Lock stock and a much more A-list cast

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2017)

It's widely regarded that Guy Ritchie's first film, 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' is pretty much a classic modern British gangster film. Therefore, much was riding on the – er – 'sequel', simply titled 'Snatch.' Now, first of all, it's not a sequel, although some people may think it felt like one.
Alternatively, if you're feeling even less charitable, you could even call it a 'remake' (or 'soft reboot' as has been used post 'The Force Awakens'). Because, even die-hard fans (of which I confess to being one) have to admit that it's basically the same story as Lock Stock, with basically the same characters, shot in basically the same style. Only with Brad Pitt thrown in there (and he's awesome).
So, despite a fair amount of cynicism associated with Snatch, it's actually pretty damn good. Yes, it is a slight copy of Lock Stock, but, when a film was so perfect as Lock Stock, it's difficult to hate anything that replicates it so well. To use another term, Snatch feels like it's set in a 'shared universe' (only with gangsters instead of Robert Downey Jr).
The characters, despite most being copies of its filmic predecessor, are still pretty memorable – despite Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham playing almost the same roles as before and the evil mob boss not really straying far from type, we also get a trio of hapless pawn store owners, a Russian hit man who just won't die and Brad Pitt. Did I mention he's in it? Brad Pitt is the standout for me. Too many times he's been written off as a pretty face only, but (as with 'Kalifornia') he proves that he's as good at acting as he is looking (and I sort of hate him for that, but still...). He steals every scene he's in as the hard-as-nails gypsy bare-knuckle boxer and has everything from the mannerisms to the accent down perfectly.
If you like gangster films of any nationality then you have to watch Snatch. Yes, it may not be quite as original as Lock Stock, but it's still worth a place in anyone's DVD collection.
Pity about 'Revolver' though. Don't know what happened there.