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The Movie: Director Guy Ritchie could do small crime thriller/comedies again and again, and I'd be more than happy. With "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and now "Snatch", the director has shown a stunning visual style, the ability to write fantastically sharp dialogue and come up with wild, fun characters. "Snatch" takes all of these elements to the next level. It's not without it's flaws, but even at it's worst it still remains wonderfully watchable. As for the story, you practically need a road map to work things out, but to Ritchie's credit, he makes things very easy to follow. We start off with Frankie Four-Fingers(Bencio Del Toro) and his gang stealing a very large diamond. One of the gangsters named Boris the Blade attempts to contstantly steal it. There's also an American named Avi(Dennis Farina) who wants to get his hands on it and looks to a guy named Bullet Tooth to find him. There's also another gang who finds themselves in trouble they become involved with the entire operation. Elsewhere, a couple of boxing promoters named Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tony lose their boxer in a match and find a new one in a Gypsy that no one can understand (a hilarious Brad Pitt). The only problem is, if he doesn't go down in a certain round, the two are going to be in a great deal of trouble with a boxing promoter named Brick Top. That's not even all the characters, although I must mention a cute little dog who swallows a squeak toy and ends up squeaking throughout the rest of the movie - it gives a great little supporting performance. It's that all of these stories come together at one point or another that makes "Snatch" so fun to watch. They don't come together as much as they collide. Ritchie also puts to use a wealth of entertaining camera tricks throughout the movie; rather than just seeming like gimmicks, they give the movie an additional burst of energy. Another source of energy is the rapid pacing of the film - it doesn't walk, it runs throughout. The director makes great use of music during the film, as well. Performances are also excellent. Del Toro is good in a small role, Statham is very good and Pitt is great, as well. Much of "Snatch" is humourous - sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and it's only when it gets a little more serious that it doesn't seem quite as electric. There always seemed to be a joke or gag around the corner to lighten the mood, though. Yes, "Snatch" isn't too different than Ritchie's first film, but I think it's still a pretty great piece of work, balancing out and directing a massive cast with confidence, putting together a wildly twisty story and keeping things moving, I think he's done a fine job.
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