Snatch.
I normally don’t blog about movies I have already seen. In this case, the exception is reasonable because I don’t remember the first time I saw it. In fact, I think I saw it without subtitles and practically didn’t get the storyline at all. There were a few scenes which were memorable (like Mickey’s mother’s caravan burning) but overall, I can say with certainty that I never quite understood what the whole story was about. Fast-forward a few years, I thought it would be a good idea to just see the movie again.
Now I can finally say that I love the film. It’s just the kind of thing you have to see, and I totally understand why it became a cult classic. Heck even I would want to watch it again. The movie is extremely fast-paced and has so many details to discover. In many aspects, it’s a lot like action TV shows nowadays, except that the shots in TV series à la White Collar are never as well-timed and refined as in Snatch. It’s like the shining example of a movie everybody would want to make. There is no point in talking about the plot, it’s all about the storytelling. The characters are all awesome and well-developed despite the huge ensemble cast, the storyline is suspenseful and a good chunk of the lines are very entertaining, even Turkish’s ranting is funny.
It’s been 12 years since the film has been made, and unsurprisingly it feels a little dated. Not that it looks dated or anything like that, but it’s clearly not 2000 anymore. People don’t make these movies full of swear words anymore, now it’s all either about family drama or Avatar-like blockbusters – Hollywood vs. arthouse basically. Snatch doesn’t fit into any of that. When was the last gangster movie you have seen? Have movie nowadays really changed so much?
I believe that Snatch is going to stand the test of time, and will be enjoyed by many generations to come. At least I am hopeful for those generations.