Snitch - Ein riskanter Deal

I expected this to be a more physical type of movie, more suited to The Rock, but it actually wasn't that at all. He plays the role of a dad caught between two rival gangs: the DEA and a drug cartel. The stakes: get his son out from prison where he pretty much was tricked into entering.

The part that I felt most vividly about was this dirty aspect of the law called Minimum Mandatory Sentencing. A kid receives a package from a friend, filled with MDMA pills and then is caught by the police. The law required that he either rat somebody out or serve a minimum of 10 years in jail. That pretty much is the end of life for an 18 year old kid. I wonder, what if Dwayne Johnson's character would have been a tough muscle guy with a lot of guns? Wouldn't he feel it "mandatory" to kill at least two prosecutors?

The bottom line is that the movie had, beside the obvious thriller action bit, a deeper message about rigid laws that force, nothing more than the threats to your family that a gangster would use. I quite liked the film. The quality of it, though, was more like that of a TV movie. It must have been low budget, or at least it looked like that. Besides some of the names in the cast and the message I was talking about above, it was quite ordinary.

Snitch is a searing indictment against the current drug laws and the fact that the draconian principles behind them. As we see in this film it forces those ensnared to become police informants on friends to get themselves out of a jackpot. Young Rafi Gavron gets himself in such a jackpot as a friend who does deal drugs sets Gavron up beautifully with enough Ecstasy to guarantee at least 10 years in Federal Penitentiary.

Young Gavron can work his way out of his jackpot, but the problem is that other than the kid who set him up, he doesn't know anyone in the illegal drug trade.

Dwayne Johnson is the kid's father and a working man who owns a construction company. He's divorced from Melina Kanakaredes, Gavron's mother and now he's got a second wife and child. Still he sees US Attorney Susan Sarandon and she's small comfort. She's running for elective office and is looking to get some big drug fish as notches on the prosecutorial gun.

So Johnson volunteers to bring in the big fish himself. Now he offers the use of his trucks to be drug couriers. But Sarandon and DEA agent Barry Pepper keep him in the game hoping for a bigger fish. Soon enough its one of the biggest fishes out there, a veritable whale in Mexican cartel leader Benjamin Bratt.

For action fans Snitch will definitely satisfy you. But also Dwayne Johnson creates a real character not a superhero. He's just an average man who is really putting himself in harm's way for his son.

The film reminds me a lot of both versions of 3:10 To Yuma where Van Heflin and Christian Bale are just citizens pressed into some disagreeable action like Johnson for the forces of law and order. There are also elements of the Robert Mitchum classic The Friends Of Eddie Coyle where Mitchum gets caught in the switches between the law and his criminal pals and is forced into the role of informer. The difference is that Mitchum is a petty crook and Johnson's a stand-up guy.

Susan Sarandon will chill you no end as the ambitious US Attorney who knows these laws are foul, but will use them for her own purposes. Also Barry Pepper as the law enforcement professional has some qualms and conscience. But even he's looking for the big bust and is willing to put Johnson on the line for it.

Snitch deals with the federal drug laws, but here in New York we pioneered that with the draconian Rockefeller drug laws. The sooner they're repealed the better, but we have to get through to some politicians who parade their law and order credentials by sponsoring such things.

This is a film both entertaining and informative and a real triumph for Dwayne Johnson.

Snitch (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Surprisenly effective drama about a father (Dwayne Johnson) who agrees to go undercover after his son is arrested in a drug bust, which could cost him at least ten years in prison. The father goes undercover to bring down a Mexican drug lord and soon finds himself in over his head. SNITCH was based around actual events, although I'm guessing a lot of stuff was either left out or just blended together to get this story. With that said, those expecting a non-stop action picture like the trailers made this out to be might be disappointed because for the most part this is a straight drama. The action doesn't come into play until the very end of the picture but this certainly isn't a negative thing. The best thing going for the film is actually the performance of Johnson who turns in the best work of his career. What really shocked me was how believable he was in the role of a blue collar father who will stop at nothing to protect the son who really doesn't care for him. I really thought Johnson stole the picture with his acting because the screenplay really gives him quite a bit to play. Not only does his not play your typical action hero, he manages to make you believe that he's this scared guy who finds himself in over his head but at the same time he knows he must do what he has to to protect his son. The supporting cast is also extremely good with Susan Sarandon turning in a nice performance as a woman making the deals with the father. Jon Bernthal offers up a sensitive and believable performance as a father who gets dragged into the mess and the underrated Barry Pepper is extremely good in his role as an agent. Michael Kenneth Williams also delivers a good performance as a drug dealer. The film is pretty laid back for the most part and I thought this was an interesting approach by director Ric Roman Waugh who proves he can handle telling a story and casually building up the suspense. There are certainly some flaws with the story including it being way too easy for this father to get close to a major cartel but this isn't bad enough to where it kills the film. SNITCH is a pretty good drama that manages to grab your attention and really bring you close to this father character. A lot of credit goes to Johnson.

I'm going to be somewhat vague about the plot to not give away anything.

My wife and I decided we wanted to go see a movie, both of us enjoy action movies and both of us enjoy Dwayne Johnson as an actor. Neither of use really thought it was going to be anything but a bunch of explosions, gun fights, and ass-whippings. I was amazingly surprised at how far Johnson has come in his acting ability since Mummy 2/Walking Tall. He showed real and believable emotions in his interactions with his "family" and others. Jon Bernthal was the perfect choice for his role. He showed even with this supporting role he is ready to be a major lead in my opinion. Susan Sarandon played her job as a career politician to the absolute limit.

If you are looking for a generic action movie, go see Die-Hard. If you want to see the story of how far parents will go for their children see this movie.

This film is about a construction company owner who is forced to make a choice when his son got involved in a drug deal.

I thought that the film would be an action packed thriller, as The Rock usually stars in these films. "Snitch" turns out to be an ordinary father who fights for his son's freedom, as there is a law that encourages drug dealers to frame other people to get their sentences reduced. I very much respect the fathers love for his son, that he would do anything to get the son's sentence reduced. He had to cross many lives, deal with international drug barons and risk his life, and that is a moving plot. Though there is not much adrenaline pumping action, this selfless love more than makes up for it. Who would have thought that a seemingly ultra masculine action film would have such a moving element?