Reviews & Ratings for
Snitch More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Index

40 reviews in total

---

32 out of 36 people found the following review useful:
Much much better than I expected, 22 February 2013

Author: edwin1030 from United States

I have never been much of a fan of The Rock. My love of professional wrestling tapered off around the time I was about 15 years old, and that was before The Rock's heydey. His movies (the ones I have seen) have been marginal at best in my opinion. But for a guy who was ushered into the field of acting to capitalize on his popularity and not to win Academy Awards, he has come a long way from The Scorpion King. What I liked about "Snitch" is it's the anti-action movie. I expected a movie like the terrible "Last Stand" starring Ah-nold Schwarzenegger. I expected fabricated car chases and shootouts where the bad guys must be shooting blanks because they are unable to shoot the good guy even when they have a clear shot. I expected scenes where The Rock would beat up 10 guys who all take turns coming at him instead of simply jumping him. But "Snitch" was different. It's a story of the lengths a father will go to help his son. I don't want to give away any spoilers but he goes very far. The Rock -- he's credited as Dwayne Johnson (I guess so viewers take the movie seriously) -- is very believable and does himself proud with some consistent good acting. He shows the trepidation and vulnerability of a father who puts his life on the line to save his son, who is imprisoned after committing a dumb crime. But the actor who steals the movie is John Bernthal, who plays an ex-con trying to live an honest life but is dragged back to the dark side in order to help The Rock, whom he works for doing construction. Michael Kenneth Williams will forever be known as "Omar" and is typecast but does a good turn as a drug dealer. The other supporting cast, including Susan Sarandon as a district attorney, are excellent. "Snitch" moves at a deliberate pace, which gives it more of a natural and believable feel. The few action sequences are good and do not seem overly exaggerated. I will go out on a limb and say this movie will not be nominated for Best Picture, but compared with the junk I've seen so far this year (including the latest Die Hard), I recommend "Snitch".

---

18 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
An interesting departure for "The Rock.", 24 February 2013

Author: PWNYCNY from United States

This movie marks the departure of Dwayne Johnson from action actor to dramatic actor and the transformation works. Johnson demonstrates a surprising aptitude for dramatic acting as his character struggles with a number of distressing issues. The problem with the movie is the story. It's premise is implausible. The main character's son is busted on drug charges and he is in fact guilty, which makes him a far less sympathetic character. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop his father, played by Johnson, from coming to his son's assistance, albeit as unbelievable as it, and the entire movie hinges on the audience having to believe that the son is a victim, which he is not. If a movie needs a victim, then the victim should in fact be a victim. Another interesting character is the drug dealer played by Benjamin Bratt who plays the role effectively. Susan Sarandon and Barry Pepper also provide excellent performances as an ambitious DA and an undercover vice police officer respectively. Despite the flaws in the story, this is still a good movie and one that is worth watching.

---

13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
A Rock Solid Performance, 23 February 2013

Author: Catt Jones (cattjones@chixchatonfilm.com) from TX, United States

I would normally expect to see Dwayne Johnson in either a silly comedy (Tooth Fairy) or an action packed drama (the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation). This film was neither. There was not a lot of action in this film; it was more of a psychological thriller. I did not think that I would really like this film and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The trailer told the main gist of the film where John Matthew's (Dwayne Johnson) son is wrongly imprisoned and John will do anything to get him released. He strikes a deal with Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) who is the federal prosecutor, to help catch bad guys. In order to even get starting in figuring out how he is going to help Jason (Rafi Gavron), John has to get introduced to the dark side (so to speak). He discovers that one of his new employees, Daniel James (Jon Bernthal) may have some insight and so the partnership begins. The roller-coaster ride that these two take definitely keeps the story interesting. With the introduction of the cartel and its regional leader Juan Carlos "El Topa" Pintera (Benjamin Bratt), things really start to heat up. I can tell you this much, by the time you get to the middle of the film you will be thinking, how the heck is he going to get himself out of this mess. This film is supposedly based on a true story; if that is true than our legal system has gone hay-wire and some laws should really be amended. I think that the film succeeded in delivering the message that it intended to deliver. I just want to add that it was hard to see the "Rock" as a guy who really didn't know how to fight, but he is still pretty easy on the eyes. This film was pretty fast-paced and there were not a lot of lull moments (although there were a couple), which gives the film added appeal. I am glad to see Dwayne stretching his wings. Is he ready to do Hamlet? No, but he was not terrible in this film. I think that former stunt coordinator turned director; Ric Roman Waugh did a halfway decent job for his major film. Kudos! Although I am teetering between amber and green for this film, I am going to go ahead and give this film a green light.

---

15 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
One of the best captivating, action packed movies!, 22 February 2013

Author: aawsome16

Dwayne "the rock" Johnson hands down did an amazing job portraying the father who would go to any length to save his son! I wasn't expecting this movie to be this good but it had me. I wanted to immediately know what was going to happen next. Although this movie doesn't seem so realistic it is very intense and you want to know how each scene is going to turn out. If you are looking for a good action packed drama then this movie is definitely for you. I would recommend to go see this movies while it's out in theaters. It is by far a great entertaining movie and the characters believability in the movie is great! Although if you are a critic on films which aren't realistically possible then maybe this isn't for you. But overall I would give the rocks performance in this film an A.

---

12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
"Snitch" Snitches on Messy US Drug Laws., 22 February 2013
Author: Matthias Elsdoerfer from Canada (Montreal)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Hey guys, I'm giving this 7 out of 10. I liked it! Good setup and good follow-through.

When a friend offers to send him a package of ecstasy pills, teenager Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) is more than a little reluctant, but still curious. He accepts, and bam, he's arrested for drug distribution and sentenced to 10 years. Kid's doomed unless he sells out somebody else, which he can't. He knows nobody in the drug scene. End of the line? Not if his dad John Matthews can help it. Good old man of action Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson slips into the market to sell the baddies out himself, and a tight action thriller ensues. "Snitch" delivers a solid plot, tension, drama and effective action in the right places. At the same time, it raises interesting observations about US drug laws.

"Inspired by true events," one of the first lines on the screen said. Oh well, I thought. Another one of those. Sells better, huh? Then, I learned about those true events going on in the US legal system. Wait a minute, a boy is caught with a box of ecstasy pills – no evidence he wanted to sell them, no criminal record – and he gets a mandatory minimum of 10 years in jail?! Um... This is a country where pedophiles and rapists can go free.

It reminded me of an interview with US economist Jeffrey Miron that, just a coincidence, I'd read the same day in German newspaper "Der Spiegel". Legalize drugs already, he says. Portugal did it, and they're fine! People here take them anyway! The nation could save tons of money, crime rates would go down, less people would die. Interesting, I thought as I watched the movie. Instead, there's expensive drug laws possibly doing more harm than good.

I was impressed with the detail put into the main characters. Matthews has two families: his ex-wife and son, and his current wife and little daughter. We see the effects of his actions - past, as a bad father, and present, as a drug informant – on both sides. We are also introduced to a ex-convict colleague he teams up with, that guy's family and the effects on them when things get tough. A rich plot and lot of tension derive from these back stories.

To boot, Susan Sarandon deserves special mention as the US District Attorney on the kid's case. Introduced as a cold, cynical bitch, she alternates between law enforcement, her agenda as a candidate for Congress, and eventually doing the right thing. But is it for the right reasons? She's an interesting character I could never completely dislike. Very nice performance.

All that said, "Snitch" isn't a deep masterpiece of modern cinema. Although slow-paced, it's designed as an action movie, with flashy stunts, a big ol' shootout and fist fights. The writing is effect- conscious, and so is the shaky-cam direction.

Looking around the Internet, I see "Snitch" receiving mixed reviews. Personally, I think this movie is well above average. Seeing it in the wake of the random and bad "A Good Day to Die Hard", I'll admit I was on the lookout for "this is how it's done, bitches" moments. Here are some: "The Rock" delivers a good performance in a rare serious role, a solid cast supports him, there's thought in the plot, characters are well- drawn with fleshed-out back stories, and they develop. Tangible stakes amount to "Breaking Bad"-level suspense, and you get well-placed, effective action scenes. Overall, "Snitch" makes for an evening well spent.

---

11 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Surprising, 24 February 2013

Author: jfrink1984 from United States

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.

---

8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Get Rock Bottomed By Hard Hitting Snitch, 26 February 2013

Author: revolution1991 from Canada

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 and looks good doing it. 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

---

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Informing your way out of a jackpot, 25 February 2013

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

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.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Great movie and a "Rock" solid performance by Dwayne Johnson!!!, 26 February 2013

Author: RogerCampbell from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays John Matthews, a father who is willing to risk everything to save his son from the horrors of serving the mandatory minimum sentence for Federal drug trafficking charges. After making a deal with a Federal Prosecutor (Susan Sarandon) to have his son's prison sentence commuted, he must become an informant for the DEA to gather enough information to nail the leader of a Mexican drug Cartel (Benjamin Pratt) and others within the same network of traffickers and dealers. Desperate to find a way into the dealer's network he uses false pretenses and money to enlist the help of an ex-con doing his best to go straight (Jon Bernthal) who has had ties with them in the past. The deeper he becomes involved, the more complicated and dangerous the situation becomes. At the same time family friction and tensions ensue for both men as the drama mounts and the bullets fly.

In a movie that is inspired by true events, "The Rock" shows he has come a long way since his WWE wrestling days. In his first truly serious role he is brilliant in his portrayal of the loving father willing to do anything to help his son. It's very refreshing to see Dwayne Johnson in a role that is higher in drama than it is action.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
The Rock Is On The Roll!!!, 25 February 2013

Author: zardoz-13 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Arnold Schwarzenegger tangled with one Mexican Drug Cartel in the shoot'em up actioneer "The Last Stand" back in January. This month the Rock wrestles with another cartel in "Snitch." "Felon" director Ric Roman Waugh pits the six-foot-four inch former World Wrestling Entertainment champ against hoodlums armed with accents and submachine guns in "Snitch." This suspenseful but formulaic narcotics caper about a father who plunges himself smack in the middle of a drug war on account of his son telegraphs most of its punches. Our outnumbered protagonist is a fearless father determined to save his son from death in prison at the hands of sadistic inmates. Unfortunately, this loquacious crime thriller suffers from a case of pervasive 'shaky cam' cinematography. Happily, "Snitch" shifts gears during its final quarter hour, and Waugh salvages this straightforward melodrama with some smashing automotive derring-do. Before he started calling the shots as a director, Waugh coordinated and performed stunts in the "Lethal Weapon" sequels. Mind you, the Rock has made better movies than "Snitch," but this white-knuckle epic isn't an outlandish exercise in gratuitous violence. Waugh and "Revolutionary Road" scenarist Justin Haythe based their somber undercover crime saga on an episode of the PBS' television series "Frontline" that first aired in 1999. In real life, a desperate dad endangered his own life for the sake of his imprisoned 18 year old son. The real-life father helped law enforcement nab narcotics dealers, but the local prosecutor refused to honor their side of the deal. Of course, nothing as treacherous as this transpires in "Snitch" because the filmmakers bathe the Federal Government in a complimentary but gritty light.

In "Snitch," Dwayne Johnson emerges as a thoroughly charismatic hero. In other words, he doesn't mutate into a fantastic, larger-than-life, figure like The Scorpion King. As John Matthews, the Rock owns a successful transportation company with a fleet of eighteen wheelers. He lives with current wife, Analisa (Nadine Velazquez of "Flight") and their young daughter Isabelle (Kyara Campos) in a spacious house. Meantime, Matthews' former-spouse Sylvie (Melina Kanakaredes of "CSI: NY") and their 18-year old son, Jason (Rafi Gavron of "Mind Games"), have reverted to her maiden name of Collins. As "Snitch" unfolds, Jason accepts a special delivery package from a friend who wants to him to hold his drugs. Jason opens the shipping carton, finds a bag of Ecstasy pills, and then spots a DEA signal transmitter. Moments later, Agent Cooper (a bewhiskered Barry Pepper of "Saving Private Ryan") and his team burst through the door. They pursue the terrified lad on foot and in cars through the streets until they corner him. As Sylvie and John learn, Jason's so-called friend struck a deal with Federal authorities to reduce his own prison sentence by implicating Jason. Although Jason admits he has smoked pot, he doesn't abuse drugs and has never taken Ecstasy. Nevertheless, the amount of MDMA that the DEA caught him with lands him in prison for a ten-year stretch. Naturally, John is as stunned as Sylvie is distraught, while U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon of "The Banger Sisters") refuses to cut John any deals.

John Matthews decides to take matters into his own hands. He persuades an employee on his payroll with a criminal record, David James (Jon Bernthal of "The Walking Dead"), to introduce him to a notorious drug dealer. This kind of unethical behavior on the part of our hero reflects just how desperate he is to intervene for his son. Earlier, John tried to infiltrate the local street gangs and gotten beaten up for his trouble. Eventually, David James comes around and takes John to talk with a two-time loser, Malik (Michael K. Williams of "Gone Baby Gone"), who proves to be a pretty shrewd gangsta. James and Malik, it seems, knew each other before James decided to go straight for the sake of his wife and son. John convinces Malik that he needs the money to bolster his declining business. Afterward, John sneaks back to give Keeghan his news, and Agent Cooper provides him with back-up. Basically, John plans to let Malik use his tractor-trailers to traffick in narcotics. During the illegal deal, John and James barely escape, but their initial misfortune turns out to be fortunate. Whereas John had negotiated a deal to hand Malik to her on a platter, he has an even bigger offer for her. The local leader of the Mexican Cartel (Benjamin Bratt of "Catwoman") contacts John in person because he believes there is a place for him in their criminal family.

The filmmakers turn up the heat on our hero. When John sees Jason in prison, our hero is shocked by his son's battered appearance. Apparently, Jason isn't holding up too well behind bars, and this compels John to fight even harder. The problem is John has gotten himself in too deep. The suspense mounts when cartel gunmen pay a surprise visit to John's house. Moreover, they learn about Jason through a uniformed contact in the prison, and the pressure rises for our hero to perform. The cartel wants him to drive a fortune in cash, approximately $83-million in greenbacks, in the trailer of an eighteen wheeler to the border. John suspects they mean to kill him. Agent Cooper warns him to be vigilant.

"Snitch" is an okay actioneer. The sensational driving stunts pump up the film. Meantime, the supporting cast spends most of the time on the fringes. Sarandon's prosecutor rarely leaves her office, while Barry Pepper stays out of the Rock's way. Benjamin Bratt has little time to develop his characterization of a lethal cartel drug leader beyond the stereotypes that we have grown accustomed to in these movies. Similarly, Melina Kanakaredes is confined to the sidelines. Essentially, "Snitch" implicates the mandatory-sentencing laws that compelled a father to fend for his son. Ironically, the same laws Waugh's movie rants against serve to bring down the villains.

---

---

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Add another review

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	External reviews
Parents Guide	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user reviews	Your vote history