Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) is generally a good teenager, but he makes the bad decision to accept a large package of drugs sent to him by a friend. Jason is arrested and faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years for possession with intent to distribute unless he can give the Feds information about someone higher up in the drug trade. The problem is that Jason doesn’t really know anything—his so-called friend made a deal with the Feds and set Jason up to take the fall for him. Jason’s mother Sylvie (Melina Kanakaredes) doesn’t know what to do, and reaches out to her ex-husband John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) for help.

John is a successful Missouri businessman who owns his own construction company, and has some powerful connections. However, U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) is trying to prove she is tough on drug crime and refuses to back down unless Jason gives her information on a bigger fish. After John sees that his son is getting beat up in prison, he knows Jason will never survive in prison for 10 years, and decides to take matters into his own hand. He notices that one of his employees, Daniel James (Jon Bernthal), is an ex-con who has been arrested twice for possession. He comes up with a plan to get Daniel to help him infiltrate the drug trade, where he can gather the information the Feds are looking for in order to secure his son’s release. Daniel has been trying to clean up his life for his wife and son. He already has two strikes and a third would send him to prison permanently, so he wants to leave this world in his past and doesn’t want anything to do with John’s proposition. However, John offers Daniel a lot of money, which he could use to help his family, and so he agrees to just arrange a meeting with his former boss and then get out. But at the meeting, Malik (Michael K. Williams) sets up a test delivery for John to prove himself, and makes Daniel join him for the ride.

Things don’t go according to plan, but John still manages to complete his audition mission. DEA Agent Cooper (Barry Pepper) is impressed by what John has been able to do thus far, and catching Malik should have been enough to meet the terms of their bargain, but when he realizes that John is close to getting a meeting with elusive kingpin El Topo (Benjamin Bratt), he sets his sights higher. Now John finds himself getting deeper into this dangerous world of drugs and guns, and in this attempt to save one son, he has also put his new family in danger. If anyone figures out what he is really up to, he and his loved ones would be killed on the spot. Can he manage to keep his secret and stay alive long enough to free his son?

Snitch, which is based on real events, is not only a tense, action-packed thriller, but it’s also the dramatic story of two fathers trying to do whatever it takes to help their families. John is just an average guy who knows nothing about the drug trade, but he thrusts himself into this dangerous world in order to save his son. Even though John is a big, muscular guy, that won’t necessarily help him in this unfamiliar territory—he can’t just beat up a DEA agent to get them to release his son, and the drug dealers are constantly surrounded by guns and goons. The film spends most of time following what’s going on from John’s perspective, and not really showing us what’s happening inside the prison or behind-the-scenes with the DEA or drug dealers. This helps to give the viewer that same sense of the unknown that John is experiencing. The filmmakers also make use of handheld cameras to help the viewer feel like they are a part of the action. Each time John heads into a meeting with Malik or El Topo, there is a real sense of danger—there is no telling what these people know, and what they will do to John or his family if they find out he is working with the DEA. The film also has many exciting action sequences, culminating in a massive, breathtaking, high-speed car chase that is filled with mayhem and destruction. And the filmmakers have filmed this sequence in such a way that the viewer is placed right in the middle of it all.

The Blu-ray already looked fantastic, but this new 4K UHD presentation provides some slightly increased detail in faces and in textures on clothing and on walls and furniture, especially in some of the darker scenes. There is one scene where Malik is talking to one of his goons, and on the Blu-ray you can barely make out the scar on the side of his face/neck, but on the 4K release, it is much more evident. The 4K UHD release also features an excellent new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. While it provides clear dialogue and a fantastic soundtrack, this track really shines in the action sequences. One spectacular-sounding scene is in the junk yard when John and Daniel suddenly come under fire—you can hear the bullets flying in every direction and overhead. You can also hear the rumble of the truck as it barrels down the highway, and the scraping of metal, bullets and explosions in the final car chase.

While there were no new bonus features created specifically for this release, there is still a lot of quality supplemental material included. The Blu-ray disc is exactly the same as the previous 2013 release, and contains all of the same bonus features. Most of the Blu-ray bonus material has also been ported over to the 4K UHD disc, except for some Lionsgate film trailers. The extras include an audio commentary, a 50-minute making of featurette and four deleted scenes.

This release comes with both a 4K UHD disc and a Blu-ray disc packed in standard eco UHD keepcase with a rounded-corner slipcover. The case also contains an insert with instructions to redeem an UltraViolet digital copy of the film. At the time of this review, Vudu was the only redemption option, and it only redeemed in HDX format, not 4K.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:52:19)

4K Ultra HD:

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• HDR
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 6/6/2018):

• Digital HD copy redeemable via Vudu

Extras:
The 4K UHD disc does not include any new supplemental material, but most of the Blu-ray features from the 2013 Blu-ray have been ported over. The minor exclusions/differences are noted below.

• Privileged Information: The Making of Snitch (49:40)
  Three part making-of featurette featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with co-writer/director Ric Roman Waugh, producers Matt Jackson & Jonathan King, editor Jonathan Chibnall, and actors Dwayne Johnson (“John Matthews”), Jon Bernthal (“Daniel James”), Barry Pepper (“Agent Cooper”), Susan Sarandon (“Joanne Keegan”), Melina Kanakaredes (“Sylvie Colins”), Nadine Velazquez (“Analisa”), Rafi Gavron (“Jason”) & Benjamin Bratt (“Juan Carlos Pintera”). On the 4K UHD disc, all three parts play back to back. On the Blu-ray disc there is a Play All option, or select from:
  • Casting (22:43)
    A discussion about how the creators decided who to cast, the screen testing process, why the actors signed on, and how they prepared for their roles.
  • Informing on Set (16:59)
    A discussion about using authentic locations instead of sets, shooting on location in Shreveport rather than in LA, the use of practical lighting, and shooting the car chase.
  • Inspiration (9:54)
    The cast and crew talk about the inspiration for the story, which came out of a documentary for Frontline about informants and snitches, and mandatory minimum drug laws and the problems with them.
• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Ric Roman Waugh and Editor Jonathan Chibnall (1:52:17)
  The two men provide an informative commentary throughout the film. In addition to providing production anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, some of the topics they discuss include casting the film, the score, the research the did for the film, and working with real DEA agents.
• Deleted Scenes (5:39)
  Collection of four deleted scenes. On the 4K UHD disc, the scenes play back-to-back. On the Blu-ray disc there is a Play All option, or select from “Only You”, “Just an Accident”, “Wasting My Life” and “The Bigger Picture”.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:28)
• Also From Lionsgate (6:25)
  The Blu-ray disc contains trailers for “Now You See Me”, “Alex Cross”, “Warm Bodies” and “The Cold Light of Day”.

Final Thoughts:

Snitch, in a fun, action-packed thrill ride with interesting characters, a great cast, and an entertaining premise. The film features some impressive action sequences and one of the most exciting car chases caught on film. Liongate’s 4K release features impressive video and audio presentations, which provide a slight improvement over the already-excellent Blu-ray release. The 4K release doesn’t include any new bonus features, but it does port over all of the excellent supplemental material from the previous Blu-ray release. This film is definitely worth checking out, and this is the version to own!