Image by Steve Dietl, Summit Entertainment.
We review the new film ‘Snitch’
By Steven Cayer, Contributor
4/5
I never thought I’d write this, but Dwayne Johnson almost made me cry. In Snitch (released February 22), a crime-drama directed by Ric Roman Waugh and based on true events, a loving father (Dwayne Johnson) finds his estranged son (Rafi Gavron) arrested for drug possession. The film states that US drug laws require a minimum of 10 years in jail for drug possession in the case of first-timers. In order to lower his son’s sentence, Johnson’s character makes a deal with the prosecutor (Susan Sarandon) to become an informant for the DEA, while also hoping to make more than just an arrest.
The first time I saw the trailer for Snitch, I thought it would be just another Dwayne Johnson action movie—boy, was I was wrong. The movie didn’t waste any time pulling me into the plot and its characters, and not just at the beginning; I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Waugh does a good job in making the audience really feel something and care about protagonist John Matthews and his partner (played by Jon Bernthal, known best for his role as Shane on The Walking Dead).
This brings me to the question I asked at the beginning: what would you do for your son? Throughout the movie, I found myself repeatedly asking this same question. Now, I found this a bit tough, considering I don’t have a son, but I found it easier to imagine it if I put myself in Johnson’s likely humongous shoes.
I wouldn’t think of Johnson playing a family man, but he pulls it off well. Johnson’s performance in Snitch has got to be the best performance I’ve ever seen him do. I saw him as a father who would do anything to save his son from doing jail time, even if that meant risking his life. I think he’s been trying to get more into the films he takes on and more into being legitimately credited by his name.
Of course, I need to give a shout-out to the other cast member that backs this movie up, Susan Sarandon. At the beginning, she was cold and nonchalant, but as the movie progressed she became warmer and, well, more ‘chalant.’
Another thing that made Snitch a great movie was the cinematography. The way the camera moved and used certain angles made the whole experience even more intense, using the “shaky hand” or the “handheld” technique.
Overall, I think Dwayne Johnson has made his own name more known as a serious actor, and if you enjoy intense drama and a beautiful father-son relationship, then definitely go see this movie. Of course, if you just want to see some cop-like action, you’ll also find plenty of that here too.
