What can I say about Snatch? Exactly like Ritchie's first big picture Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch is never endingly silly yet really fun to watch. (He did another one called The Hard Case that no saw.) I submit that the opening seen is a bunch of Hasidic Jews robbing an Antwerp Diamond wholesaler at gunpoint. Everyone is a badass, ultra violent, pointless death is just a part of doing business, the English are silly and Vinnie Jones is fucking cool. Guy Richie has Tarantino perched on his shoulder. The influence is so strong, you can smell it wafting through your TV screen. Much more than blatant. Neither of his movies would have even been conceived if Pulp Fiction had not happened first. And now he's married to Madonna. Still, there is an undeniable charm that runs through this picture and you tend to like and root for all the characters. Even though they are all trying to swindle and kill each other. Constantly. Obviously, Snatch is a "guy" flick. The only women with speaking lines are twins, who were just tossed into the mix for a bit of surrealism.

Artistically, Snatch is spot on. Guy Ritchie can work his camera. The cast is a nice ensemble of American tough guys and British hard cases. My favorite was Alan Ford, who basically played a manic montage of Christopher Walken characters. Ruthless to the core, yet so goofy that you just smile whenever he opens his mouth. Rade Serbedzija has some brilliant moments as Benny the Blade. Like when he won't die and just keeps cussing and cussing. And, he thankfully cut all that damn hair off. The only sad part was that Del Toro's character, Franky Four Fingers, is underutilized and gets killed early. For me, Benicio Del Toro announced himself as a real force with his portrayal of Oscar Zeta Acosta (Dr. Gonzo) in Terry Gillian's much under-appreciated epic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Unless he does something really insulting soon like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, Del Toro's presence on screen can only help a movie. Although in Snatch he just dressed cool and spoke with a weird accent.

Speaking of weird accents, Brad Pitt plays a Piker bare knuckles boxing champ named Mickey who won't throw a fight. This of course, causes nothing but more trouble. I have to cop to being a big Brad fan, but only when he plays a nut job. Tyler Durden in Fight Club, Jeffery Goines in 12 Monkeys. He's pretty charming in Snatch, and although it was a bit much, you cannot understand a single sentence he says throughout the movie.

The guy who stole the show, though, is Vinnie Jones as Bullet Tooth Tony. He is so fucking funny as the brutal and indestructible muscle for hire of Cousin Avi (played by Dennis Farina) that I sort of stopped caring after he got killed. You might, too.

Are you going to enjoy watching Snatch? Yeah, sure. Just as much as you would enjoy Conan the Barbarian. Although unfortunately in Snatch, no one punches out a camel.

DVD Extras

I've watched this twice on DVD but never bothered to see if there were any deleted scenes or anything. I am sure that Ritchie did not talk about what Madonna is like in bed, so the commentary is probably pretty useless.

Ruthless Ratings

• Film, Overall - 6
• DVD Extras - ??? (I'm lazy)
• Story - 5
• Acting - 7 and very spirited, but they are all cartoons
• Direction - 6

Ruthless Reviews Special Ratings

• Number of times movie was paused to do something else - Well, the quick cuts and the dozens of main characters keep you sucked in pretty good. Not sure if I paused it.
• Number of times you found yourself enjoying the movie - I liked this movie. Just didn't love it.
• Number of times you wished you had taken that screenwriting class - I often wish I had $50 million and a couple of cameras. Sometimes though, I wish I just had $50 million.
• Number of times the oppressive soundtrack made you reach for your knife - Probably pretty often, but again, everything goes so quickly that you don't have time to get your knife out.
• Number of times you thought you were watching a Tarantino picture - Snatch isn't a Tarantino picture? I had no idea.
• Number of times you imagined the director snickering to them self - I don't think he has stopped yet.
• Number of times you could not remember anything about the plot of Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels - At least ten. Was Snatch a sequel, or what>