Review of Snitch (2013) by Paul A — 13 Dec 2014

In "Snitch," Jason(Ravi Gavron) is arrested on charges of drug smuggling when a friend mails him a box full of ecstasy pills. Since his friend informed on him, Jason is now facing a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, being unable to cut a deal to inform on any drug dealers. However, his father John(Dwayne Johnson) is willing to go for bat for him. In fact, he will go so far as to go undercover to get dirt on big time drug kingpins, which almost gives ambitious federal prosecutor Joanne Keeghan(Susan Sarandon) a spontaneous orgasm. So, it's a good thing that John has ex-cons working for him like Daniel(Jon Bernthal).

"Snitch" starts well enough, as it seeks to explore the draconian mandatory minimum sentencing laws in this country. And it helps that Susan Sarandon gives another very fine performance, even against a miscast Dwayne Johnson who while a decent enough actor is not quite adept at the whole vulnerability thing. Still, that is long before the movie betrays itself, turning from a family drama into an action flick. Admittedly, some people require car chases and shootouts to get the message across, so it's not a total loss.