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Snitch
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
It’s always fascinating to go back to the beginning of an actor’s career and look at their early works. Back in 2013 Dwayne Johnson was just coming off of being known only as “The Rock”, a hulking beast of a WWE wrestling star who starred in dumb action movies and whose most known physical feature (besides his enormous muscles) was the singular eyebrow raise known as “The People’s eyebrow” from his wrestling. It was around this time that Dwayne was trying to revamp his image into one of a SERIOUS actor, and even though Snitch was a real low budget (almost DTV) film, it was a chance for him to stretch his acting wings and try something different for a change. He had already been trying with such bombs as the remake of Get Smart and his rebranding into a children’s movie star in The Tooth Fairy (which is actually not that bad in comparison to Vin Diesel’s attempt at the same genre), but now he wanted to become a dramatic actor, and the subject of a father protecting his son from prison was the perfect opportunity.
Ric Roman Waugh says in the commentary that Dwayne (or The Rock to me, as that will forever how he will be known in my mind) was a shoe-in for the part of a distraught and determined father who was trying to get his son out of a bind. He wanted someone who looked and talked the part of a rock star, but also had the humility and desire to learn that Dwayne has so obviously demonstrated with his roles. One of the biggest appeals to me personally was the touchy subject matter of minimum sentencing in the war on drugs. Something that even I as a staunch conservative have issues with. For those of you not in the know, minimum sentencing in the war on drugs was an effort to make sure that there was FEAR in the hearts of every drug dealer. If they’re convicted there is no namby pamby judge letting off a drug dealer with a slap on the wrist. If you’re caught, and you’re in trouble you get a MANDATORY minimum sentence that usually had years of prison time. The only downside to this is little minor offenses and people with no violent crimes getting hammered with years of jail time even if all they did was handle a package for a buddy for a few bucks extra cash.
This is exactly what happens here in Snitch. Johnson is playing John Matthews, a salt of the earth man who owns his own construction company and is making a good living at doing so. He’s a family man and even though he’s estranged from his ex wife Sylvie (Melina Kanakaredes), he dearly loves his high school son Jason (Rafi Gavron). Things hit the fan when Jason gets mixed up in a deal gone south. Unbeknownst to John and Sylvie, Jason’s best friend deals drugs. When Jason innocently accepts a package from his buddy his world comes crashing down. The DEA has been tracking his buddy for ages and the package Jason accepts is actually full of drugs and they are waiting to pounce. Even though Jason had NO prior history or criminal record the mandatory minimum sentencing comes into play and the young kid is looking at SERIOUS jail time.
Snitch is a very different sort of film for Dwayne Johnson. It’s no big blustery action film, but it’s still solid enough to have me tip my hat to it. The drama is intense and the minimal action is quite a blast to watch, but there is decidedly angry undertone to the film itself. You can tell that the writing staff was very obviously trying to give a message to the dangers of mandatory minimum sentencing and, while good intentioned, has a bad habit of scorched earthing quite a few people in the process who many not need the whole weight of the gavel down on their neck (something I myself struggle with as well). It’s tightly wound, completely compelling, AND based off a true story making it one of those films that I never saw coming. A good, solid, low budget thriller that hits most of the right check boxes for a great watch.
Rating:
Rated PG-13 for drug content and sequences of violence
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Ric Roman Waugh and Editor Jonathan Chibnall
• Deleted Scenes
Final Score:
I really enjoyed Snitch more than I expected I would, and it was a fun entry for Dwayne Johnson to make more of himself than just the hulking beast or the cute kiddie comedian. The disc itself is a healthy upgrade over the Blu-ray (although all the extras are ON the Blu-ray), and the uptick in video quality is the most substantial reason to upgrade. I’m one to be hesitant over double dipping, but I’d have no qualms about grabbing this for the low teen price that Lionsgate is offering Snitch for. Good watch.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Written by: Ric Roman Waugh, Justin Haythe
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DD 2.0 (enhanced for Night Listening), French, Spanish DD 5.1
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 112 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 6th, 2017
Recommendation: Solid Watch
