Films tend not to do well during the spring. Most of the major expected “blockbuster” films are saved for the summer, when school is out and the majority of viewing audiences are on vacation. However, there are a handful of films that look promising this spring and “Snitch” will be one. Based on true events, “Snitch” follows John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson), a divorced and remarried man and owner of a private trucking company, as he works with the D.E.A. in an undercover attempt to incarcerate narcotics dealers. His motivation is rather self-serving. When his son Jason (Rafi Gavron) is arrested for the possession of narcotics, he vows to do everything he can to lower his son’s 10-year sentence.
Surprisingly, Johnson’s character was not as great of an over-the-top, skilled gun-wielding fighter as the trailers deceivingly depicted. Instead, his character is more of the schemer and the talker. And he does not work entirely alone. His employee Daniel James (Jon Bernthal) is in with the dealers the D.E.A. is pursuing, even after serving his own prison time. He is a schemer as well, but at a slower pace as he comes back into the drug business. Both characters develop when they are together and with their families as they grow deeper into the drug dealing business.
However, for every positive in a film, there is a negative. In the first 45 minutes, the storyline felt far too rushed when Jason, Matthews’ son, was arrested. Furthermore, the plot lacked enough explanation surrounding Jason’s involvement in the narcotic dealing, and didn’t clarify those details until further on in the film. The cinematography was fairly poor as well, with numerous awkward angles and unnecessary shots. The camera shook throughout the duration of the film, especially when following the characters as they ran on foot.
Interestingly, the movie’s main focus is not about a father sacrificing everything he can to rescue his son, nor is it about going undercover to take drug dealers off the streets. Its main focus is connection: people in the know and knowing who to contact. Because of good relations, Matthews’ was able to come in contact with the D.E.A., and James knew the contact and location of his former dealer. Similarly, the drug dealers know who to get their drugs and dirty money from even the cartel.
As a whole, "Snitch" was pretty clean regarding the amount of profanity use and showed nothing regarding nudity or sexuality. On a slow, not so busy day after school or work, it is worth seeing with a few friends or it can be a helpful tool for fathers trying to teach their sons why drugs lead nowhere in life.
