Guy Ritchie's Best Work To Date.

Rating: Null/10 (15 October 2013)

Guy Ritchie's follow-up to his breakthrough feature may have the very same blood flowing through its veins that was present in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but it nonetheless succeeds as yet another prime example of its genre(s) that offers significant upgrades in all filmmaking departments, further enhances the director's style & visual flair, and still remains his finest work to date.
Set in London, the story of Snatch follows multiple segments concerning various characters who weave in & out of mainly two entwined plots. The first plot deals with the search for an 86-carat diamond that was stolen during a heist while the second one is about two boxing promoters who get pulled into the world of match fixing by a notorious crime lord. Things soon go from bad to worse, resulting in some unexpected outcomes for everyone involved.
Written & directed by Guy Ritchie, Snatch falls very much within the same universe as his debut film but it also shows the then-new filmmaker having a better grip at his trademarks and even his direction carries a more confident appeal. The screenplay brims with plenty of piercing dialogues, hilarious one-liners, crazy accents & memorable characters throughout its runtime and also exhibits precise control over its handling of the story's non-linear structure.
The technical aspects share many similarities with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but benefit from a more polished execution. Cinematography features the same dynamic camera-work to capture all the action & unfolding drama. Editing is arguably its finest aspect for the final print is devoid of any dull moment, its 104 minutes of runtime unfolds at a terrific pace, and all characters gets their deserving screen time. Finally, the songs incorporated into the story is intelligently done for every track fits its accompanying sequence.
Coming to the performances, Snatch features a versatile cast in Benicio del Toro, Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Alan Ford & others, and they all chip in amazingly well in their given roles. Although each one of these idiosyncratic characters have a vital role to play in the story's final outcome, my favourite of them all was the gypsy boxer Mickey, excellently played by Brad Pitt, for his nearly gibberish accent is hilarious as hell, screen presence is incredibly magnetic and thanks to Pitt's strong performance, he ends up stealing every scene he's in.
On an overall scale, Snatch is a seamlessly intertwined amalgamation of stylish direction, smart writing, exquisite wit, perfect comic timing, zestful camera-work, immaculate editing, brilliant performances & bizarre soundtrack that takes its plot in all possible directions yet brings its story full circle in the end without leaving out any loose ends. An undeniable masterpiece, a timeless example of refined storytelling, and one of the greatest & funniest films ever made, Snatch is an unabashedly hysterical, extremely entertaining & immensely satisfying work of razor-sharp creativity that comes strongly recommended.