Snitch (6/11/2013)

Rated PG-13 for drug content and sequences of violence.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Barry Pepper and Benjamin Bratt

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Felon)

Best Rock movie to date (with Faster a close second).

In the fast-paced action thriller Snitch, Dwayne Johnson stars as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. attorney to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission — risking everything, including his family and his own life.

Snitch is everything right about action movies. There is plenty of action, adrenaline and edge-of-your-seat drama. But the difference here is the depth of character development, the believability of the story and more heart than Nicholas Spark’s novels. Not to mention, it has THE ROCK!

Okay I know he likes to be called Dwayne Johnson now, but he will always be The Rock. And I’ve always been a fan. He’s usually funny, smart and kicking butt, which is exactly what you get, but we also get to see his sensitive side. He is believable as the father whose world is crumbling down around him.

The rest of the cast does a decent job, but another real standout is Barry Pepper. He plays the tough, gritty undercover detective perfectly. I just wish he had a little bit more screen time.

Director Ric Roman Waugh doesn’t have a very long resume, but I have to say I was very impressed with his direction. He manages to keep the film moving at a breakneck speed while developing the characters so thoroughly that you actually care about what happens to them. (If you like Snitch, I would also recommend checking out his other film called Felon.)

Snitch certainly will not win any awards, but is a great movie with heart, brains and plenty of action, it’s “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity. However, there is a scene where they talk about a man being “assaulted” in prison – implying he was raped. There are quite a few uses of the S-word, 1 B-word and few other mild obscenities.

There is some violence that younger kids should definitely not see. Like a semi truck flipping over and the driver is seen with cuts and bruises and a shootout between two drug cartels. Even with the body count around 10-15, it is not very bloody or graphic. The last 15 minutes of the movie carry the bulk of violence in this film. It is somewhat intense as 5 cars of men shoot at, and try to kill the driver of a semi truck.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. As the story developed, did you feel sorry for Jason? Why or why not?


2. Did you feel bad for Jason’s dad, John? Why or why not?


3. Looking at a prison sentence of at least 10 years, what does John decide to do?


4. What do you think about his willingness to do that for his son?


5. Webster’s dictionary says sacrifice is, “the destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.” What does John sacrifice for Jason?


6. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

   Discuss the last time you sacrificed something for someone else.



7. Jesus is the ultimate example of sacrifice, what is one way can we follow His example and live sacrificially this week?