Snitch (2013)

Snitch is an exciting and simple thriller that once again proves to me that Dwayne Johnson is a capable and strong lead actor. I mean let's face it, many of us felt like this was going to be some cheap thriller that we wouldn't remember within a day. But after watching the film, I realized it was pure and good entertainment that gave me something good for my money. Director Ric Roman Waugh realizes that this is a simple crime thriller, and he uses that knowledge to his advantage to make a good film. He doesn't bother us with a cliche romance, he presents the story with a dark and intriguing tone, and he uses all the actors to the films advantage. Most audience members will pay to see this film because they are fans of Dwayne Johnson, and all I can tell them is that he delivers one of the most professional and true performances of his career. Johnson's career has become very successful and that is due to his likability, his strength, and his charisma. But to my surprise Snitch provides some good supporting performances from actors such as Jon Bernthal Barry Pepper, and Susan Sarandon. What impressed the most about this film was its maturity, how it takes its story seriously and gives us characters that we want to see succeed. Of course the film has its downfalls, such as its predictable story and its boring underlying messages, but if you can look past this than you have a pretty decent film. Snitch really surprised and impressed me with its mature writing, good direction, and impressive performances that makes it an entertaining and dark film.

The story follows John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson), a construction company owner who recently has discovered his estranged son Jason (Rafi Gavron) has been arrested for drug distribution, which was really a setup by his friend in a sting operation. John must find a way to get his son out of prison by performing a sting operation on one of the biggest local drug distributors with the help of one of his employees (Jon Bernthal).

The plot of the film doesn't spark any real imagination or new ideas, however it has some interesting characters and also gives us a very interesting spin on the world of crime. In a lot of ways this film reminds of the television show "Breaking Bad," due to its dark tone, some story and character similarities, and its insight on the world of drug distribution. Luckily this film stands on its own two feet and casual filmgoers will enjoy the story for being interesting and believable. It delivers characters with true personalities, true feelings, and true lives that showed me they weren't a bunch of boring one-dimensional characters. But I think another reason they work so well is the actors playing them, as without their skills the characters wouldn't have worked. The first 15 minutes or so shows the main protagonist's son Jason many times, but after that he disappears for most of the film and it confused. His character is the drive and force for the main character, and I was disappointed that the story just forgets to include him after they establish him as one of the most important characters in the film. The story also tries to deliver a message in the subtext, and it just tries too hard to show it off if you ask me. So overall I felt the characters were very well established and interesting, but the story itself could've tried some new ideas and made some smarter decisions.

The cast completely blew me away with their believability and skills as actors, and it can be argued that without Johnson and Bernthal this film might've been a failure. Dwayne Johnson has had his ups and his downs as an actor, and he will likely still have these problems in the future, but he has shown me that he can handle a dark and powerful performance like this. He isn't his usual self in this film, he shows new depth and layers as an actor that shows me he could maybe handle a dramatic role. Johnson has matured from his usual kiddie films and has shown audiences that he is a very good actor in the right film. Jon Bernthal has been taken off "The Walking Dead" and is now pursuing a career in films, and from the looks of him in this film that may be a very smart decision. His performance was personal, dramatic, and true, and made me look at him from a whole new direction. I can't wait to see him in future roles. Barry Pepper has some very good scenes in the film and really took his performance seriously, which I enjoyed. Susan Sarandon has reminded me of her power as an actress and I enjoyed seeing her in a role like this. Michael K. Williams and Benjamin Bratt also give some very good performances in the film, and used their screen time well. I had no complaints about the cast, and I hope they are given the recognition they deserve.

Snitch was a film that I honestly didn't have high hopes for, but it rises from the ashes of start of the year clich� crime dramas and gives us something actually worth a peak. Usually my main complaint about cinema is that whenever it's the start of a new year, we are always given a bunch of bad films that studios didn't want to be released in December. Many times we are given some good or even great films, but the majority of films that come out at the beginning of the year are just pathetic. But I didn't see that with Snitch, mainly because I was watching a film that was actually trying to be good and believed in itself and its actors. It wasn't clich�, although it had its moments of predictability, and it really proved to be better than the trailers had advertised. I guess you could even say I really enjoyed the film because it gave me exactly what I had paid for and left me with a film to remember. Now don't get me wrong, this film was by no means a masterpiece and won't appeal to probably a lot of people, but from what I was expecting before going into the theater, I couldn't have asked for a better film. Dwayne Johnson gave me exactly what I wish to see from him in the future: a talented a likable actor that knows what it takes to lead a film. If you want to see a thriller that rises above clich�s and boring characters, I urge you to see Snitch.