Snatch review

The TV series based on the Guy Ritchie film leaves plenty to be desired

Snatch review

For those of you who haven't previously watched the Guy Ritchie classic, shame on you. Go watch it now, I can wait.

Watched it? Great, now we can continue.

For those who have watched the classic (and that had better be all of you), you'll probably agree with me that, while entertaining, it was never going to win any Oscars. It had that signature Richie style, which is really just homage to Tarantino, and almost takes on a farcical element in the way that all the seemingly unconnected plots sew together.

It was an innocuous film, with hilarious interactions and a great soundtrack. The characters are your overthetop cockey gangstas, wheelin' and dealin' to earn a few bob, and for all their many, many flaws, were lovable rogues.

The same cannot be said for this Crackle exclusive reimagining.

Playing fast and loose with the source material

Let's start with the most notable difference between this and the film - pretty much everything.

There is very little to compare between Ritchie's Snatch, and that created by Rupert Grint and Alex De Rakoff. Diamonds make an appearance, but weirdly the focal point has shifted to gold. Boxing pops up, but very quickly takes a backseat. 'Pikies' are present, but their role is unrecognisable from the original Snatch film. They are both more integral and less at the same time. This is in no small part as a result of De Rakoff's decision to completely shift focus.

The lovable rogues have been replaced by a group of 20-somethings, led by the son of a notorious crime lord. Albert Hill (Luke Pasqualino) is trying desperately to make ends meet while simultaneously attempting to be his own man, free from the reputation and control of his father Vic (Dougray Scott) who was locked up when Albert was just a child.

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Completing his initial entourage is the painfully posh and out of touch Charlie Cavendish (Rupert Grint), and Billy Ayers (Lucien Laviscount) who is a small time boxer. They are then later accompanied by gangsta's doll Chloe Koen (Stephanie Leonidas), and amateur fence Lotti Mott (Phoebe Dynevor). Together they go through the near-farcical and often deadly set piece of cat-and-mouse with bent copper Bob Fink (Marc Warren).

Propa' Gangsta' innit

Having established that there's little to couple old and new, one should perhaps completely disassociate the two and take the Snatch series on its own merits - of which there are few.

Let's start with the writing. It's just horrendous. It's all over the place. Plot points are blasted through one moment, and then tediously stretched out the next. The dialogue hasn't suffered unscathed either. The way characters communicate and interact with one another is like witnessing numerous Danny Dyer's gas away at one another, with exceptionally wooden delivery. Don't even get me started on the accents. Awful. Absolutely awful. If having a particular voice was so important to the development of the plot (it isn't) then at least get natives to do it. There are Scottish attempting English accents, English doing American, and everything inbetween. Once you notice just how terrible the accents are, you'll never unhear it.

Remember when everyone criticised J.J Abrams for overuse of the lensflare? The message was that people don't enjoy having effects forced down their throats? Snatch missed the memo because it seems to be unable to go 2 minutes without some dramatic slow-mo shot, whooshing and then jazzy transition. It's distracting, and reeks of desperation. It reminded me of someone who had just discovered all the different effects in Powerpoint.

Fascinating watching

So how is it that I managed to get through all 10 episodes of what, by all accounts, could be described as a car crash? Because, like many terrible things, we can't help but watch, intrigued and fascinated by what is unfurling in front of us. The questionable accents, the terrible transitions and the haphazard plot all amalgamate into something bigger than than the sum of its parts. Not much bigger, mind, and bigger isn't always better.

Snatch is a show you'll only watch once, you'll laugh about it with your friends, and then promptly forget it ever existed. With Rupert Grint still desperately clawing away at his Ron Weasley typecast and seems to have overcompensated. Is Grint a good actor? Over a decade later and I'm still not convinced.

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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1 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 10 April 2017, 09:44 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    Rupert Grint has pretty much fallen off the map since his HP days...

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