Snitch is the type of movie that I want to see Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as the star. Since Schwarzeneggar became the governor of California, there was not really a true action star in the movies until Johnson came along. While there were some exciting actors, none of them had the real charisma and screen presence that Johnson has up to his ears. Maybe it was because of all his wrestling and the drama that goes with it, Johnson is the perfect choice for an action hero. He has to be larger than life, which he is, but his secret weapon is that he can actually act, which, as most fans of WWE realize, a lot of these wrestling stars can't. Unfortunately, after some great starter films like The Scorpion King, The Rundown and Be Cool, he was banished to vacuous, family-friendly pandering roles like The Tooth Fairy, Race To Witch Mountain and The Game Plan. But he appears to be on a comeback and that can only be a good thing.
Snitch starts as a film where a prosperous Missouri businesman's son gets arrested by the DEA in a large drug bust. His son makes a stupid decision to take delivery of a package containing a lot of Ecstasy. It turns out this kid's best friend was a drug dealer and set him up to lighten his sentence. When Johnson's kid is faced with the same deal, he refuses to snitch on his friends. Faced with the possibility of his son doing ten years in prison because of mandatory sentencing laws, Johnson sets a plan in motion with the US Attorney to catch a drug dealer. Because of his construction business, he has access to trucks to move drugs. He finds an employee in his business who was arrested for drug distribution in the past. He convinces his employee to provide an introduction to a local heavy-hitter. He makes a successful first drug run which brings him to the attention of the Mexican Drug Cartel who wants him to do another run, this time to bring their money to Mexico. Johnson realizes he will never come back from this alive. He finds himself getting deeper and deeper and feels he has to get out. He sets up a scheme to get the Cartel members arrested. What follows is a great closing action scene and denouement.
Snitch is a great action-drama, but what really sets it above most action flicks is the motivation of the hero. That motivation is a love of a father for his kids. There have been more than enough movies that show moms and their love for their kids, but it is rare that there is a movie that portrays a dad in a good light, especially when the family is divorced like this one. Usually, in these types of films, dads or portrayed as deadbeats, or, at the very least, neglectful. The last film that put this relationship in such a center stage was Finding Nemo. This is a much smarter film than the average actioneer. It is worth seeing and I recommend it highly.
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