Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh
While Snitch professes to be inspired by true events, a more accurate claim would be loosely based on an actual piece of legislation. Helmed by stuntman-turned-director Ric Roman Waugh, this action flick in dramas clothing uses harsh mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offences as a catalyst. It then traipses around without ever stumbling across a meaningful thing to say about Americas misguided war on drugs.
When his teenaged son (Rafi Gavron) is busted for receiving a courier delivery of Ecstasy, John (Dwayne Johnson) cuts a ludicrous deal with an opportunistic federal prosecutor (Susan Sarandon, struggling to keep her eyes from rolling): hell use Daniel (Jon Bernthal), an ex-con employed at his construction company, to cozy up with a local drug dealer (Michael K. Williams) and help the DEA orchestrate his arrest.
Alas, a scene in which John skims Wikipedia seems indicative of the level of research that went into the script. A similar lack of thought seems to have been given to the ramifications of casting Johnson in a role that demands an everyman as opposed to an action figure. As written, John is supposed to be horribly out of his depth as he consorts with cut-throat killers. However, Johnsons physical attributes leave him looking (and, in turn, proving) eminently capable of handling anything thrown his way.
Despite an abundance of risible dialogue concerning integrity, Snitch grows increasingly cavalier with its morality. That said, one might not be so quick to condemn the clueless film for its indiscretions if it didnt insist on taking itself so seriously.
