Pulp Fiction is an obvious ancestor. One of my favorite
movies of all time, it made me laugh out loud and it also made
me cling to the edge of my seat on repeated occasions. As numerous
teams try to replicate it's success, the reckless bloodthirsty
crime comedy genre flourishes. Snatch is the latest offering
from Great Britain.
This will not be the breakaway classic Pulp Fiction was. The laughs and the chills aren't as intense, and one doesn't get involved with the characters as much. (There's not so much as a hint of romance, either...)
Just because they didn't draw me in dramatically doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy them for what they were: a lively and authentic bunch of London low-lifes who exude a highly amusing brand of cockney eloquence. ("You're on thin ice my pedigreed chums, and I shall be under it when it breaks!") There's a couple of Americans, a Russian, some Irish Gypsies and a dog thrown in for good measure.
Snatch is a nice big, solid chunk of the super-tough British lower-class "Ska" vibe. If you're partial to same said vibe, you'll be delighted. If you weren't previously, you might find yourself taken by this film's inherent charm.
The characters are too numerous to cover in full. Suffice to say that while each one is fun and unique, they all entail varying degrees of charm, wit, tenacity and ruthlessness.
Everyone is great, but I had a few extra-special favorites. There's Brick Top (Alan Ford), a truly bloodless local kingpin who disposes of bodies by feeding them to his pigs. There's Bullet Tooth (soccer star Vinnie Jones), a most formidable thug. Brad Pitt does a great job as a scraggly Gypsy bare-fisted boxing champion. His accent is so thick, you can barely make out a word he says (nor can anyone else in the movie). Dennis Farina plays essentially the same guy we saw in Get Shorty: very cranky, very sarcastic and extremely callous. He's a great asset to any film that strives for toughness and humor.
I could go on and on. With it's relatively shallow plot, Snatch may not garner "best of decade" status, but it does feature a delightful roster of highly memorable (albeit simple) personalities. I should warn you: with just one minor female part and a near total absence of emotional tenderness, this is very much a "guy" movie. If you're in the mood for a bit of tough fun, but don't "fancy" losing a few teeth for real, I highly recommend this movie.