DVD Review: Snitch

When his son accepts a package full of drugs and is thrown in jail, a father makes a deal with the prosecutors: he goes undercover to help them arrest a big time drug dealer and his son goes free. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson makes his first real attempt at drama with this film, based on actual events. Does he pull it off? Here's what I thought:

The Good

Believe it or not, Johnson's acting is the best part of the film. He pulls off a believable personality and really makes you feel for him as a father fighting for his son.

Also enjoyable were the action sequences. While they were few and far between, they were suspenseful and fun to watch!

The Bad

Snitch is not the action movie the trailers want you to think it is, which is fine and I actually knew that going in. But even with that knowledge, the movie took forever to get going and was still really slow moving when it did. Instead of jumping into the plot we all knew was coming, Snitch draws out the first part of the movie so long that by the time the deal is made and Johnson's character is doing his business, you barely care anymore!

Also, while Johnson does well in his performance, the rest of the cast is truly generic. The son we are supposed to care about, the drug dealers we are supposed to fear, and even the ex-con who serves as Johnson's ally in the film all fall flat. Everyone seems to be a caricature of their roles: the weeping mother, the mid-level drug dealer surrounded by his posse, the shady Mexican cartel leader. We've seen these characters before, only better.

The Verdict

Snitch is proof positive that Dwayne Johnson is a decent actor and is ready for deeper roles. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is too weak and the films pacing is too slow to make this a good film.

Dusty's Score: 4 out of 10