Ritchie shows up Tarantino once again...

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2001)

Funny and entertaining from start to finish, Snatch once again shows that an American who can't stop verbally masturbating is no match for an Englishman who doesn't take himself so damned seriously. Just as an indicator of how good the script in Snatch is, it convinced Brad Pitt to do the film for much less than his normal tens-of-millions fee, something you never see in Hollywood these days.
Brad Pitt also manages to convince the audience that he is a far better actor than anyone who has appeared in a Tarantino film. Just seeing him put on a "pikey" accent less than a year after taking on one of 1999's most difficult roles in Fight Club has definitely changed my mind about his acting skills. This man could really go places if he keeps it up. Jason Statham and the rest of the Lock-Stock-Gang put in riveting performances as boxing promoters or pikeys, and Vinnie Jones is his usual thuggish self. However, unlike certain other films in which actors play thugs, these actors are convincing. How many of the actors in Reservoir Dogs have ever even strode onto a football field, leave alone been sent off as many times as Vinnie?
Alan Ford also demonstrates another thing Ritchie's films have over those of Tarantino: subtlety. Compare the scene in which Ford's character explains his position in the underworld to the jewellery store men with anything Tarantino has put on screen of a similar nature and you'll see what I mean. This sequence is funny, driving, and straight to the point with full convincingness.
All in all, I give Snatch ten out of ten just for being a REAL gangster film.