Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may never become a powerhouse actor, but he’s certainly a likable, professional presence in a surprising range of motion pictures. Snitch has him as a hard-working construction boss whose teenage son (Rafi Gavron) makes a really stupid mistake, sentenced to federal prison for a mandatory ten-year sentence. In order to get him out, Johnson commits himself to bringing to justice a big-time drug dealer, thereby essentially trading the dealer’s incarceration for his son’s freedom.

Ric Roman Waugh’s film is not an action ride, though the last ten minutes are pretty hairy, nor is it a thriller, despite the tension generated as Johnson desperately looks for a way out of the mess in which he finds himself.  It is a gritty character study of a man trying to rescue his son’s broken spirit, willing to risk everything he has in the name of paternal love.  The film also follows Daniel (Jon Bernthal), an ex-con who reluctantly helps Johnson, only to re-enter the criminal life he has tried to leave behind while starting a family of his own.  Even the feds (Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper) and the criminals (Michael K. Williams, Benjamin Bratt) who exploit Johnson for their own purposes, receive deeper flourishes and colors of personality than is usual for this type of film.

Most impressive is the perspicacity of the piece.  The situation, events, dangers and behaviors all feel real.  Snitch doesn’t exactly brim with originality, yet it does what it does well — and it manages that without excessive violence, profanity, misogyny or stylistic overkill.  It is a tale told well, and one well worth seeing, if this type of story appeals to you.  The more I see of Dwayne Johnson the more I appreciate what he brings to the screen — in this instance as an executive producer as well as muscular movie star.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  28 February 2013.