Snitch was created as an argument against the strict and unfair drug convictions in the United States, but whether it works or not is up to the viewer.
The film starts off introducing us to the Rock’s son, Jason, talking to his best friend. His friend asks Jason to hold a shipment of MDMA till he is able to pick it up from Jason. Although he Jason doesn’t agree, you know the friend will send it anyways. The film cuts to the Rock, playing John Mathews, doing business. Now the film will go out of its way to let you know that John is a model American man who has made all his money running an honest trucking business. It will also go out of its way to make The Rock look like an ordinary John.
Cut back to the Jason receiving the shipment of drugs and promptly being raided by the DEA. Jason, who was set up by his friend, must now face the harsh sentencing even if he did not intend to sell. It now falls onto the rock to free his son from prison. To do so, he must help in the arrest of a major drug deal and he attempts to do so with the aid of one of his employees, former gang member Daniel. The rest of the movie shows how deeply gets wrapped up trying to win his sons freedom until his goal is to capture a major player in the Mexican cartel.
As an argument against the strict drug convictions, this movie doesn’t work. It is clearly written by someone who clearly doesn’t know how gangs or street life work. To make maters worse, the hero in this movie isn’t likeable. I can see that they were trying to portray John as someone who will do anything for his children, but all he does is put his family and other people in danger for no reason. Well the reason is to gain his son’s freedom, but he does it so selfishly that I couldn’t sympathize with his pursuits. John essentially ruins the life of a man who wants to make a positive change in his life.
Furthermore, the Rock playing John is a total miscasting. The movie tries so hard to make the Rock look like an everyday man by hiding his muscles and it looks awkward. I don’t believe it when he is powerless against the cartel when I’ve seen him beat countless people in other movies with his bare hands. His acting in this is unconvincing. Maybe Dwayne Johnson can play a serious role, but this one wasn’t it. The acting by the other characters wasn’t any better.
The plot doesn’t make sense. This film would have ended the first time he met with a drug dealer because he looks like a cop. But the movie forces you through all the convoluted story points and I for one was furious at the lack of logic this movie has. I understand that there should be some suspension of disbelief when watching films, but not when the movie is trying to change a real issue in society. Especially one that is supposed to take place in Modern America. Everything that happens in this movie happens for the sake of the plot and you can’t force a story if you are trying to examine a real issue. What makes it worse is despite his selfishness, he is ultimately rewarded at the end because the plot demands it and I can’t sit back silently.
I can’t recommend this movie. I could barely finish it because it is just pandering and terrible. If they wanted to make a proper argument, they should have followed Jason into jail and show how it ruined his life. Maybe show everything that was lost because of this one mistake he made. The movie will go and tell you why this war on drugs is bad, but it does little to show it. I give this movie a 0 out of 10 because there is nothing redeeming in it. Skip this one.