Dwayne Johnson falls short

When you read the synopsis of “Snitch” you can tell that it’s a captivating story. It deserves an actor with presence and who acts his heart out – not Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Believe me, I’ve liked the guy from the days when he was a big hit in wrestling. That was before he was reduced to special appearances because he’s a movie star now.

As likeable as he is, he doesn’t carry the movie on his broad shoulders, huge chest and heavily muscled arms – it’s the other way around.
But he is not to blame because acting is not his talent and he is not trained in it.

Great acting is not labourious – it looks and feels natural. And if you are a trained actor it shows. Even so, the learning never stops.
That’s why even established names in Hollywood go back to stage acting to refresh because that’s where their craft was pruned and perfected.
If Johnson was a trained actor he would have known that “Snitch” required him to tap into his emotions.

In “Snitch” Johnson plays John Matthews. His estranged 18-year-old son Jason (Rafi Gavron) is nabbed by the police for distributing drugs and faces 10 years in prison. Matthews feels guilty and blames himself as a failed and absent parent.

There are two problems facing Jason. One, the drug cartel may have him killed while in prison to shut him up. Two, politically ambitious attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) says Jason’s sentence will be reduced if he leads the cops to the drug kingpins he worked for.

Matthews, the guilt-ridden dad, becomes an informant under the surveillance of Agent Cooper (Barry Pepper).
His mission is to find evidence that could lead to the successful arrest of the drug lord Juan Carlos Pintera (Benjamin Bratt) and his cronies.
Matthews, a construction business owner, offers the drug cartel his trucks to ferry their products.
They buy into it but not without certain dangerous clauses.

There are some twists in the movie, like when Matthews thinks he has delivered sufficient information and evidence to secure Jason’s release.
He is told to do one more assignment and it’s deadly for himself, his associate Daniel James (Jon Bernthal) and his family.

You will watch “Snitch” because of your affinity with Dwayne Johnson and the uplifting performance from Sarandon and Bratt.
Their presence rescues the film from a possible instant obscurity.

The movie ends with some kind of lesson for drug distributors languishing in jail. I’m not sure if this was necessary because the story is self-explanatory. – Bang Showbiz.