Lists are great. They inspire discussion, create arguments, and tend to spiral off into fun new lists. When you do a list about the “BEST” of anything it goes from being fun to becoming a hotbed for arguments. There’s no such thing as a definitive list but I’ve decided to pull from my rather extensive life of film watching and put it to good use.
This is not the “film critic’s top 100” list. There’s no guarantee Citizen Kane or The Bicycle Thief will be in the top echelon or even on the list. This is the 100 movies I would put my name on as my top 100. If I died tomorrow this would represent the 100 films I find most vital, special, or ones that bonded to whatever it is that makes me me. I’m not including documentaries, though that might make for a nice supplemental list.
The first 80 will be in no particular order. The last 20 will be in very particular order. One a day, you have my word.
#24 – Snatch
Message Board Thread Discussion.
Master Index of the 100 Best Movies Ever.
Why is it here:
Note: Remember that the first 80 are in no particular order.
This is what I expect will be a polarizing pick. It’s junk food and one of the many films that clung to the Tarantino bedrock and spun its own web. Guy Ritchie took all of his best ideas and put them here, cast it to perfection, and delivered the quintessential modern British crime flick. Brad Pitt is hilarious. Stephen Graham and Jason Statham are a great pair, and the colorful characters around every turn make this the kind of junk food that sits in the stomach like lead. It’s as entertaining as it is quotable, and as thrilling as it is stylish. It’s a winner in every way and the right kind of twisted. It’ll be one that people discover for decades and thanks to its aggressive style it’ll never go out of vogue.
Moments to savor:
“I need to have a shite.” “Five minutes, Turkish.” “Drop guns!” The Desert Eagle speech. Dennis Farina travels. Gypsies. Brick Top, every second of him.
Rewatchability:
High.
Miscellany:
I like RocknRolla as much as this but there is no doubt that this is Guy Ritchie’s defining work and a perfect pairing with tomorrow’s pick.