Writing a screenplay that is both interesting and original is a tough undertaking. Having to populate it with memorable characters who recite interesting dialogue is even more challenging; believe me I’ve tried.

Measured to those standards, Guy Ritchie has talent. His ability to come up with interesting, if not profoundly perverse, characters is only matched by his gift to write dialogue that demonstrates a command of slang, wry wit, and comic timing. Watch his cult hit Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and you’ll also find very little in the way of plot holes or needless "fat." Everything is delivered to his audience with the same brand of tight hyperkinetic narrative that made the genre-bending Pulp Fiction an entertaining roller-coaster ride. Having enjoyed both these films, I was anxious to see what cool new caper Ritchie had up his sleeve in Snatch.

Let’s see. You have a shady boxing promoter named Turkish (Statham), who sends his partner Tommy (Graham) to fetch him a new camper only to get scammed by a bunch of gypsies headed by Mickey O’Neil (Pitt). A thief named Frankie Four Fingers (Del Toro) steals an 84-karat diamond but gets double-crossed by the brother of a bulletproof Russian named Boris "The Blade." A London-based jeweler named Doug "The Head" thinks he’s Jewish, but he isn’t. A New York-based Jeweler name Avi is Jewish, hates London, but is forced to hop the Concorde to find Frankie. Vincent, Sol, and Tyrone were hired by Boris to steal the diamond that Frankie stole for Avi, but got caught on camera while holding up an illegal bookie. Bricktop, a psychopathic pig lover, owned the illegal bookie and also makes a living getting boxing promoters to throw fights. Oh and wouldn’t it figure that Turkish and Tommy just so happen to be the unfortunate blokes obligated to throw Bricktop’s latest fight.

Yes, it doesn’t take long for the situation to get quite hairy for Guy Ritchie’s colorful clutch of criminals. Unfortunately, and even despite frequent chuckles, many portions of Snatch had an unsettling level of déjà vu. Also quite ironic was how Brad Pitt’s amusing performance as a scheming, gibberish-spewing gypsy managed to upstage a formidable ensemble of eloquent British actors. What ultimately put the cuffs on Snatch, however, was the cinematic sin of having characters I didn’t care about. I realized that the first time I watched Snatch, I held on for the ride. Once the ride was over and the initial thrill settled, I realized that its characters were pretty vapid despite their cheeky repartee.

For all of Director Ritchie’s criticism (or was it truly sarcasm?) toward his cinematographer (Tim Maurice-Jones), the look of Snatch was one of its better qualities. While it is true that a couple of scenes looked a bit muddy and dark, much of this low-budget film had a rich pastel appearance that belied its low budget. Audio was OK. Limited use of surround channels, a catchy bass-driven score, and some excellent pop-music choices were the extent of its aural repertoire. Comparatively speaking, the genus-similar, but plot-inferior, Get Carter sets the standard for audio fidelity in the arena of anti-hero allegory.

Buying a film comprised of two DVDs tends to set the expectation that a wealth of extras awaits the viewer. Snatch immediately proved to me that looks can be deceiving. While the approach to viewing the deleted scenes and the storyboard/final-cut comparison were cool features, I found the film’s only commentary a tedious mess. Awkward segues from topic to topic and an overused joke involving "Men in Suits" made me turn off the commentary after only an hour. The only other worthy feature was the fun, unpretentious "Making Of" documentary. Watching it, I got a real sense that the crew and their director genuinely enjoyed making the film.