Director: Ric Roman Waugh.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper, Michael Kenneth Williams, Benjamin Bratt.
Certificate: 12A.
Running Time: 112 minutes.
Synopsis: A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal.
Like the hulking big man’s muscles, the career of former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson can only get bigger following the success of his FAST & FURIOUS appearances. Early (and lets be honest, laughable) breakout roles with the likes of THE MUMMY RETURNS, THE SCORPION KING and his woeful WALKING TALL remake seem almost forgotten thanks to a number of pivotal career choices over the last few years. Like him or not, Johnson is certainly a charismatic standout presence on screen, and his early efforts are arguably practice for his current, more honed acting skills. Most impressive of late in the predictable but enjoyable FASTER where he says very little but speaks volumes, Johnson sets an even more serious tone in fact-based thriller SNITCH, where he not only leads but also serves as producer.
The film features the actor as construction company owner, John Matthews, whose split from his former wife has led him to be estranged from teenage son, Jason (Rafi Gavron). Unfortunately, Jason’s naïvety sees him arrested for drug trafficking after accepting a package of narcotics for a pal. Facing a mandatory ten-year prison sentence, he’s given the option to set someone up in exchange for a lesser term. Not willing to see others in the same predicament as Jason’s conscience weighs heavy, John goes undercover to help make the arrests needed to bring his son home. However, he finds himself deeper than he and the DEA agents ever imagined and set on a collision course with a major cartel.
Coming from stuntman-turned-filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh, SNITCH is surprisingly sparse in the action department with only one really notable set-piece that involves Johnson in a truck, pursued by the antagonist cartel. If this was a deliberate attempt at a more character-driven piece (and the supporting cast certainly suggests this), it’s a very low-key affair and Waugh fails to pull it off. Even in an early exchange involving a young drug thug and a couple of cohorts that sees The Rock viciously set-upon, you never really feel Johnson’s character is in any real danger – his biceps are bigger than these guys.
Johnson is most certainly miscast if he’s wanting to appear as an average joe, but his heart is in the right place in attempting to highlight the flaws in the American justice system’s drug laws. Still, it’s something that’s hammered down our throats until the very end, with its closing title card leaving a sour taste as it attempts to justify significant crime statistics. Sadly, Sarandon’s District Attorney is played as the familiar hard-nosed opportunist, only interested in the big name collar no matter the cost. Meanwhile, the dependable Benjamin Bratt is perfectly cast as the Mexican cartel kingpin, but isn’t given enough screentime to leave a lasting impression.
The acting is solid (Pepper and Bernthal especially) and Johnson again shows he has more to offer than just the action man we know and often love, but despite being based on truth, it’s not as engaging as it could have been. Not dire, but desperately mediocre; if you need to scratch a Johnson itch, leave SNITCH off the menu.
SNITCH is released in UK cinemas on June 21st.
