Snatch

A fast-paced, multi-track, plan-gone-awry crime caper comedy with a nebulous English sense of humor, this underworld corker from writer-director Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) follows a dozen characters through interweaving crosses and double-crosses that all converge in the aftermath of a diamond heist with the illicit world of unlicensed boxing. Annoyingly similar but far superior to his earlier film, Snatch is stylish, imaginative, kinetic, droll and original even as it borrows heavily from the likes of Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting and The Usual Suspects. The entertaining ensemble cast of ruffians features Jason Statham as a hapless boxing promoter, Benicio Del Toro as a gambling-addicted diamond courier, and Brad Pitt, who aces an off-kilter supporting role as a scruffy Irish gypsy (and bellicose bare-knuckle boxer) with an utterly undecipherable accent. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Dec. 8, 2009—Sony, 103 min., R, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2000's Snatch sports a great transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the previous DVD release, including audio commentary by director Guy Ritchie and producer Matthew Vaughn, a “making-of” featurette (25 min.), deleted scenes (9 min.), a photo montage (5 min.), three storyboard comparisons, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version are the “movieIQ” and “The Snatch Cutting Room” BD-Live functions. Bottom line: an impressive Blu-ray debut for one of Guy Ritchie's more entertaining caper flicks.]