Intermission: 'Snatch' revolves around adventures in jewel theft

"Snatch"

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Brad Pitt,

Rated: R

After Quentin Tarantino unleashed his two masterpieces, "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction," in the 1990s, young directors everywhere were scrambling to imitate the master. In the past few years, though, a new breed has risen, and a genre I refer to as "post-Tarantinoism" is gaining a foothold. No one represents this style better than director Guy Ritchie.

Ritchie (best known lately for being "Mr. Madonna") began by directing TV commercials and music videos. The quick-action jump cuts and careening camera moves that are the norm for MTV are a big part of Ritchie's visual style. While his latest film, "Snatch," is pretty much a remake of his first feature, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," it's a wild ride and a true sight to behold.

Instead of antique guns, a la "Lock, Stock," "Snatch" revolves around an enormous diamond and the many hands it passes through on its way to the man who covets it.

The film is populated with a lot of the offbeat small-time English gangsters who were all over Ritchie's previous film, and there are also a few Yanks popping by for good measure.

Classic character actor Dennis Farina is a shady jewelry dealer who wants to purchase the enormous hot rock. Benicio Del Toro plays a Yiddish mobster named Franky Four Fingers, and Springfield's own Brad Pitt has possibly the juiciest role in the film as a bare-knuckles boxing champ and leader of a group of Irish gypsies. The fact that much of what he says in "Snatch" is entirely unintelligible only adds to the richness of his character.

As the film opens, Franky and his gang, disguised as Hassidic Jews in the diamond district of Antwerp, Belgium, rob a jeweler's shop and make off with a stone the size of a small doorknob.

Franky heads back to London to unload the stones and it's at this point that Ritchie goes into his labyrinth-inspired method of storytelling. So many different characters cross paths in the pretzel-shaped storyline that at times (early on anyway), it's hard to keep everything straight. As in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (or "Pulp Fiction" or "The Usual Suspects," for that matter) there's no need to worry. Eventually everything comes together. Even the pit bull that has swallowed the squeaky toy plays an important role when all is said and done.

A few of the other characters are a guy named Turkish and his buddy Tommy who go to the local Gypsy camp to buy a trailer for their boss, who is promoting an illegal prize fight. When Mickey (Pitt) one-punches the boxer who is to take a dive in the match to assure certain folks do well with their betting, Turkish and Tommy find themselves with a bit of a dilemma. If there's no fight, there's no payoff, and the man who has arranged the whole affair has a penchant for chopping his enemies to pieces and feeding them to his pigs. Mickey is enlisted to enter the ring. The trouble is, Mickey just isn't the sort of guy who will willingly take a dive.

Also running in and out of the film is another group of gangsters, sent to the local bookie's to rob the place. They get to keep the cash they take, but they have to deliver the briefcase that's attached to the wrist of Franky Four Fingers. What they don't know is what's in the case (the diamond). They also don't know that the bookie's place is desperately low on cash. Since the boxing match has changed, all bets are off and will be made at ringside. One more thing they should have looked into is who runs the bookie joint. It's not a pretty situation, but at least they get a dog out of the deal.

Toward the end of "Snatch" there is a scene of nonlinear synchronicity that shows Ritchie may have talents as yet unseen in his directorial bag of tricks.

Trying to describe the plot of this film is something of a waste of time. It's too convoluted (in a good way) and raucous. It's safe to say, though, if you like this sort of thing (meaning any of the films referenced above), you'll love "Snatch."

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)