Ric Roman Waugh’s Snitch (2013) Movie Review

Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal
Writer:  Justin Haythe and Ric Roman Waugh
Watched at Prasadz, Hyderabad

After watching two back to back flops in Telugu this weekend. I walked into Snitch knowing very little about the movie, had a general idea from the poster, and the fact that Dwayne Johnson was in it. I’ve always liked Johnson, especially in action movies, so I decided to give it a chance.

Johnson plays John Matthews, the big boss at his construction company that he built ground up who’s smart son makes a youthful bonehead mistake and agrees to move his best friend’s, large enough to get jail time, shipment of ecstasy.  Sucks to be his son, despite just being a first time offender, he’s sentenced to a mandatory 10 years in the clinker.  Matthews strikes an implausible deal with a federal prosecutor who’s campaigning for congress played by Susan Sarandon that if he can have his son released if he can rat out someone else of consequence in the war against drugs.

Snitch is a typical movie, you would expect from the Rock. Longtime stuntman Ric Roman Waugh is responsible for the writing/direction of Snitch. Snitch suffers from slow narration, predictable script and less emotional content. Story is definitely the driving force behind the film as opposed to any other element you typically get in a Johnson movie. Somehow, Johnson finds a groove within the world of Snitch that I really don’t think he’s hit in the past. The supporting cast is elaborated by big-names and faces such as Susan Sarandon, The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal, Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Kenneth Williams, Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Harold Perrineau, and Melina Kanakaredes. Rafi Gavron is especially good as the terrified boy facing a stiff jail term for a stupid mistake.

The movie is said to be based on a true story, but I have a feeling that this isn’t one of those films that sticks closely to the facts because the movie is too outlandish to believe.

Survi Verdict: The premise of Snitch is interesting but simply doesn’t do enough. If you’re a Dwayne Johnson fan, you’ll probably like it. Rest can wait for DVD.

Theatrical Trailer: