Snitch

Rated 2.0

When his son gets busted on a set-up drug deal, a father (Dwayne Johnson) goes undercover for the Drug Enforcement Administration to bring down the crime lords and save his boy from prison. “Inspired by true events,” the credits say, but we can probably assume that's a crock: Life generally isn't much like a Dwayne Johnson movie. Still, there are the ruins of a decent movie here. The story is strong and acting is good—Johnson, yes, but also valuable support from Barry Pepper as a DEA agent, Susan Sarandon as a U.S. attorney, Jon Bernthal as an ex-con who helps Johnson, and Michael K. Williams and Benjamin Bratt as the targets of Johnson's sting. Unfortunately, director Ric Roman Waugh thoroughly botches it by lousy camera work—too shaky and much too close to the actors (lips-to-eyebrows closeups are a fetish with Waugh).