Snitch 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
It’s hard to fathom now, but not so long ago, many people were questioning if Dwayne Johnson would ever realize his A-list, action star potential. In his early career, it felt like he was going to fill the action hero void left by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, but after starring in miss after miss, it wasn’t looking good for the former wrestler. But then FAST FIVE happened and all of that seemed to change. He followed FAST FIVE with JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and after that dud came SNITCH. SNITCH opened with a very modest $13 million and although it’s kind of a forgotten entry in The Rock’s hit streak, it’s an okay film that showcases his skills, even if it leaves something to be desired.
In SNITCH, Johnson is John Matthews, a father that gets tangled up in an undercover operation after his son gets busted for drugs. This is based on a true story and although I’m not sure how close this holds to the real story, the things Matthews goes through are pretty terrible. But the movie is sold on the idea of a father doing anything for his son and as a father, I can appreciate that. That sentiment carries the film forward as we root for Matthews to make it out of his situation alive. Predictably, there are some good-hearted criminals and some cops that seemed too anxious to send a civilian into an extremely dangerous situation.
Like a lot of The Rock’s earlier leading roles, the marketing completely set the film up for disaster. This is not an action movie and The Rock doesn’t bust too many heads here. In fact, he takes a lot of punches and that’s a little off-putting. I can’t imagine seeing Schwarzenegger getting beat up when he was in his 30’s. As much as I like The Rock, I’m not fully convinced this was a great vehicle for him, other than to show he can act in dramatic scenes. But given his physique and screen presence, I kept wanting him to just punch and shoot his way out of his situation. That’s not a fault of his or the director, that’s just the stereotype audiences have for muscular tough guys.
The rest of the film plays out pretty formulaic as things start to wrap up. In order to truly hit home with audiences, it would have worked better with a grittier, more down to earth style. I think director Ric Roman Waugh kept fighting the urge to throw The Rock into an action sequence but also tell a true story that pays respect to what really happened. The result is something in the middle and creates an uneven tone. I imagine that Dwayne Johnson’s legion of new fans will enjoy revisiting this.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: I have to assume this was taken from the 2K master format, which means it’s another upconverted transfer of a catalog title. If you’ve read any 4K video reviews, you know what you’re going to get here. There’s a decent uptick in detail, especially in clothing and backgrounds while the HDR comes in handy during the darker scenes. There’s not a lot of color in SNITCH, so the added depth and detail from the 4K and HDR is a welcomed addition. But like with most upconverts, this is not a video presentation that’s going to blow you away with clarity.
Audio: The Dolby Atmos track is a nice upgrade, especially for any scene in a car. But the whole track sounds impressive and definitely adds to the presentation.
This title was reviewed using a Samsung UBD-K8500 with a Sony XBR75X850C TV.
The 4K UHD does not contain any exclusive features, but it does include a Blu-ray of the film.
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