The 25th anniversary of Guy Ritchie’s crime classic Snatch is approaching this summer, meaning it is the perfect time to look back at the Brad Pitt caper that involves bare-knuckle boxing, organized crime, caravans, and a pack of Irish “travelers” that shouldn’t be underestimated. It begins with Benicio Del Toro‘s Franky Four-Fingers taking part in an Antwerp diamond heist that quickly devolves into a game of “who done it” after the gem is stolen and Franky is killed. But this is a movie that isn’t worried about spicing up plans or going off-script to commit crimes. Instead, we get a character-driven crime caper that is always good for a lazy weekend re-watch.
Along with Pitt, Snatch has an all-star cast for crime films of the time. Jason Statham’s scrappy boxing promoter, Turkish, and his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham) are just trying to get ahead and stay on the good side of mob boss Brick Top with their fighter, Gorgeous George. Pitt’s Mickey O’Neil steps in after knocking out George and forcing their planned fight to go belly up.
Statham and Pitt’s story is placed alongside the hunt for the stolen diamond, with Franky’s death at the hands of Boris “The Blade” Yuriov (Rade Serbedzija) causing issues for Abraham “Cousin Avi” Denovitz and Doug ‘The Head” Denovitz, the original destination for the stolen gem. All of these plots intertwine and cross-pollinate, creating a movie that flows without any lulls.
Following the Formula
Ritchie essentially takes what worked with his debut film, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, including its visual style and many of the same actors, but with nearly ten times the budget. Pitt’s addition also helped to elevate the film into blockbuster territory, though it wasn’t a critical darling upon release, and many critics just couldn’t get past the similarities to Ritchie’s previous film.
That said, Snatch became a cult classic after arriving on home video and helped to influence plenty of copycats. Similar to those influenced by Quentin Tarantino’s films, Snatch became a road map for similar ensemble crime films later released, like Smokin’ Aces or Layer Cake. Ritchie even followed it with a few more examples in his own work, including Revolver in 2005, RocknRolla in 2008, and a return to the genre in 2019 with The Gentlemen.
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For me, Snatch became a major part of my high school and early college life. It was definitely a movie popular in the dorms, right alongside Tarantino’s movies, Boondock Saints, and Fight Club. I was drawn to the movie after getting into the genre in the late 90s, mostly due to the lighter attitude it applied to very serious criminal activity. It wasn’t reality but it was entertaining and joined in with many projects at the time where antiheroes took hold.
Anniversary Reflections
Ritchie posted a reaction to the classic film for its 20th anniversary a few years back, dropping the lengthy clip on his social media. The video had tons of behind-the-scenes clips and stories, including how Brad Pitt ended up with his nearly incomprehensible dialogue.
Ritchie declined a ton of offers for his follow-up to Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. But he felt comfort remaining in that general U.K. underworld scene and staying away from “more than he could chew” with other projects.
“Snatch was sort of all the other stories that I couldn’t fit in Lock, Stock,” Ritchie said. “I felt confident because that was received well, that I could have another stab at that genre. I knew what I was doing there.”
It is a movie that creates a world you want to be part of while keeping your distance from criminals you’d never be caught dead being friendly with in reality. But in Guy Ritchie’s London, they’re colorful, fun and not half as scary as the real thing. You will believe in the bottomless appetite of pigs and laugh about a dead man wearing a tea cozy with a big hole in his head.
You can currently stream Snatch on Prime Video and Paramount+. If you’ve never watched, it’s a perfect entrance into Ritchie’s films, Jason Statham’s pre-Transporter work, and a great addition to your Brad Pitt film marathon.
Do you enjoy Snatch? Would you recommend another movie to viewers instead? Let us know in the comments.
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