SNATCH

UK, 2000, 102 minutes, Colour.
Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham, Benicio del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Rade Serbedzija, Alan Ford, Mike Reid, Robbie Gee, Lenny James.
Directed by Guy Ritchie.

Snatch is a London gangster film, a genre made popular during the latter part of the 1990s, especially with director Guy Ritchie’s first film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. As with his previous film, there are quite a lot of characters, serious characters as well is an amount of spoof and satire in their presentation.

The narrative is told from the point of view of Turkish, Jason Statham who had made an impact in Ritchie’s previous films and was to go on to a very successful international career as a tough guy. He is small time, with an arcade, boxing connections and a rather slow-witted friend, Tommy, Stephen Graham.

The title of the film comes from a cache of diamonds which is snatched from an Antwerp jeweller’s headquarters and change hands many times during the film – including into a dog’s mouth.

The film has an array of oddball characters, with some oddball names. Mike Reid plays Doug, a tough boss with a range of henchmen, with betting connections, fixing matches. Turkish and his friend Tommy want a caravan and go to a gypsy camp to buy one where they seem to be successful but are swindled. They encounter one of the Gypsies, played by Brad Pitt with an incomprehensible accent, who has a powerful knockout blow and they line him up for a succession of bouts which he spoils with his knockout. There is a gambler, played by Benicio del Toro, and his London connection for fencing the diamonds – and his American counterpart, played by Dennis Farina, who comes to the UK and can’t stand it, hiring some muscle played by Vinnie Jones. And then there is a group of inept thieves, mixed race and gay overtones.

All the stories interconnect – but there is vengeance by the boxing entrepreneur and the destruction of the gypsy camp and the fighter’s mother, leading to another bout as well as to a violent confrontation with the entrepreneur and his men.

There is also some Russian muscle getting into the act.

But the diamonds finish up with the original fence making contact with the American counterpart.

Guy Ritchie was to go on to make Revolver and Rock‘n’rolla and then branch out with his Sherlock Holmes’ films with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

1. The 1990s popularity of British gangster films? The blend of the serious in the spoof?

2
. Guy Ritchie, his career, serious, satire, spoofs?
3. The atmosphere of London, 2000? The variety of locations? The continent to the UK? The world of gangsters, thieves, the boxing world, the Gypsies, farms, the streets, the business world? The musical score?

4. The introduction, Antwerp, the jewellers, the Jewish Orthodox dress, the irony of the thieves in disguise? The screens, the robbery, the diamonds, going to London? The contact in London and the contact in the United States? The title and the reference to the taking of the diamonds?

5. The introduction to all the characters, their names on screen? The interconnection throughout the plot?

6. Turkish, Tommy, the characters, Tommy as slow, Turkish and his wits? The boxing connection, the arcade, wanting the caravan, setting up of the fights?

7. The Russians in the deals, the criminal connections, the thugs, Boris the Blade? The diamonds, the thieves tracking them down, Boris and his selling the gun to Tommy? The pursuits, the car, knocked down, Boris shot?

8. The inept thieves, gay, racial, lack, the deals, going to the betting centre, the robbery, little cash, the being caught? The CCTV? Doug, the fat man, the arrival, the threats, the cutting of the body, the man put in the case? The getting rid of unwanted bodies? The shooting, the hacking? The irony of the concealing of the diamonds? The time limit, 48 hours? Tracking, the dog and the diamonds, the car crash? The Gypsies, the mother, Brad Pitt and his presence in the film, the accent, his friend, in the caravan, the deals, the trick, the crash? Getting him to fight, the knockout, his not fulfilling his promise, the losses, the setup and the repeat, the vengeance, the burning of the caravan, the death of his mother? The fight, the knockout, the setting up in the vengeance the Gypsies have on the criminal gang?

9. Turkish and Tommy, the narration, the events, safe, caught, the connections with the gypsy, arranging the bouts? Finally, with the diamonds and the dealer and the American connection?

10. Avi, American, anti-UK, tough, his experience of London, action, his hiring Tony, Tony and his role, the shooting, Tony’s death? Back to the US, the phone call – and back to the UK for the diamonds?

11. The range of crooks, the names, the associations, no honour among thieves?

12. The situations, the sendup – and the body count?