Snitch is 'Moderately Engaging Character Study' that Entertains

"Snitch," rated PG-13, is opening at 10 p.m. tonight at Gateway Cinemas 12 in Bethlehem. Showtimes for Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23, are 1:30, 4:30, 7:00 and 9:30. The film is playing in the BigD Experience. 

The premise, courtesy of IMDb: 

A father, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, goes undercover for the Drug Enforcement Agency to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal.

Here’s what the critics are saying:

Mainly, 'Snitch' has a way of keeping you guessing about the next turn in its story, and a way of keeping Johnson's character compellingly at the mercy of others. There's a fair amount of violence, but most of it is handled crisply and without 'attaboy!' relish. The junkyards, crack houses and mean nocturnal streets lend the story a vaguely fatalistic air recalling B-movie noirs of the late 1940s and '50s. It's an entertaining picture — pulp, coming from a place of righteous indignation. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Although it sometimes accompanies fine films such as Zero Dark Thirty and Argo, the phrase 'inspired by a true story' tacked onto the front of a movie too often warns you that you're about to see something 'inspiring' in the most hackneyed, triumph-of-the-human-spirit sort of way. What's surprising about Snitch is that, rather than taking the reductive path of offering innocuous emotional uplift or one-man-army action, it generates a feeling of real desperation and fear as it shows a man getting in way over his head when he takes on some very bad guys.— Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

Snitch groans out of the gate. It’s the kind of clunky, exposition-heavy action movie where the protagonist learns about drug cartels by typing 'drug cartel' into Wikipedia. But it builds into a moderately engaging character study of men driven to dangerous extremes by desperation, including Jon Bernthal, an ex-con employee of Johnson’s roped into assisting the boss’ descent into drug-running and money-laundering. — Nathan Rabin, AV Club

To the very end, 'Snitch' almost dares you to chuckle under your breath or at least ask some pointed questions. Even the resolution left me with one 'wait a minute!' problem that seemed to have eluded every character in the film. Still, this movie executes two missions: A) to entertain us; and B) to put some big exclamation points on a couple of messages about certain drug laws in this country in need of a thorough re-examination. — Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times

"Snitch" is rated PG-13 and runs 112 minutes.

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