Snitch (2013)

Snitch is set in a post-divorce era. A son (Jason), somewhat rebellious, is suckered by a mate who, gaining brownie points for the DEA, tricks him into receiving illegal drugs. Jason in turn is offered a deal: sucker others in the drug's network and you'll get time off jail. He is basically an innocent, doesn't know anyone to be in the network, and won't sucker in the innocent as he was. His father (John), a successful businessman, offers to help the DEA for his son's early release. This requires contacting the local drug's network, and this (in eventum) requires bribing an employee and reformed criminal (Daniel). Daniel likes his boss and advises him to stay away from drugs, but Daniel finally yields to the temptation of serious money if he helps John make a contact: Daniel's family is very hard up and John seems serious.Daniel knows a nasty (Malik), who gives John a drug's job. The DEA could have gotten a good arrest out of that, and honoured their deal to release Jason early, but decide that John's success as a courier can help them nail a bigger fish in a strong drug's cartel (El Topo). It soon turns out that John's second trip will be a one-way trip, leading to his murder in Mexico: the DEA is morally divided. John, put in the picture, redraws the plan to give himself a fighting chance of survival. At this stage Daniel understands John's family motivations, and himself a family man, helps John's plans. Without going further, suffice to say it's a nail biter, and (to my ears) F-word free. A gritty film, showing real courage and concern for others, as well as dirty tricks within the DEA, where motivations are mixed. Was left hoping the cartel's snitch would get her comeuppance. Would have loved Cordell Walker to have shown up and spared me my fingernails, too.

I'd never heard of this movie before, not sure how I missed it but I was initially excited because the story sounded interesting with a poster that promised lots of action and I like Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper and Shane (I mean Jon Bernthal).It ended up being a decent enough drama but not at all what I was expecting. The story itself is sort of plodding and slow and not fun in any way -also not action filled until the last bullet riddled car/big-rig chase scene. The Rock does give one of his more thoughtful performances though (reminding me of Faster) and its been based on an intriguing true story.Johnson plays an everyday guy here, a construction company owner and desperate father who goes undercover for the DEA to infiltrate a drug cartel in order to lessen his sons (mandatory) 10 year prison sentence after he gets wrongly accused of trafficking drugs in a set up drug deal.Jon Bernthal was super impressive as the ex-con employee 'John' convinces to be his "in" to the drug underworld. Barry Pepper also wowed in another character role and is almost unrecognizable as an undercover FBI narcotics officer. Michael K. Williams stays true to The Wire typecasting as Malik the drug dealer and Susan Sarandon was a surprise bit of casting as a hard-hitting DA.All in an okay movie, nothing outstanding or particularly memorable. 1/11/16

I am not sure if certain details within this film are completely accurate. It is a story at the end of the day... but this is thrilling and chilling at the same time.The whole film is dark, serious and chilling but the intensity mounts at points in a way that is extremely effective. It is not just the action scenes. I really have to reconsider the acting talent of Dwayne Johnson. He has come along way from the over-the- top, silly wrestling acting. He is up there with some of the best. I am not messing around.I do not think that it is so much a moralizing story as it is a people story. It is the intensity between the people that matters. I do not subscribe to the idea of simple "black and white"/"good and evil" type mentality. The story is balanced enough to not show this kind of reality. It does, however, manage to show some extremely dark gray and light gray to good effect though.Great job!

People seem more interested in his voice and discussing if the character playing his son was his real son, and how that came to be.Take a look at takepart.com/snitch - for me as a non US citizen I sort of got the feeling that the law is a bit unjust to some people. I am not saying there should not be taken action on those doing a criminal offense. But like the son in this movie, who received an package with a tracking device and could get 10 years for that. Is this how it really works, and how is that preventive and also how is that sentence justified?Just saying.Movie wasn't a top notch one, if we are to discuss that fact, but it was better than Peter Pan (that made me so sleepy).OK acting here and there, so I don't feel like I wasted my time seeing it.