"Snitch" is that rare action movie that dares to dabble in moral complexities. Dwayne Johnson plays the owner of a construction company whose semi-estranged, college-bound, 18-year-old son Jason (Rafi Gavron) is arrested for the possession and possible selling of drugs. The catch is that the boy's sentence could be reduced if he agrees to set up someone else in a sting. When Jason refuses to be turned into a "snitch" just to protect his own hide, his dad decides to take matters into his own hands by recruiting one of his employees (the excellent Jon Berthnal from "The Walking Dead"), who's on probation for narcotics trafficking and trying to turn his life around, to be an unwitting pawn in a scheme to finger a dangerous local drug dealer (Michael Kenneth Williams) .
An interesting story is enhanced by taut direction (by Ric Roman Waugh), excellent cinematography and editing, and a highly effective musical score by Antonio Pinto. Beyond the aforementioned actors, there is excellent work by Susan Sarandon as a federal prosecutor who's over-zealousness and political calculation often lead her to act recklessly with little regard for others' safety, and Benjamin Bratt as a cartel kingpin.
Inspired by "true events," the Waugh/Justin Haythe screenplay is more concerned with character and conflict than with car chases and conventional action sequences, as a whole host of good or at least potentially good people are forced to compromise their integrity in order to game the system and achieve their goals. For John Matthews (Johnson), the goal is obviously to save his son from a hard stint in prison, while for Daniel James (Berthnal), the goal is a bit less clear-cut, which, in many ways, makes him an even more intriguing character than John.
To get a sense of just how good a movie "Snitch" is, compare it to another recent action film that deals with a similar father-and-son theme, the foolish "A Good Day to Die Hard," with Bruce Willis all but leveling Moscow in an attempt to rescue his imprisoned boy. John, on the other hand, remains an everyman character rather than a superhero - and that makes all the difference in the world.
By keeping it small-scale and restrained, "Snitch" succeeds where so many other action movies have failed.
An interesting story is enhanced by taut direction (by Ric Roman Waugh), excellent cinematography and editing, and a highly effective musical score by Antonio Pinto. Beyond the aforementioned actors, there is excellent work by Susan Sarandon as a federal prosecutor who's over-zealousness and political calculation often lead her to act recklessly with little regard for others' safety, and Benjamin Bratt as a cartel kingpin.
Inspired by "true events," the Waugh/Justin Haythe screenplay is more concerned with character and conflict than with car chases and conventional action sequences, as a whole host of good or at least potentially good people are forced to compromise their integrity in order to game the system and achieve their goals. For John Matthews (Johnson), the goal is obviously to save his son from a hard stint in prison, while for Daniel James (Berthnal), the goal is a bit less clear-cut, which, in many ways, makes him an even more intriguing character than John.
To get a sense of just how good a movie "Snitch" is, compare it to another recent action film that deals with a similar father-and-son theme, the foolish "A Good Day to Die Hard," with Bruce Willis all but leveling Moscow in an attempt to rescue his imprisoned boy. John, on the other hand, remains an everyman character rather than a superhero - and that makes all the difference in the world.
By keeping it small-scale and restrained, "Snitch" succeeds where so many other action movies have failed.