How the movie "Snatch" was filmed: Stills from the set and 22 interesting facts about the film (16 photos)

I remember getting a DVD (a regular computer disc) of the movie "Snatch" in the early 2000s. The film actually had a different title (correctly), as it was translated by Goblin (if you know what I mean). But the title isn't important. What matters is that I liked it so much that I started recommending it to all my friends, and I've watched it myself many times.





And today I'd like to tell you about the filming of "Snatch" and also show you some interesting behind-the-scenes footage from the set of this hit.

1. Before "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," Guy Ritchie was an unknown director who had made only one short film in 1995. And if his film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" hadn't become a hit, we certainly wouldn't have seen "Snatch."



Yes, it was precisely because of the success of Ritchie's first feature film that the director was asked to make another film about London's underworld, giving him 7 million pounds for it.

2. It took Guy Ritchie only three months to write the screenplay for the film. But this is not surprising, since he had unfinished parts of the script that weren't included in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

3. Guy Ritchie cast his friends, who had already starred in his previous film, in some roles. Yes, we're talking about About Jason Statham (Statham), Jason Flemming, Vinnie Jones, and some other actors.





4. Guy Ritchie also decided to cast Hollywood actors. One of these actors was Brad Pitt.

Brad Pitt was an ardent fan of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," so he decided to call the director himself to see if he had a role for him, no matter what the film was. Well, Guy Ritchie was happy to see a Hollywood star in his film. celebrity.



But Pitt couldn't nail the London accent, so Guy Ritchie offered him the role of the fast-talking gypsy boxer Mickey. At first, Pitt was upset, as he had just recently finished filming "Fight Club." But he ultimately accepted the role.

5. The second Hollywood celebrity to appear in the film was Benicio del Toro. He played the same Frankie "Four Fingers."

While there were no problems with Brad Pitt, there was always something wrong with Benicio del Toro. He wouldn't listen to the director, and He always tried to do everything his own way. Sometimes, that's why the filming process dragged on.



6. To get into character, Brad Pitt went without a shower for a long time. His slurred speech was a gimmick invented by Guy Ritchie himself, as revenge against the haters who didn't like the accents of some of the characters in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."



7. The scene with Guy Ritchie didn't just pull the idea for the ridiculous heist involving Saul, Tyrone, and Vincent out of thin air. He specifically watched footage of the most ridiculous crimes to show them in the movie.



8. Initially, Guy Ritchie wanted to cast Bradley Walsh as "Brick." But when he learned that Walsh had once hosted the show "Wheel of Fortune" (something like "Field of Dreams"), he decided to pass on Walsh's services, believing that such a past could negatively impact the film.

But the most interesting thing is that a little later Walsh starred in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 2." However, Guy Ritchie didn't direct that film, but He was listed only as one of the producers.

Guy Ritchie is also known to have offered the role to Sir Sean Connery. Connery read the script, watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and said he'd love to star in the film, but they simply didn't have the money.

Ultimately, the role went to Alan Ford. Interestingly, he'd previously auditioned twice for the role of "Brick," but was repeatedly rejected. It was only on the third tryout, when Guy Ritchie had no other choice, that he agreed to cast Walsh. And in my opinion, he turned out to be a great "Brick."



And one more thing One interesting fact about "Brick": Alan Ford forgot his contact lenses when he went to the set, so he had to wear glasses. And when Guy Ritchie saw him wearing them, he immediately realized that this was exactly the "Brick" he needed.

9. That overweight actor, Ade, who played Tyrone, wasn't actually an actor. He came to the set hoping to get a job as a security guard. But Guy Ritchie spotted Ade and decided he absolutely had to have the character for his film.



10. Stephen Graham, who played Tommy, got into the film by accident. He came along with a friend and had no intention of auditioning. But the director asked him to try something out, and Graham complied.



Ultimately, Steven landed the role of Tommy. But the most interesting thing is that only a little later did Guy Ritchie remember that he had already cast Graham in his first short film, "The Hard Case" (1995).

11. Since the film's budget was small, it wasn't possible to hire many extras. Therefore, to create a sense of mass appeal during the boxing match, the same extras were moved in different directions. This created the illusion that there were actually many people in the audience.



12. Guy Ritchie wasn't very comfortable working with only men (yes, there are practically no female roles here, not counting Mickey's mother and the banker), so to keep things quiet and calm on set, he decided to introduce a system of fines for everything: drinking alcohol during filming, being late, sleeping while working, etc.

13. He didn't get his nickname "Brick" because he's strong or tough. The word "Bricktop" is slang for someone with red hair. Apparently, "Bricktop" was a redhead in his youth.



14. In the film, the characters constantly swear. The "F" word alone is used a whopping 153 times. However, Guy Ritchie still has a long way to go compared to Tarantino, as it was used 271 times in "Pulp Fiction."

15. Vinnie Jones, who played Tony "Bullet in the Teeth," was once arrested for a bar fight. Therefore, a stunt double stood in for him in some scenes. For example, in the scene where Tony bangs on the car window with a gun, a stunt double for Vinnie Jones was actually used.



16. In the film "Snatch," major characters like "Brick," Boris, Frankie, and others are killed off-screen. That is, we don't see them at the moment of their death.

17. Ritchie deliberately chose to have "Brick" abuse a dog. This way, he wanted to show how vile this character is. But actor Alan Ford, who played "Brick," is an animal rights activist.



18. Remember the scene where Saul fired a sawed-off shotgun at the wall? Actor Lennie James suffered such a powerful recoil during the shot that he injured his groin. However, he stayed in character and played through the scene to the end before seeking medical attention. Incidentally, this exact shot was included in the final version of the film.

19. Initially, a completely different dog was chosen for the film—not the one we all saw. But during filming, the dog painfully bit Lennie James on the groin, forcing a replacement. Poor Lennie James. His groin was injured twice.



20. When Avi and Tony are driving in the car, Madonna's "Lucky Star" plays on the radio. Guy Ritchie was dating Madonna at the time, and they later married.

21. Guy Ritchie himself also made a cameo appearance in his film. In the bar scene, when Doug "The Head" refuses to buy jewelry, a man can be seen in the corner at a table. That's Guy Ritchie.



22. With a budget of £7 million ($10 million), the film grossed £83 million at the box office, making it an incredible success. It quickly gained a cult following and quickly became a household name.