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SNITCH (2013)Movie Reviews
Action thriller about a man who agrees to infiltrate a drug cartel as part of a deal to save his son from a wrongful conviction and 10-year prison sentence. Cast:Dwayne Johnson, Nadine Velazquez, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Michael Kenneth Williams, Harold Perrineau, Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Melina Kanakaredes, Judd Lormand, Rafi Gavron, Kym Jackson, JD Pardo, James Allen McCune, Edrick BrowneDirector:Ric Roman WaughRelease Date:February 22, 2013DVD Release:June 11, 2013From:Lionsgate/Summit EntertainmentRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 35 min.
Snitch (2013) opened to fair reviews. • Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...tense, reasonably efficient..." • And Roger Moore wrote in the Miami Herald, "The pacing is off, too many scenes lack dramatic punch and play like filler. But Johnson is pretty good at being a guy in over his head..." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: WEAK "...ponderous and preposterous... poorly directed... logical lapses mount as the movie goes on... Visually, the movie is all over the place."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 846 words, 02/22/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Dwayne Johnson is terrific, as he further matures as an actor. He's no action hero/one-man-army here. It's a far more nuanced performance than he's given before."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 02/22/13
Kate Erbland, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...never gets quite pumping as an action film, but it's more than serviceable as a thriller and a drama punctuated with believable tension and real world stakes."(See all of Kate Erbland's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 02/21/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "It's nice to acknowledge that The Rock can act... The problem is, this isn't the best option to showcase what he can do with more serious, less cartoonish material."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 799 words, 02/21/13
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The back story has just enough layering that we care a bit for the characters, and maybe even the social issues the film tries to illuminate.... Age 14."(See all of S. Jhoanna Robledo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 02/21/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...grimy, realistic... Mr. Johnson's screen presence, however charismatic, is out of sync with the rest of the movie... he lacks the nuance that defines an ordinary mortal."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 02/22/13
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Half crime thriller, half family drama, with a bit of legal and behind-prison-walls suspense... like watching an elephant on ice: inelegant, but you admire the effort."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 02/22/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...the dialogue is preachy, the drama too earnest and the action kind of sluggish, though it's hard not to get a jolt when Johnson jumps behind the wheel."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 02/22/13
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "A glorified TV movie.... Johnson is an ingratiating actor, but an everyman he is not.... The acting isn't bad at all, but it's in service of soap opera trimmings..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 02/22/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...shrewd in its balancing of our sympathies.... it keeps you guessing about the next turn, and keeps Johnson's character compellingly at the mercy of others."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 02/22/13
John Anderson, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "Dwayne Johnson is a pretty good actor -- better than director Ric Roman Waugh deserves in this fairly formulaic, shabbily scripted tale..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 02/22/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD "...a movie that lives or dies on Johnson's performance, and luckily, the actor is perfect.... He's a softy delivering tough love: an idealized Everydad for our age."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 798 words, 02/22/13
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...keeps you off-balance and guessing throughout its thoroughly involving if occasional jaw-droppingly implausible developments.... Everyone is excellent..."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 724 words, 02/22/13
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...loudly announces itself as a social issues movie.... but as the plot grows more and more absurd it reveals another kind of political agenda."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 02/20/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the casting is questionable.... it seems that the movie might be a bone with real meat on it, before it becomes just another bone to beat people over the head with."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 541 words, 02/22/13
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an honest exercise in workmanlike craft. This is to film what ceramic is to floors or Billy is to bookcase... hardly great but good and solid and functional."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 02/22/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an issue picture in thriller drag, designed to educate Americans about the awful effects of mandatory minimum sentences.... tense, reasonably efficient..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 02/21/13
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...protein-and-starch filmmaking at its utilitarian -- and belly-filling -- best. Dwayne Johnson brings the steak; Jon Bernthal the sizzle."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 02/22/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...shot with a mix of nervous close-ups and weirdly vertiginous angles.... the B-movie action version of an advocacy doc..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 02/22/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Johnson delivers a strong, disciplined performance.... The screenplay devotes generous attention to even its secondary characters..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 02/22/13
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a shockingly deeper, less action-oriented affair than one would expect of a movie directed by a former stuntman... Johnson expands on his range respectably..."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 02/22/13
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The Rock even cries! And while you won't be moved to mistiness along with him, his determination should leave you feeling the intended satisfaction."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 02/22/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Particularly good is Barry Pepper as a special DEA agent... With his hawklike intensity and meth-billy beard, he brings real danger and squirming authenticity..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 02/22/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...has the weirdness of real life, which is good. But also like real life, it has that funny way of not making much sense or being all that enjoyable."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 02/22/13
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...competent if unremarkable... it lacks a certain suspense.... Johnson, with his low-key charisma, may not yet be an actor, but he's certainly a movie star."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 02/21/13
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: EXCELLENT(cg) "Dwayne Johnson leaves his preening pro wrestling persona at the door... a crisply detailed yarn about being caught in the middle between law and disorder."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 02/21/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: FAIR(cg) "...a couple of gunbattles, a thrilling truck chase, blah-blah-blah, but it all seems terribly familiar, and you don't believe any of these characters or feel their relationships."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 02/22/13
Roger Moore, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The pacing is off, too many scenes lack dramatic punch and play like filler. But Johnson is pretty good at being a guy in over his head..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 02/22/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...loudly announces itself as a social issues movie.... but as the plot grows more and more absurd it reveals another kind of political agenda."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 02/20/13
Kristy Puchko, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...decidedly more father-son drama than action film, wasting Johnson's best assets and demanding he bring his acting ability to a new level. It just sets him up to fail."(See all of Kristy Puchko's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 02/22/13
Scott Sugarman, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...hey, at least you get to see the Rock blast thugs with a shotgun and maneuver a semi with blown-out tires -- at the same time."(See all of Scott Sugarman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 02/28/13
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...mildly overachieving... a moderately engaging character study of men driven to dangerous extremes by desperation... Johnson is a consummate entertainer..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 02/21/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "...silly... even as it uses commendably smudgy visuals and claims to be 'inspired by true events'.... The movie strips out potential complexities in John's trajectory..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 865 words, 02/22/13
Calum Marsh, Slant: POOR(cg) "There's more than a hint of exploitation in this sort of bleeding-heart issue-mongering... a fairly tiresome drama gesturing limply toward tension and credibility."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,102 words, 02/20/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an issue picture in thriller drag, designed to educate Americans about the awful effects of mandatory minimum sentences.... tense, reasonably efficient..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 02/21/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...grimy, realistic... Mr. Johnson's screen presence, however charismatic, is out of sync with the rest of the movie... he lacks the nuance that defines an ordinary mortal."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 02/22/13
Scott Tobias, NPR: MODERATE "...wants to shine a light on heavy-handed sentencing laws and the absurd lengths necessary to reduce time, but it's too big a movie for that story."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 02/21/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...the dialogue is preachy, the drama too earnest and the action kind of sluggish, though it's hard not to get a jolt when Johnson jumps behind the wheel."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 02/22/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...spins a realistic situation into a crazy vigilante story... strangely compelling... it's hard not to feel that the whole thing has been rigged for maximum indignation."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 701 words, 02/19/13
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...generates a feeling of real desperation and fear as it shows a man getting in way in over his head when he takes on some very bad guys... a pretty good film..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 925 words, 02/19/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...the dialogue is preachy, the drama too earnest and the action kind of sluggish, though it's hard not to get a jolt when Johnson jumps behind the wheel."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 02/22/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "Blends the conventions of a social problem picture, family melodrama, and actioner... it surprises with how effective this mixture is... Dwayne Johnson is good..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 02/19/13
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...grimy, realistic... Mr. Johnson's screen presence, however charismatic, is out of sync with the rest of the movie... he lacks the nuance that defines an ordinary mortal."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 02/22/13
14.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Snitch (2013)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Snitch (2013) (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Snitch (2013)'s reviews cover 55.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 21,430 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 536 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 15.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Snitch (2013)'s reviews on average broke 15.4 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Snitch (2013)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Snitch (2013) (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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