Snitch Movie Review
A father decides to cross over into the criminal underworld in hopes of making arrests for the police when his son is caught with a significant amount of drugs and charged with possession and the intent to distribute, landing him some serious prison time.
Let it be known that 2013 is the year of “The Rock”. From his reappearances in the WWE to a slew of films (SNITCH, GI: JOE RETALIATION, PAIN AND GAIN and FAST & FURIOUS 6), this guy is certainly on fire. Personally I love Dwayne Johnson. Sure, he fell off the beaten path there for a bit with garbage like TOOTH FAIRY and JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTYRIOUS ISLAND, but he bounced back quickly and is ripping up Hollywood “rock bottom” style. SNITCH is based on true events, and Johnson is a big fan of real life stories as we’ve seen with WALKING TALL. Like WT, this flick gives Johnson a means of developing his acting career and it worked like a charm.
It’s worth mentioning that this is not an action film, it’s more of a brooding cop drama in the vein of HBO’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, THE WIRE (but obviously not as good). Stuntman turned writer/director, Ric Roman Waugh got my undivided attention with his powerful film, FELON, starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff. FELON may have been a direct to DVD flick, but it sure didn’t look or feel like it. I’m happy to see Waugh expand his horizons here, and although he doesn’t delve as deeply into the prison system as he did in FELON, his signature is evident throughout SNITCH and he delivers yet another great bang for your buck.
The story does feel worn out and/or overplayed as far as Hollywood scenarios go, but the acting is top notch and that goes a long way. Johnson blows this character out of the water by playing a father who’d do anything for his son. I liked that. The cops and district attorney use him to further their own means, which doesn’t surprise me, but I’m not a hundred percent sure I believe they’d send an average Joe up against the cartel like that, especially when it’s clear he has no idea what the hell he’s doing. Waugh does his best to humanize “The Rock” by trying to hide his physique, but let’s be honest here, dude’s still monstrous and it’s hard to watch him get his butt kicked or act as though he’s not two moves ahead of everyone else in the room.
SNITCH is a great start to the end of the this year’s dump months and hopefully stands as an positive omen of things to come for my man Dwayne Johnson. It’s also worth mentioning that THE WALKING DEAD’s Jon Bernthal is also making waves in the acting department with his secondary role here (also, a big shout-out to Barry Pepper–where the hell have you been bro? Come back, we miss you). Nothing makes me happier than seeing guys who do well on the small screen, get their chance to roll the dice on the big screen. Jon Bernthal and Jai Courtney are two of many worthy actors who seem to be getting their shot. It’s good to see considering TV used to be the place movie actors went to die. This may not be the most original setup to ever grace the big screen, but it’s a worthwhile night at the movies if you’re into these actors or are a fan of Ric Roman’s work. Even if you’re not, the father son dynamic is enough to move you and the trials they both face is more than enough to keep you entertained.
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