Snatch(film)

Not to be confused withSnitch (film)orSnatched (2017 film).

Snatchis a 2000 crime comedy film written and directed byGuy Ritchie,featuring an ensemble cast and set in theLondoncriminal underworld. The film contains two intertwined plots, one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter (Jason Statham) who finds himself under the thumb of a ruthless gangster (Alan Ford) who is ready and willing to have his subordinates carry out severe and sadistic acts of violence.

Snatch
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Guy Ritchie
Written by	Guy Ritchie
Produced by	Matthew Vaughn
Starring	Benicio del Toro Dennis Farina Jason Flemyng Vinnie Jones Brad Pitt Rade Šerbedžija Jason Statham
Cinematography	Tim Maurice-Jones
Edited by	Jon Harris
Music by	John Murphy
Production company	SKA Films
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing (underScreen Gemsin the United States andColumbia Picturesinternationally)
Release dates	23 August 2000(2000-08-23)(Premiere) 1 September 2000(2000-09-01)(UK) 6 December 2000(2000-12-06)(US)
Running time	102 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$83.6 million

The film shares themes, ideas, and motifs with Ritchie's first filmLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.It is also filmed in the same visual style and features many of the same actors.

Plot

A gang of robbers disguised asOrthodox Jewssteal an 86-carat(17.2 g) diamond during a heist inAntwerp.Franky Four-Fingers, the gang's leader, goes toLondonto see diamond dealer Doug the Head on behalf ofJewish-American organized crimefigure Cousin Avi to fence the stolen diamonds. Franky is told to visit arms dealer and ex-KGBagent Boris the Blade in London by one of the robbers, who tells Boris, his brother, to steal the diamond from Franky.

Unlicensed boxing promoter andslot machineshop owner Turkish is forced to enter his boxer Gorgeous George in a match against one ofcrime bossBrick Top's boxers. When Turkish sends his partner Tommy with George to purchase acaravanfrom a group ofIrish Travellers,George is knocked out bybare-knuckle boxingchampion Mickey O'Neil with a single punch. Mickey agrees to replace the injured George in the upcoming match in exchange for a new caravan for his mother, and Brick Top demands that Mickeythrow the fight.

Boris arranges forpawnbrokersVinny and Sol to rob Franky at Brick Top'sbookies,while Avi, knowing Franky is agambling addict,flies to London with his bodyguard Rosebud to pick up the diamond personally. At the bookies, Sol, Vinny, and theirgetaway driverTyrone are caught on camera and find no money, since Gorgeous George's cancellation means that all bets are off. They manage to kidnap Franky, handcuffed to the briefcase containing the diamond, but he is killed by Boris after Vinny accidentally uses Boris's name within earshot. Hacking off Franky's arm, Boris leaves with the diamond.

At the match, Mickey again knocks his opponent out with a single punch, prompting Brick Top to seize Turkish's savings and demand that Mickey lose another fight. When Mickey refuses, Brick Top's men trash Turkish's arcade and burn down Mickey's mother's caravan, killing her. Brick Top tracks down Tyrone, Vinny, and Sol, who bargain for their lives by offering to retrieve the diamond. Avi and Doug hire bounty hunter Bullet-Tooth Tony to find Franky and they capture Boris and the diamond, pursued by Sol, Vinny, and Tyrone, with Turkish and Tommy driving on the same road. Tommy inadvertently causes Tony to crash, killing Rosebud, and Boris escapes only to be hit by Tyrone's car.

Confronted by Sol, Vinny, and Tyrone at a pub, Tony scares them off after noticing their guns are harmless replicas. A heavily armed Boris arrives and is killed by Tony, while Sol and Vinny escape with the diamond. Tony catches up to them, and they lie that the diamond is at their pawn shop, where Vinny accuses his dog, which he was given earlier by the Travellers, of eating it. When Avi tells Tony to kill the dog, Vinny produces the diamond, which the dog snatches and runs off back to the Travellers' campsite. Avi fires wildly at the fleeing dog, accidentally killing Tony, and returns toNew York Cityemptyhanded.

Mickey agrees to fight to avoid further carnage, but gets so drunk at his mother's wake that Turkish fears he will ruin the fixed match. Brick Top sends his men to the Travellers' camp, prepared to kill them all if Mickey fails. Making it to the fourth round per Brick Top's plan, Mickey is knocked down, but recovers at the last moment and once again knocks out his opponent with one punch. Before they can kill Tommy, Turkish, and Mickey, Brick Top and his men are ambushed and massacred by the Travellers. This was all planned by Mickey, avenging his mother while making huge winnings by secretly betting on himself.

The next morning, Turkish and Tommy return to the Travellers' campsite to recruit Mickey to fight for them legitimately, but find it deserted and are confronted by the police. Vinny's dog appears then and they claim to be simply out walking it, and the police allow them to leave. They cross paths with Sol and Vinny, who are arrested with Franky's body in the boot of their car. Taking the dog to a veterinarian to extract asqueaky toyit swallowed, Turkish and Tommy discover the diamond and consult Doug; he calls Avi, who returns to London to purchase it.

Cast

• Jason Stathamas Turkish
• Stephen Grahamas Tommy
• Dennis Farinaas Abraham "Cousin Avi" Denovitz
• Brad Pittas Mickey O'Neil
• Alan Fordas "Brick Top" Pulford
• Benicio del Toroas Franky Four-Fingers
• Robbie Geeas Vincent "Vinny"
• Lennie Jamesas Solomon "Sol"
• Adeas Tyrone
• Rade Šerbedžijaas Boris "The Blade" Yurinov
• Vinnie Jonesas Bullet Tooth Tony
• Adam Fogertyas Gorgeous George
• Mike Reidas Doug "The Head" Denovitz
• Nicola and Teena Collinsas Alex and Susi
• Sorcha Cusackas Mrs O'Neil
• Jason Flemyngas Darren
• Goldieas Bad Boy Lincoln
• Velibor Topićas The Russian
• Sam Douglasas Rosebud
• Ewen Bremneras Mullet
• Andy Beckwithas Errol
• Dave Legenoas John
• William Beckas Neil
• Sol Campbellas Bouncer at Boxing match (uncredited)

Production

Principal photography forSnatchwas filmed between 18 October and 12 December 1999, in London and Buckinghamshire.A half-hour documentary of the production of the film was released featuring much of the cast along with Ritchie.Tom Delmar worked as the stunts choreographer forSnatch,and he has also choreographed stunt sequences in films such asAliens,102 DalmatiansandVelayudham.

Reception

Box office

Snatchwas largely successful, both in critical response and financial gross, and has gone on to develop a devotedcult following.It opened in the UK on 1 September 2000 in 389 cinemas and grossed £2,637,364 in its opening weekend to become thenumber one filmat the box office. Including preview grosses of £542,638, its opening weekend gross of £3.1 million set the record for an18-certificatefilm, beating the record set earlier in the year byAmerican Beauty.From a budget of $10 million,the film grossed £12,137,698 in the United Kingdom,$30.3 million in the United States and Canada, and a total of $83.6 million worldwide.

Critical response

Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 74%, based on 142 reviews, with aweighted averagescore of 6.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though perhaps a case of style over substance, Guy Ritchie's second crime caper is full of snappy dialogue, dark comedy, and interesting characters."OnMetacritic,the film has a score 55 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

While the film received mostly positive reviews, several reviewers commented negatively on perceived similarities in plot, character, setting, theme and style betweenSnatchand Ritchie's previous work,Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.In his review,Roger Ebertgave the film two out of four stars, writing that while ostensibly rooted in the London underworld, Pitt's Irish Traveller community were the most interesting element of the plot and the film's clearest predecessors were all American:Dick Tracycomics,Damon Runyonstories, and zanyMarx Brotherscomedies. He raised the question of "What am I to say ofSnatch,Ritchie's new film, which follows the 'Lock, Stock' formula so slavishly it could be like a new arrangement of the same song? "

Writing in theNew York TimesElvis Mitchellcommented that "Mr. Ritchie seems to be stepping backward when he should be moving ahead".Some critics also argued that the film was lacking in depth and substance; many reviewers appeared to agree with Ebert's comment that "the movie is not boring, but it doesn't build and it doesn't arrive anywhere".

The film has gone on to develop a cult movie following,and has ranked inIMDb's top 250 rated films.

Soundtrack

Snatch: Stealin' Stones and Breakin' Bones
Soundtrack albumby various artists
Released	9 January 2001
Genre	Rock pop Britpop reggae jazz rock
Label	Universal International TVT
Guy Ritchiefilm soundtracks chronology
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) Snatch: Stealin' Stones and Breakin' Bones (2001) Swept Away (2002)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Two versions of the soundtrack album were released, one on the Universal International label with 23 tracks.

Track listing

1. "Diamond" – Klint
2. "Vere Iz da Storn?" –Benicio del Toro
3. "Supermoves" –Overseer
4. "Hernando's Hideaway"–The Johnston Brothers
5. "Zee Germans" –Jason Statham
6. "Golden Brown"–The Stranglers
7. "Dreadlock Holiday"–10cc
8. "Hava Nagila"–John Murphyand Daniel L. Griffiths
9. "Avi Arrives" –Dennis Farina
10. "Cross the Track (We Better Go Back)"–Maceo & the Macks
11. "Disco Science"–Mirwais
12. "Nemesis" –Alan Ford
13. "Hot Pants (I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming)" –Bobby Byrd
14. "Lucky Star"–Madonna
15. "Come Again!" –Alan Ford
16. "Ghost Town"–The Specials
17. "Shrinking Balls" –Vinnie Jones
18. "Sensual Woman" –The Herbaliser
19. "Angel"–Massive Attack
20. "RRRR...Rumble" – Charles Cork
21. "Fuckin' in the Bushes"–Oasis
22. "Avi's Declaration" –Dennis Farina
23. "Don't You Just Know It" –Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns

Home media

The film has been released in multiple incarnations on DVD and other formats.

In July 2001, a two-disc special edition was released, containing both a full-screen andwidescreenpresentation of the feature. Included was anaudio commentarytrack with director Guy Ritchie and producerMatthew Vaughn.The special features on the second disc included amaking-offeaturette,deleted scenes, originaltheatrical trailerandTV spots,text/photo galleries, storyboard comparisons, and filmographies.

In September 2002,Columbia TriStar Home Entertainmentreleased a "deluxe collection" DVD as part of the company'sSuperbitseries. This release contained two discs, one being the special features disc of the original DVD release, and the other a superbit version of the feature. As is the case with superbit presentations, the disc was absent of the additional features included in the original standard DVD, such as the audio commentary. The disc contained subtitles in eight different languages, including a "pikey"track, which only showed subtitles for the character Mickey.

In June 2003, a single disc setup was released, with newcover art,containing the feature disc of the special edition set. This version was simply a repackaging, omitting the second disc.

In July 2021, Sony Pictures released Snatch on the 4k Ultra HD format, which features an HDR transfer of the film along with the special features of the previously released Blu-Ray.

Television

Main article:Snatch (TV series)

In April 2016, it was announced that a television series based onSnatchwas in development, with the associated studios comparing the series to how theFargoshowexpanded upon theoriginal film.Created bywriter,executive producer, andshowrunnerAlex De Rakoff,the series is based on a true story heist for gold bullion in London, the show will be aCrackleexclusive release.In August 2016,Rupert Grintwas named among the cast of the series, while serving as anexecutive producer.Dougray Scott,Ed Westwick,Luke Pasqualino,Lucien Laviscount,Phoebe Dynevor,andJuliet Aubreyfeature in recurring roles.

The series had 20 episodes, running one hour-long each, and was named the most-viewed series for the streamer.The project was announced as a joint-venture production betweenSony Pictures Television,Little Island Productions, andSony Crackle Originals.The series debuted on 16 March 2017 and ran for two seasons.

See also

• Hyperlink cinema– the film style of using multiple inter-connected story lines
• Shelta
• Heist film

External links

• Official website(archived)
• SnatchatIMDb
• SnatchatBox Office Mojo
• Snatchat theTCM Movie Database
• Snatchat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• SnatchatRotten Tomatoes