Snitch: Brings Depth to a Tired Subject

When I first saw the new movie Snitch, I envisioned a spin-off of Taken—in my mind I imagined that Dwayne Johnson would replace Liam Neeson as a street-smart, vengeful father infiltrating the underworld to save his child from a horrible fate. To my surprise, I discovered that Snitch is a much more complex film than Taken. The previews for the film and its simple title fail to reflect its grave and delicate treatment of the issue of prosecuting drug-related crimes.  Instead of a crime drama laced with Hollywood action and gunfire, Snitch explores how one poor act of judgment inadvertently places three different families in danger. Moreover, although we empathize with Johnson’s “protagonistic” character, it’s hard to point to a singular antagonist in this film. The political and legal obstacles are depicted just as, if not more, unforgiving and bewildering as the vicious drug cartel.

Through hard work and diligence, John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) has established a small but relatively successful construction company. John has a gorgeous wife and a beautiful daughter. Jason (Rafi Gavron), his eighteen-year-old son from his first marriage, is arrested for possessing and selling ecstasy. It turns out that his best friend has framed him as a business partner to attain a reduced sentence. Unable to inform on an actual drug dealer, Jason faces up to 20 years of prison. Heading this harsh campaign on drug violence is District Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon), who has based her congressional campaign on prosecuting drug criminals. John negotiates a deal with Keeghan; if he helps make an airtight arrest of the drug criminals, Keeghan will make arrangements to reduce Jason’s sentence. Under the supervision of Agent Cooper (Barry Pepper), John will go undercover in order to help prosecute these drug dealers.

While the film starts out with a very fast pace (A suspicious package arrives, and Jason is immediately arrested), it becomes increasingly slower and more serious as John attempts to step into the world of drug cartels. Unlike Taken, John is not a free agent who can do whatever he wants. He has his own family at stake, and the drug cartels will do everything they can to entrap him in their world. With few connections of his own, John seeks help from one of his employees: Daniel (Jon Bernthal), ex-con and former drug-dealer. As John makes his way into this underworld and involves more and more people, the stakes become even higher.

This film does a surprisingly decent job of showing the different perspectives on the issue of drug prosecution. The political and legal agents endeavor to pin the blame on someone which unfortunately falls upon Jason, a naive middle-class kid who got pushed into a terrible situation. While most crime thrillers examine things from the perspective of the prosecutors and detectives, this story examines the story of second-tier drug dealers who are doing everything they can to avoid their third strike. Under the Three Strikes Law they face a 25 year to life sentence. The film manages to bring together these subplots through the motif of father and son relationships, as both John and Daniel are struggling to protect their families from this mess. Sarandon convincingly plays the conniving Keeghan, who continuously places John in danger so she can nab the highest profile criminals to bolster her reputation. Pepper’s Agent Cooper manages to check Keeghan’s opportunistic motives and, with his integrity, manages to assure the audience that government does care for the well-being of the individual and his family. 

Those who anticipate a passive viewing experience may find the erratic camera angles to be disorienting. While the filmmakers utilize a shaky camera to reinforce realism to this story (this movie was inspired by true events), it may also make viewers feel a little nauseous. The uncomfortably close-up shots are used to make viewers feel the discomposure and perturbation of the characters, particularly for Daniel, John, Agent Cooper, and even Malik (Michael K. Williams).

Furthermore, some parts of the scenes could have been excised, such as the drawn out conversations between John and Malik, a local drug dealer. While taking such a long time to establish the characters and set the scene, the movie could have allocated more time to subtly unfold its climax and resolution. After spending so much time illustrating how John infiltrates the drug cartel business, the film struggles to untangle itself from this mess of a situation and thoroughly depict the restoration of justice.

Deviating from his previous roles in action films, Johnson convincingly plays a businessman who utilizes his business wits to acclimate to a vicious underworld. The supporting cast, including Bernthal and Pepper, bring a lot of depth and believability to the way this story unfolds.

Snitch integrates our core value of protecting families with political and legal discourse around prosecuting drug criminals. Apart from minor shoot-outs and car chases, Snitch holds off on action and focuses on tense interpersonal conversations and conflicts. It has a strong political undercurrent that may attract or repel some people, depending on how they feel about the issue. For those who've always wanted to see an intense political thriller but could never stand gritty action and violence, they should consider watching Snitch.