When his son Jason (Rafi Gavron – The Cold Light Of Day) is hauled up on strong drug trafficking charges, (Dwayne Johnson – Race To Witch Mountain) strikes a deal with the authorities. He will go undercover and deliver a high-level target to them in exchange for his sons freedom. But as the stakes grow higher, so does the very real danger surrounding not only himself, but his family.
Snitch is a strong family drama that hooks you in from the start. This nightmare scenario is based on actual events and charts one Father’s mission to protect his son, no matter what the cost. In the capable hands of director Ric Roman Waugh (who also co-wrote the film), Snitch comes in as a compelling, edge of your seat drama that constantly surprises and shocks.
Snitch marks a strong change of direction for Dwayne Johnson and showcases his ability to adapt to far heavier roles. He is excellent in the movie and it makes a wonderful change to see him tackling some real world issues.
John Bernthal, who fans will know from The Walking Dead is also excellent as an ex-con looking to go straight but inadvertently gets pulled back into his old life. He shares a great dynamic with Dwayne Johnson and the two form a good, unlikely duo. His characters’ home life is also well explored with solid support from Lela Loren as his struggling wife.
Elsewhere there are strong supporting turns from CSI New York’s Melina Kanakaredes as Johnson’s ex wife and My Name Is Earl’s Nadine Velazquez as his current partner.
Susan Sarandon plays the role of with conviction and believability, with her character never allowing herself to become too emotionally involved in the case. This was refreshing to see. She was clearly a character who cared more about the bottom line than anything else, with her advancing ambitions of running for congress driving her desire to help. This made the film much more convincing.
Barry Pepper is a name you can trust and once again, he hands in a terrific performance full of powerful subtlety. Pepper is frequently the best thing in all of his movies so it’s great to see him enjoy such a worthy role. Hopefully we will see more of him after Snitch, he’s one of the few character actors out there who guarantees you quality.
Benjamin Bratt looks very cool as the head of the drug cartel whilst Michael Kenneth Williams dutifully imposes himself as a low level gang leader with cartel connections. Don Cheadle also appears in a tiny cameo role.
Snitch is a compelling drama that demands your respect through stand-out performances, strong characterisation and a story that keeps you gripped throughout. In Dwayne Johnson we trust and if he continues down this path, we are looking at an actor that has true Hollywood star power crucially mixed with longevity.
