Review of La Orca (1976) by Rick R — 12 Apr 2011

Guy Ritchie's 2001 film SNATCH intertwines two separate plots among the London criminal underworld. In the first Turkish (Jason Statham) is an unlicensed boxing promoter, trying to ensure his fights for the gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) stayed fixed, in spite of the capricious nature of his boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt). In the second, a diamond stolen by the thief Franky Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro) is sought by the former Uzbek KGB agent Boris the Blade (Rade Serbedzija), the American jeweler Avi (Dennis Farina), and local pawn shop owner Solomon (Lennie James). The strands are pulled together by plenty of shootouts and some savage animals being set upon some poor victim.

In its varied cast of characters, all up to no good, and in its intertwining of separate plots SNATCH is like Ritchie's earlier film LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS writ large. Nonetheless, its action is sufficiently different that it doesn't feel like a repeat. Brad Pitt turns in an admirable performance as an Irish Traveler, with a convincing command of this group's peculiar English accent and sense of humor. I found the film's soundtrack often grating, however, and the lack of any female presence was glaring. All in all, it's an entertaining film, if not especially deep.