can pull from other films, but it still felt alright. I think what separates this from others is the "true story" factor. This actually happened, which makes it all the better.
I did find some serious flaws though.
First of all, when John is looking up law records on the internet, there is a typo. "No longer that 20 years" when it should have been "No longer than 20 years". Really? All of that editing and this wasn't spotted? Very sloppy.
Second, as John gets deeper and deeper in the cartel, he continually visits the DEA and his attorney to discuss plans. Really? The cartel would trust a guy who did 1 successful run for them with 18 or so million dollars in cash? They wouldn't follow him everywhere to see if he was legit? I get it's a movie, it needs exposition to explain clearly to the audience what's going on, but c'mon. That's unrealistic. Also, he gets voice recordings of his first meeting. They wouldn't pat him down like every dealer would? Someone as ruthless as the one he was being introduced to? C'mon.
Topic of the Day
Dwayne Johnson, how far you have come.
I really liked Fast Five and I really liked DJ in it. I actually like The Rundown. In the beginning of his career he showed potential. I always assumed that one day he'd be a decent actor. After all of these years, "The Rock" has finally made it. In my opinion this was the best acting job of his career. The emotion, the delivery, the comfort I felt he had on camera, all of it. He evolved and for the first time ever, he wasn't "The Rock". He was John Matthews, a loving father fighting for his son. Impressive.
Conclusion
Although there are serious flaws evident in the story's exposition, Snitch is a solid film. Dwayne Johnson has evolved as an actor and his character was easily a hero I could root for. The stakes kept raising, the set pieces were decent enough, and the conclusion was satisfying. It's not the sharpest, most witty tool in the shed, but it's a fun ride and definitely worth a watch.
6.7/10
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