Snitch Review

[Westside Steve]

Snitch

Lionsgate

PG 13 112 min

So the week after the Oscars is usually not a great week for new films. Either the producers want something out early in the year, but not too early or just before the end of the year for consideration.

As deadline approached I was faced with a couple options. Two pot boilers, one an apparent action thriller add one a horror film. I selected the action thriller for this reason: the advertisement for DARK SKIES posted that it was from the producers of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, one of the worst films in recent history. That's your claim to fame guys? That's like a restaurant touting the fact that their new executive chef was the guy who created the recipe for diarrhea.

 

Now I wasn't particularly itching to see a film starring Dwayne, the rock, Johnson but despite his less than stellar filmography he doesn't seem like a bad guy and rumor has it he'd really like to be taken more seriously. Well okay. I apologize in advance if this statement seems like damning with faint praise but my first impression it was that SNITCH was that it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. If you have it on your list of things to see I'd suggest you save the review for later so that you might be surprised too. Your call.

From the previews you would expect another stock action film packed with explosions fighting gunfire and other testosterone fueled hijinks.

Actually there's less than you might expect and even then close to the climax. Also, dare I say, almost tastefully done, or as tastefully as possible for an action flick.

Trucking company owner John Matthews’ (Johnson) son has unwittingly gotten himself into trouble with the federal drug police. The films editorializing is kind of obvious as the mandatory minimum sentencing law forces this blameless kid into jeopardy. Unless he can turn over someone else in the drug ring he faces 10 years hard time. Since the kid is truly clue free pop makes a deal with a federal, prosecutor Susan Sarandon, and offers to find them a suitable drug kingpin. He enlists the help of one of his employees (Rafi Gavron) who is trying hard to provide a better life for his family. The guys will soon find themselves tangled in a perilous web of intrigue and danger.

Johnson is better than expected as an actor here but newcomer Gavron is especially impressive.

Neither performs any superhuman abilities (like too many mortal action heroes) and the chase scene at the end isn’t much above what any good semi driver might handle.

A pleasant surprise.

B-

 

WSS