- Actors: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Michael K. Williams, Melina Kanakaredes
- Director: Ric Roman Waugh
- Disc Format: NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: PG-13
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- Release Date: June 6, 2017
- Run Time: 112 minutes
Snitch was proof that Dwayne Johnson
could make movies that didn’t rely on his large physique and ability to handle
fight scenes. Despite a few intense sequences, one involving a car chase and
some gunplay, Snitch is largely a drama
about an average man taking extraordinary measures to protect his son. While
this may have done wonders for the credibility of the wrestler turned actor, Snitch is also a bizarre choice for a
film to suddenly be chosen for 4K Ultra HD upgrade. Even though it is a
competently made thriller, there is really only one scene in nearly two hours
of run-time that utilizes the enhanced presentation. That is, unless you find
it worthwhile to upgrade merely for HDR of Johnson’s worried face.
Based on true
events (though no doubt exaggerated to be more cinematic), Snitch is about a construction company owner named John Matthews
(Johnson) who uses his business to infiltrate the Mexican cartel as a way to
help his son. After stupidly accepting a package of drugs from a friend setting
him up, Jason (Rafi Gavron) finds himself with a harsh prison sentence that can
only be minimized if he can snitch on another drug dealer. Unwilling to set up
any of his friends, Jason must rely on his father’s dangerous plans to transport
drugs using his company trucks.
Originally
planning to just take down a local drug kingpin named Malik (Michael Kenneth
Williams), John accidentally stumbles on an opportunity to infiltrate the
Mexican drug cartel. With the DA (Susan Surandon) encouraging him to push
forward while a seasoned DEA agent (Barry Pepper) warns him of the dangers,
John is only really concerned with saving his son from a punishment that is
harsh, if not undeserved. There are a lot of tense scenes with tough characters
looking intimidating, but the only action occurs during the final run that is
intended to take down the cartel by intercepting their money before it can be
transported back to Mexico.
For this reason, fans of Johnson’s body of work may be disappointed by how much
of the film he spends looking scared of men half his size. In the real world,
this is realistic, but in the cinematic universe it is strange not seeing
Johnson act like he is invincible.
While Snitch certainly is well made,
containing a number of talented actors in supporting roles, there is far less
spectacle than one might expect from a film that has been given an upgrade to
4K. This is the type of film that actually benefits from some of the more
realistic, less glossy aspects of filmmaking. This isn’t to say that the
increase in color brightness and depth is not noticeable, but it simple feels
unnecessary. Although they have not changed from the Blu-ray release (which is
also included in this package), the special features have been included on the
4K disc. These include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and a commentary
track with writer/director Ric Roman Waugh and editor Jonathan Chibnall. There
is also a Digital HD copy included.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 7/10
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