With a recent viewing of Wrath Of Man under my belt, I was poised to return to the early Guy Ritchie films that made audiences fall in love with his style. His latest feature had exciting moments but lacked some of the fun that made his previous films such a joy to watch. How fortuitous that the powers that be over at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment continue their streak of dazzling home media enthusiasts with 4K UHD Blu-Ray releases of some of their most popular catalog releases. The sophomore effort Snatch from the filmmaker thankfully counts among them with a star-studded cast and a sizable box office return on a meager $10 million budget. This feature finds the director dabbling in the territory that put him on the map with his debut Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but he levels up in his filmmaking skills to make one of the most memorable films of the early 2000s.
This twisty, interweaving story of London crime primarily focuses on the Jason Statham character of Turkish, a boxing promoter who is trying to stay out of the debut of ruthless crime boss “Brick Top” (Alan Ford). Before he was known for playing jacked-up action junkies (The Transporter and Crank) or strong, silent types (Shaw, before Hobbs), Statham dazzled on screen with his sly English charm in lieu of smacking people around. He handles the classic Ritchie dialogue with ease even if you might find yourself racing to flip on the subtitles to understand all the accents. This is played up to hilarious effect with the introduction of the “Pikey” Mickey O’Neil (Brad Pitt), a bare-knuckle boxing champion who gets mixed up in the world of fixed boxing matches and criminal favors alongside Turkish and his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham). Pitt seems to be tapping into his unhinged 12 Monkeys energy in a really fun way. As is usually the case with a Ritchie film, when moral ambiguity enters the picture you will usually end up with significantly less living people than when you started.
This especially holds true for the other main storyline of the film originated by the amazing Benicio Del Toro as Franky Four-Fingers. After the theft of an 86-carat diamond, his trip to London becomes fraught very quickly as the visibility of his loot draws out many unscrupulous parties. This section of the film is rife with standout talent including the late Dennis Farina (Manhunter) as his boss, Lennie James (Fear The Walking Dead) as the leader of a trio of inept thieves, and Vinnie Jones (X-Men: The Last Stand) as a larger-than-life character known as Bullet Tooth Tony, just to name a few. This segment is arguably the more entertaining of the two, but each portion does an amazing job of balancing the quick-witted humor with some thrilling criminal developments. Ritchie has a very narrow view of characterization at this point in his career, but within this one genre he found a way to create a rich world of characters that help make this madness go down more smoothly.
As with any Ritchie film, the beauty of it comes from the ways in which all of the storylines and characters engage with one another and have a ripple effect on the lives of everyone else. One standout sequence involves three different character groups riding in separate cars who come together in unexpected ways. By following each group, you are able to see what series of events led to the final outcome. These moments can be truly hilarious, and often quite violent, but never less than a lot of fun. From the most pivotal characters to the smallest, seemingly inconsequential role, Ritchie makes sure that there is a performer inhabiting the character that will make the most of their time on screen. If you do not love the Guy Ritchie “style” of filmmaking, Snatch is not likely to change your mind in any major way. But if you happen to get a thrill out of his special brand of twisty gangster film, this version of it is one of the strongest he has ever put to screen. Snatch is a classic of the working-class gangster genre.
Video Quality
Snatch makes its long-awaited 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a stunning 2160p HDR10 transfer that allows the film to look better than it ever has. When compared to the old Blu-Ray, this disc offers strong improvements in all respects. This new 4K scan of the original camera negative has a lovely amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific text such as some writing in notebooks that were too unclear to capture before. Some of the optical transitions are not as rich with detail as the footage taken directly from the original camera negative, but the image remains strong nonetheless. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you look at the interior of the slot machine arcade and the clothing of the Pikeys.
The UHD disc contains very deep colors throughout even with the gloomy color palette favored by Ritchie. This is a disc where HDR is not given a chance to truly shine, but the different shades of grey, blue and black are more refined than ever. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are extremely deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail including the cuts and grime from being in these filthy locations. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. This disc might not offer a night and day difference, but the gains in stability and depth are worth the upgrade to these eyes.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray utilizes a Dolby Atmos track that gives the film’s reserved soundscape a real vitality and immersive quality. There is an emphasis on the front channels for a good portion of the sounds, but activity extends to the surrounds, rears and overhead speakers to make the world feel more robust and all-encompassing. The sounds up above are not constant, but they are present enough to keep the listening experience quite engaging. These channels really come in handy during scenes taking place in the rain or in a raucous boxing hall. The film really satisfies when it comes to the music, as the numerous needle drops wash over you in a really satisfying, enveloping way. Dialogue is crisp and clear without ever getting lost amongst the music or sound effects (although subtitles are recommended with the thick accents). The low end effects from the subwoofer give certain moments that much-needed extra weight such as the impact of certain punches. Atmospheric sound effects are rendered appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never an issue. Snatch is more of a wordy crime drama than an action film, but the expanded audio track allows the film to feel more powerful and precise than ever. As an added bonus, the 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc also includes a UK English track that was not included on the previous Blu-Ray.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Guy Ritchie and Producer Matthew Vaughn deliver a very dry and frankly boring commentary track in which they talk about the specifics of the scene without too much in the way of genuine insight.
- The Snatch Cutting Room: An interactive feature that requires external storage that allows you to piece together a video from materials provided on the disc.
- Deleted Scenes: Six scenes of unused material totaling about nine minutes are provided here in rough, unfinished standard definition. Nothing left on the cutting room floor really reads as essential. These can be viewed with optional commentary from Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn.
- Making Snatch: A 25-minute piece in which the cast and crew deliver insights into the film that are incisive enough to make it worth a watch.
- Storyboard Comparisons: A series of comparison videos and storyboard sequences for key sequences from the film.
- Video Photo Gallery: A five-minute collection of behind-the-scenes images and promotional material related to the film.
- TV Spots & Trailers: The disc includes three TV spots, a Teaser Trailer and a Theatrical Trailer.
Final Thoughts
Snatch stands tall in the Guy Ritchie gallery of twisty gangster tales as one of the strongest of his career. The ensemble cast that he assembled for this story is frankly staggering in their talent. The script is equal parts hilarious and surprising, and the way in which all the stories come together in the end is immensely satisfying. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has once again released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade that greatly impresses in the A/V department while carrying over the legacy special features on the Blu-Ray. If you are a fan of this film, there is no better way to view it than on this disc that serves as a nice upgrade. Recommended
Snatch is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
