I didn’t want to like this movie and had numerous reasons not to. It is directed by Guy Ritchie of the steampunk Sherlock Holmes, and this film belongs to a common genre. Inspired by Michael Caine movies from the 70s, today’s British filmmakers combine dark comedy with crime heist capers filled with extremely clever, lovable, fearsome, eccentric characters of ill repute with various Cockney and less than upper crust accents trying to make it big, yet constantly in jeopardy and on the verge of losing everything. Americans try to emulate the style with films like Ocean’s Eleven, but our films always feel like a tax write-off for a bunch of famous actors who want to hang out together, but films like In Bruges and Layer Cake are superior because you are invested in every character. Even in these ridiculous, unrealistic settings, the characters are ultimately likable and believable. Is it their Dickensian heritage come to life on the digital screen? Unlike In Bruges and Layer Cake, there is no deeper meaning underneath the rapid pacing, dialogue and flash of Snatch, but is mostly fun. It even helped me to like Brad Pitt, who does a mean Colin Farrell (think of his role in Intermission) impression. The cast is phenomenal. The soundtrack was spot on. Because I wasn’t giving the movie my undivided attention, it was hard to sort through some of the characters and plot twists. Ritchie’s narrative promises and implies a lot of violence, but politely turns away at the point of impact and is quite decorous. There was one scene that (hopefully) unintentionally evoked memories of abuses of civil rights protestors in 60s, which disrupted the overall light, almost cartoonish touch of the movie and brought more weight to the violent implications of all that dialogue. I would love to rewatch the film again and credit the movie with keeping me surprised at who would eventually end up on top in the quest of yes, another diamond.