Review of Snitch (2013) by Andrea L — 06 Jul 2013

Snitch is an unorthodox Dwayne Johnson delivery, which pleasantly surprises with its intriguing and thoughtful fact-based story, quieter action sequences and downbeat, dramatic performances. Differing from the typical The Rock movies, Snitch may lack credibility while becoming too rhetoric in its final part, but it still manages to entertain and to actually exceed the initial expectations of the audience.

Contrary to the expectations for movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Snitch is not the typical hyper-violent, muscle-flexing, high-octane action delivery. The Rock is a middle-aged construction entrepreneur, whose teen son gets involved into synthetic drugs set up. When things seem to go into the direction of his son (Rafi Gavron) getting imprisoned for a decade, The Rock decides to "buy out" his freedom by clinching a deal with the local state prosecutor Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) to bring down at least one "big drug guy".

Normally, the story and the plot could hardly pretend to be anything more than a perfectly forgettable spring entertainment. What elevates this movie above the level of mediocrity is (most surprisingly) the restrained and dramatic performance of Dwayne Johnson. Imperfect, hard to be perceived as an ordinary guy, who tries to save his son, The Rock delivers one of his most meaningful performances since his appearance in Faster. Johnson's ability to portray a vulnerable character that is actually afraid and insecure is quite an achievement for him. This combined with the slow, but solid, build up of tension by director Ric Waugh ensures that Snitch ends up as a surprisingly pleasant and watchable delivery.