Amusing Crime Story

Rating: 6/10 (21 December 2005)

I went to see "Snatch" by accident due to confusion over movies listings. I haven't seen "Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels" so I can't say how similar "Snatch" is.
It seemed like "Lavender Hill Mob" crossed with Woody Allen and "Run Lola Run" and contemporized by language and "Pulp Fictio"nal violence and circular storytelling. My friend thought it was very music video style.
The ethnic references were vaguely unsettling, including Benicio Del Toro's exaggerated Yiddish accent and a prominent menorah in the diamond dealer's office -- oh yeah we Jews all keep Hanukkah ritual objects around the office.
But gypsies (or maybe they were Irish Travelers) were probably also unsettled at being used for jokes.
I did like that the American movie stars were secondary to the Brit character actors and there's no corny romance.
It is an amusing hour and a half or so.
(originally written 1/28/2001)