Dwayne Johnson plays a blue collar father forced to infiltrate a drug cartel. Steve Dietl / Summit Entertainment

Snitch is surprisingly gripping

Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon
***

The action star du jour Dwayne Johnson plays John, a blue collar father who becomes an informant and infiltrates a drug cartel to help free his son, who faces 10 years imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit.

An interesting conceit quickly dissolves into the usual action-thriller blueprint of car chases, fist fights and lots of firearms. Anyone who has seen Johnson's previous action roles will know exactly the tone Snitch achieves.

The cast, however, makes it interesting. Johnson seems elated to be tackling a role with some depth (albeit slight). The reliable Susan Sarandon plays the lawyer who represents John's son, and Barry Pepper looks menacing as an undercover cop.

Although hardly original, this tightly paced story will keep you invested through to the end, and does no harm to Johnson's rise as a box-office draw.

artslife@thenational.ae