Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT The Rock's 2013 film Snitch was inspired by a true story, but the two stories are far from similar, with the movie changing quite a few events from what really happened. Dwayne Johnson plays John Matthews, a father desperately trying to keep his son Jason out of prison.
Snitch Is Inspired By The Real Experiences Of DEA Agent James Settembrino In 1992, James Settembrino was approached by the government and struck up a deal with the DEA in order to receive a 5K1 reduction to Joey's sentence. In the documentary, James stated that the system was more concerned with processing convictions than actually imprisoning the higher-up dealers, and that there was a cycle of snitching between the lower members of dealing in exchange for reduced sentences.
Despite being betrayed by his friend, which resulted in his arrest, Joey stated to Frontline that he did not "...want to do 10 years in jail, but [I] also didn't want to give up one of my friends either." There is little information on what happened to Joey Settembrino following his release from jail, but based on the plea deal he took, he should have been released at some point between 2003 and 2004.
There Were No Drug Kingpins Or Gangs In The True Story One of the most prominent scenes in Snitch is in the final peak of the movie, when the cartel kingpin realizes that John is an informant, leading them to an explosive highway chase and shootout. This scene shows off a beautiful piece of cinematography, and The Rock is shown from above in the aftermath of the shootout, injured but alive.