O Acordo

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 The sooner they're repealed the better, but we have to get through to some politicians who parade their law and order credentials by sponsoring such things.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.

I've been a fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson since his wrestling days in the late 90's. Now his movies are a mixed bag for me. I like his action movies (Faster, Fast 5) but I'm not a big fan of his family films (Tooth Fairy).

After seeing the trailer I expected this film to be an action film where The Rock kicks ass most of the movie. However, this film was more of a crime drama with more depth and less action than I thought it would.The story itself is inspired by a frontline documentary of the same name which deals with mandatory minimum drug laws in the US. It shows as the movie has a high stakes, gritty plot with a good message at the end.The movie also has strong performances from the great cast of actors involved. The rock has come a long way when it comes to acting and this is one of his best films. overall, 2013 is gonna be a big year for the rock. If this movie is an indicator of things to come, It will be a good year for him indeed.

Overall:7/10

Recommendation: Felon (2008) is a similar gritty crime drama from the same writer/director. If you liked snitch. check it out

A disturbingly realistic view of the drug problem in this country is the shocker element that makes SNITCH work so well - the extent of drug cartels on both sides of the borders, the power of the kingpins controlling them, and the current laws about felonious drug dealing - all combine to make this film not just another good guy bad guy film: this is a slice of life as we are living it.

Construction company owner John Matthews Dwayne Johnson) learns that his estranged son, Jason (an impressive Rafi Gavron), has been arrested for drug trafficking. Facing an unjust prison sentence for a first time offender courtesy of mandatory minimum sentence laws, Jason has nothing to offer for leniency in good conscience. Desperately, John convinces the DEA and the opportunistic DA Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) to let him go undercover to help make arrests big enough to free his son in return. With the unwitting help of an ex-con employee Daniel (John Bernthal in a superb performance), John enters the narcotics underworld where every move could be his last in an operation that will demand all his resources, wits and courage to survive.

Ric Roman Waugh wrote (with Justin Haythe) and directed this tightly woven tale and has managed to make a focal point of the problems of divorced families (Melina Kanakaredes is the ex-wife and Nadine Velazquez the current wife) in the care of their offspring. Dwayne Johnson finally has a role that defines his talent and he is supported with a terrific cast (in addition to the actors mentioned above) of Michael K. Williams as the head of the US side cartel, Benjamin Brat as the head of the Mexican cartel, Barry Pepper, JD Pardo, David Harbour, Lela Loren and Harold Perrineau. Yes, there is the requisite car chases and violence, but there is also a study of father/son relationship healing that is equally powerful. The film is much better than expected. Grady Harp, June 13

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.

I went into this film alone, on a lazy Saturday to get my mind off things. I wasn't expecting much, but I didn't want it to be a waste of 11 bucks. Knowing the market of action/thriller blockbusters, I guess I was expecting cars blowing up, gun fights all through the movie, and some crazy, somewhat unrealistic hand to hand combat by our huge friend Dwayne Johnson. I was expecting you're average, predictable "normal citizen suddenly becomes Jason Bourne" type action packed movie. If you're expecting that, and ONLY that, you will be somewhat disappointed. Lucky for me, I am a huge film buff and am open to sitting through any movie of any type and I just look for something entertaining, and this movie did not disappoint in that regard. The first hour and a half of it can legitimately be classified as more of a suspense-drama than a thriller. The screenplay wasn't anything amazing, but I do think Dwayne Johnson might have thrown himself in the eye of some producers and directors who write him off as no talent. His acting made the movie as believable as it was, and along with some of the supporting characters, and gritty suspenseful situations, this film found a way to intrigue me more than I thought it would have. The quote at the end of the film spoke volumes as to what the message of the movie was, and I think it was very well put together. If you're going to see this movie solely for action/entertainment value, then you might not be so happy with your investment, but if you want a well rounded, legitimate movie to go when you're bored or with a friend, I would recommend Snitch.