Character Analysis
Bully Boy
Lt. Snyder is your run-of-the-mill bully. He's tough, brash, a little thick…and likes to make as much money as possible, even if he has to bend the rules in order to do so. We find out just how much he loves cash in the movie's opening scenes, when he grabs Johnny Hooker from off the street and tells him,
SNYDER: You scored blood money today and you need a friend.
In other words, Snyder knows that Johnny took a bunch of money from the mob…so he tells Johnny to fork over the wad in exchange for not handing him over to the mob.
Did we mention this guy's a cop? Yeah; Snyder isn't big on the whole "upholding the law" thing.
As the movie goes on, we realize that Johnny is going to have a tough time shaking Snyder, who follows him all the way from Joliet to Chicago. And as soon as Henry Gondorff finds out about this guy, he realizes that they'll have to find a way of conning Snyder along with Lonnegan if there's any chance of a happy ending to this story.
"He's Gonna Be a Problem"
The only way for Henry to truly get rid of Snyder is to make the guy think that Johnny is out of the picture for good. That's why he uses his buddy, Hickey, to pose as an FBI agent and convince Snyder that he's part of an FBI operation to take down Henry Gondorff.
But Henry also cleverly uses the opportunity to get Snyder to pull Lonnegan away from the scene once the whole con comes together. Hickey tells Snyder,
HICKEY: As soon as we're inside, you get him out of there fast before the reporters show up.
In the end, the whole thing works like a dream, and Snyder is taken care off along with Lonnegan. The moral of this story? Bullies never win...especially when they're up against guys as clever and Gondorff and Hooker.