Snitch

Cast of Characters:

John Matthews - Dwayne Johnson

Agent Cooper - Barry Pepper

Daniel James - Jon Bernthal

Malik - Michael K. Williams

Sylvie Collins - Melina Kanakaredes

Analisa - Nadine Velazquez

Jason Collins - Rafi Gavron

Jay Price - David Harbour

Juan Carlos "El Topo" Pintera - Benjamin Bratt

Joanne Keeghan - Susan Sarandon

Director - Ric Roman Waugh

Screenplay - Justin Haythe & Ric Roman Waugh

Rated PG-13 for drug content and sequences of violence

      Dwayne Johnson has established himself by now as a steady action film star, having starred in a number of blockbuster flicks since The Scorpion King in 2002. Mind you, none of his previous films were ever gonna hear "... And the Oscar goes to"  or even "You must see this movie right away!" for that matter, but they bring in the money. Judging from the trailer for his new endeavor, Snitch, it seems the artist formally known as "The Rock" is giving us a little more acting and a little less action. Is it worth your time though?

      John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) lives a rather successful life. He owns his own construction company and lives in a fairly upper-class neighborhood with his wife Analisa (Nadine Velazquez) and his young daughter. His estranged son Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) lives with mother, John's ex-wife, Sylvie (Melina Kanakaredes). Having just recently been accepted into college, Jason is asked by a friend to hold some narcotics for him, of which Jason reluctantly gives in. According to his friend, he's not using them or dealing them, so what's the worse that could happen? Well, the worse that could happen is that Jason's friend gets busted and, to receive a lighter sentence, cooperates in setting Jason up as well. Mandatory minimum for first time drug trafficking offenders is ten years, although his sentence can be reduced if he's willing to help setup other dealers in the trade. Despite Sylvie and John's urging, Jason refuses to be what he refers to as a "snitch".

      Not wanting to see his son's life wasted away in prison, and fearing Jason could possibly be killed before his sentence ends, John seeks help from local U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon). He's willing to help the drug trafficking investigation, led by Agent Cooper (Barry Pepper), track down those involved in the recent drug trafficking case in place of his son, but only if it means a reduced sentence for him. Joanne eventually agrees, but promises to only give little help and that the risk involved is all on him. To John, the risk doesn't matter. He feels he hasn't been the father he should've to Jason, and this is his opportunity to make things right. Matthews seeks out the help of an employee of his, Daniel James (Jon Bernthal). Daniel's a former convicted felon who's trying to seek out a cleaner life for not just him, but also his family. When approached by John to get him an introduction into the trafficking trade, Daniel's adamantly opposed to the idea. Eventually, though, John gets him to arrange an introduction with a local dealer named Malik (Michael K. Williams). John tells Malik that he can provide him with an efficient means of drug distribution through his company. All the while, Daniel is completely unaware that John is using this entire introduction as a potential sting setup.

      Naturally, John finds himself going deeper into the drug trade, eventually meeting with the drug cartel's leader Juan Carlos "El Topo" (The Mole) Pintera (Benjamin Bratt). "El Topo" assures John that he along with his own family will be treated like family to the cartel. Daniel, soon finding out that John is an informant for Agent Cooper, warns him that if the cartel finds out what he's really up to then he's as good as dead. He then tells John he wants nothing further to do with this sting operation, leaving John to handle the setup on his own.

      This is one of those movies where you just look at the poster and think, "Oh, great, we get to see Dwayne Johnson swing a 2x4 at a bunch of druggies for a good ninety minutes." After seeing the film, though, I found myself rather surprised by how strong of a performance Johnson actually gives. This is not your typical "The Rock beats the crap out of a mile long lineup of guys just asking for it" type of film. This is a solid effort, bolstered by some strong performances led by Dwayne Johnson, and to be honest, the action in the film is fairly minimal. It would've been so cheap and easy to just turn this film into your typical "cars flying, guns blazing, explosions, explosions, explosions!" type of man vs. cartel type of movie, but credit writer/director Ric Roman Waugh and co-writer Justin Haythe for taking a more restrained approach. Johnson's John Matthews doesn't automatically turn into "Super-dad" out of nowhere. He's an ordinary dad with limitations and moments where you can tell he feels in over his head. Jon Bernthal (previously of tv's The Walking Dead) gives a strong supporting performance, and both Barry Pepper and Benjamin Bratt are excellent in their respective roles. Bratt's "El Topo" is very quiet, calm, not the cliche cartel leader caricature we could've gotten in the wrong hands. It's that quiet demeanor that adds to his menace. There's no need for theatrics, 'cause under that smile and all the "Your family will be treated like my family" talk, you know lies a man that's not afraid to place a bullet between your eyes if you wrong him. Granted, you slightly have to suspend disbelief a bit over how deep John winds himself getting into by himself. Yes, it is true that there are laws that allow you to essentially "bargain" your way to a reduced sentence, but the suspension of disbelief lies in how quickly everyone in the drug trade is able to willingly accept Matthews in with just the snap of a finger. Thank God they don't run the TSA. The strengths of the film outweigh the weakness though.

      Obviously, Dwayne Johnson doesn't steal the show or anything, but to his credit, he does hold himself very well up against the acting veterans of Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. Hopefully, Johnson, chooses projects that allow him to stretch his acting legs some more. It's movies like this, while not perfect, that show he does have what it takes to be a solid actor without having to depend on all the stunts and action sequences to bail him out. I give Snitch a B+ (★★★½).

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