SNATCH ------
Turkish (Jason Statham, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") and his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham) are boxing promoters whose desire for a new caravan plummets them into the nefarious dealings of fight fixing, hit men, gun dealers, Piker gypsys, pawnbrokers, gamblers, body guards and dishonest diamond dealers from both sides of the Atlantic in writer/director Guy Ritchie's ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") "Snatch."
Ritchie's kinetic first film was a smash in his homeland, but only a cult success in the U.S. With "Snatch" he follows much the same formula but brings in recognizable stars, most notably Brad Pitt as Mickey, an almost incomprehensible Irish bare knuckle fighter who loves his mum (Sorcha Cusack).
The film begins with four Hassidic Jews gaining entry into an Antwerp jewelry exchange - moments later Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro, "Traffic") and his gang have absconded with the 86 caret stone that will change hands repeatedly. Frankie works for Cousin Avi (Dennis Farina, "Reindeer Games") in NY, who contacts Doug the Head (Mike Reid) in London to help bring Frankie in. Frankie, it seems, has a weakness for girls and gambling. Frankie's London weapons contact, Boris the Blade (Rade Serbedzija, "Eyes Wide Shut") is planning on robbing Frankie for Brick Top (Alan Ford, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"), a ruthless fight fixer.
Meanwhile, Turkish and Tommy's fighter Gorgeous George (Adam Fogerty) is pummelled when pitted against the wily Mickey (Brad Pitt), so they anger and become indebted to Brick Top by changing their fighter - to Mickey. Pawnbroker Sol (Lennie James, "Among Giants"), his buddy Vinny (Robbie Gee, "The Firm") and oversize, unskilled driver Tyrone (Ade) are like three Black Stooges who try to pull the Blade's job and run afoul of Brick Top. Former soccer pro Vinny Jones ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") appears as Bullet Tooth Tony, bodyguard to Brick Top and legendary hit man.
The pace is fast and furious, featuring editting montages (Jon Harris and Les Healey) comprised of stills (Frankie's pleasure exploits) and near-stills (Cousin Avi's trip to London shown in two seconds flat) that are hilariously economical. Ritchie even gets a "Run Lola Run" moment when he shows a fateful dual car crash from opposite perspectives back to back. Urgent cinematography by Tim Maurice-Jones ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") humorously captures the action, and, occasionally, sublime moments, like when Mickey apparently floats horizontally through the air after a viscious ring punch.
Ritchie's assembled a terrific ensemble here, from unknowns like Ford, who's magnificently malicious and wickedly witty, to big stars like Pitt, who shines here in a humorous offshoot of his "Fight Club" persona. Ritchie's script may follow a formula, but his lines are deliciously inventive. (My favorite - when Brick Top asks 'In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary, come again?'). Baby faced Tommy continues to wonder at the irony that has him and Turkish buying an ever more splendid and expensive caravan for Mickey when they originally went to him to purchase a used one. Kudos, too, to the unnamed Pikey pit bull whose loyalty brings luck.
Be warned - for all its humor, the film features extreme violence and some gore, but simply put, "Snatch" is a blast.
B+
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