Review of Snatch (2 disc set)

Introduction

Guy Richie’s follow up to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a film in a similar vein with a ‘Pulp Fictionesque’ storyline but with enough originality and Brit-spin to make this a cracking film in its own right.

The plot - right, where do I start? Tricky one this! With films that have multiple stories all cracking off at once, it makes it rather difficult to explain what the film is about without me going into a load of convoluted detail. Lets just say it all centres around a diamond, underground boxing and characters involved in the London underworld.

Films like this live or die on their ability to keep the viewer following the story, and this one succeeds with aplomb! From the slickly edited intro you are introduced to the characters in a very short space of time. This helps tremendously because you already have a “feel” for the characters when the story really begins and makes the first half hour very easy to watch. Films like this normally take “effort” from the viewer to “learn” all the characters and their individual stories. I remember the first time I watched Pulp Fiction. The first 45 minutes was quite hard going, and left me wondering how they were going to piece it together.

Richie has a number of involving and funny characters in this film, however it does sometimes tread old ground. Some could say that this is a remake of Lock, Stock etc. with a larger budget. They’d be wrong, but there are similarities to be made; there is the same “look” to the film, Vinnie Jones reprises his role as a double-‘ard thug, and the uniquely British sarcastic tone is present in abundance.

Video

Richie’s sepia-tinted view of London’s East End is well captured by the disk, and it seems a lot of care and attention has gone into creating the right look and feel of this grimy and unflattering underworld. The frame is awash with grimy greens and dirty, faded browns giving a gritty and mucky feel to this unclean world that the characters inhabit.

It is also a very sharp picture and the disk creates an excellent feeling of depth and perspective. The picture isn’t completely flawless however. On occasion I noticed white specs on the picture appearing in various locations around the screen. These specs are very small and appear momentarily - not enough to detract from the overall presentation of the film (which is generally excellent), however I did feel it was worth a mention here.

Audio

Snatch features a rather engaging 5.1 soundtrack. This is a definite improvement on the Lock, Stock 5.1 soundtrack and feels as though the sound editor has gotten to grips with his tools and (luckily for us) found the rear speakers. Dialogue is very clear (apart from Brad Pitt’s – obviously), and again, this film features some memorable tunes that are presented in the main LR speakers very well. Finally, the rears are saved for Richie’s infamous camera movements or for scenes where the editing takes you out of the grimy world and into another aspect of detail that the audience is being pointed to. For example, when Brad Pitt is knocked out and ends up in a pool of water, or when Vinnie Jones realises the mob holding him up are doing so with Replica guns.

You can tell care has been taken getting the sound right for the film. It doesn’t rely on heavy explosions, but a more imaginative aural mix that swirls very nicely around your living room. It is interesting, engaging and fun.

Features

Being a two-disk set, there are many extra features to keep you happy. I’ll start with the extras on disk 1 first…

The most engaging and entertaining feature is the directors and producers’ commentary. This is just about as funny as the film itself. Richie and Vaughn aren’t part of the Hollywood mainstream, and as such give a very honest commentary without really sticking to what they “should” say; at one point slagging off the Director of Photography for not lighting a shot correctly. This, as you commentary lovers already know, is something of a rare treat. These commentaries are normally the height of sycophantic backslapping – sometimes to the extent you feel nauseous! Richie refers to the “men in suits” wanting them to discuss various topics about the film. He pays scant regard to the studio execs, and carries on in his own inimitable style. He gives a very frank, funny and candid commentary and at the same time tries to cajole Vaughn to make some sort of comments about the film himself. Vaughn is lost for words during the majority of this track, but is essential for Richie to bounce off. This has to be one of the funniest and most entertaining commentaries I have sat through for a long time.

Stealing Stones is similar to the “follow the white rabbit” feature on The Matrix. Whenever a diamond appears on the screen, press Select on your remote to jump to an extended version of this scene. However the scenes are 4:3 with timecodes running across the bottom. This is a sort of bastardised version of a “Directors Cut”. If a little extra time and money was spent, this could have been a “Theatrical Version” and “Director’s Cut” DVD, with the extra scenes inserted via seamless branching (a la The Abyss or Terminator 2 SE).

Now onto disk 2…

The “making of” documentary is most notable for showing the cast and crew working together and having a real laugh. The candid footage of actors being fined for having mobile phones on, plus the chess games depict a crew who had a great time hanging out with each other. You’ll probably only watch it once, however it is one of the better “making of” documentaries that are supplied with disks.

The Behind the Scenes (B-Roll) footage is raw footage of the camera rolling whilst shots are prepared, acted or rehearsed. Quite a short piece but shows the more day-to-day aspects of the shoot.

Soundbites is an interview with the main players in the film. Written questions appear on the screen, which then jumps to the actor answering the question. I would’ve preferred to just watch the whole interview rather than this messy method put on the DVD. It is quite tiring to constantly read the question on the screen rather than just hearing the question put to the actor.

TV spots, International Trailer were basically the same footage cut in slightly different ways. These were stereo efforts, however the Teaser Trailer was done in 5.1 – and seems the one least deserving of the sound treatment. Given the great sound the film produces I was surprised that a 5.1 version of the International Trailer wasn’t included in here.

Storyboard comparisons with Multi-Angle Option are just that. I am not really a fan of storyboard comparisons. Yes, a picture was drawn, and then acted out. I’ve seen it a thousand times before and it never really changes.

Jump to a Song simply selects a clip with one of the songs featured in the soundtrack. However all the dialogue and foley effects (if any) are still on the track, so you don’t get to hear the song in all its glory without everything else. This seems to me to be a fairly useless feature.

Photo Library – finally a DVD that shows the photos without you having to constantly press the “Step” button on the remote! Each frame is given sufficient time before displaying the next - nice, simple and good to see.

The Production Notes and Filmographies are comprehensive and presented in a clean, easy to read manner.

Conclusion

An excellent film with a sharp transfer (save for a few speckles), a wonderful surround track and there are some top-quality extras contained within this package which will keep you entertained long after the film’s credits have rolled. Given the film’s multi-faceted storyline, great characters and sharp wit, this is a DVD that you can watch again and again. This really isn’t a rental purchase and is definitely worth £20 of your hard earned.