Film review: Domino.
Has it been this long, already?
Oh dear.
When blog apathy hits, it hits hard. Thank goodness I can always rely on the film reviews - if you can't think of anything decent to write, pen down your thought on any random film, and you'll be fine.
Hence, this review of Domino.
"My name is Domino Harvey, and I am a bounty hunter"
What do Jerry Springer, a bunch of First Wives, Beverly Hills 90210, multi-ethnicity, my grandmother's sweet apple pie, guns 'n 'splosions, a mexican stand-off, and Afghanistan have in common? Absolutely nothing. But take away my granny's apple pie, and you got yourself the handful of miss-matching ingredients that, when combined, create the unconventionalism that is Domino.
I'll try to summarise (and most likely fail miserably): Domino Harvey, daughter of succesful actor Laurence Harvey, refuses to get comfortable with the high society life she was born into, and decides she wants to be (wait for it) a bounty hunter. And, with the aid of legendary bounty hunter Ed Mosbey and his crew, she manages to succeed gloriously. That is, until a deal is botched in the name of a dying kid, and everything, and I do mean everything, goes wrong. Spectacularly.
And get this. It's based on a true story.
So, what's good about this film?
First off, the cast. Keira Knightly, always a pleasure to watch, does a commendable job as the titular Domino; she has to carry this film, and she doesn't buckle. She portrays a fierceness coupled with a girly innocence which is intoxicating to watch. Mickey Rourke continues his comeback with Ed Mosbey's gritty and hard-as-stone mentor/bounty hunter, a role he seems to have been born to play. Newcomer Edgar Ramirez also does a good job as the mysterious, sultry and surprisingly ruthless Choco. Hell, even the 90210-guys do a decent job!
Another area where this film scores points is, surprisingly, the comedy. If you don't smile during the Jerry Springer/the mixed race flowchart-scene, you're either dead, dying, or far too politically correct for your own good. Christopher Walken, always a delight to watch, manages to create quite a few laughs with his maniacal television producer Mark Heiss. But the funniest thing in the film simply has to be the 90210 running gag, in which Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green show that they have a good sense of humour, the self-depricating kind.
And what's not so good?
The story, the structure, and the editing. The story in itself is fairly complex and surprisingly good, courtesy of Donnie Darko scribe Richard Kelly (though, I have the nagging suspicion that there quite a few plotholes to be found; I just can't put my finger on them). That said, there is nothing wrong with a complex film; au contraire. However, making an already complex film even more complicated by telling it in a flashback narrative, and cutting it so that it resembles a 120 minute music video, does complicate matters. Scott's frantic pacing, the quick camera cuts, and the strange coloring leave you panting for breath when the credits finally role.
All in all, not the best film you'll ever see; hell, not even the best Tony Scott film you'll ever see (Man On Fire and Spy Game are better films), but it nevertheless is one hell of a rollercoaster ride through the past, present and future of the life of Domino Harvey, bounty hunter.
A 77 out of 100.
Oh dear.
When blog apathy hits, it hits hard. Thank goodness I can always rely on the film reviews - if you can't think of anything decent to write, pen down your thought on any random film, and you'll be fine.
Hence, this review of Domino.
What do Jerry Springer, a bunch of First Wives, Beverly Hills 90210, multi-ethnicity, my grandmother's sweet apple pie, guns 'n 'splosions, a mexican stand-off, and Afghanistan have in common? Absolutely nothing. But take away my granny's apple pie, and you got yourself the handful of miss-matching ingredients that, when combined, create the unconventionalism that is Domino.
I'll try to summarise (and most likely fail miserably): Domino Harvey, daughter of succesful actor Laurence Harvey, refuses to get comfortable with the high society life she was born into, and decides she wants to be (wait for it) a bounty hunter. And, with the aid of legendary bounty hunter Ed Mosbey and his crew, she manages to succeed gloriously. That is, until a deal is botched in the name of a dying kid, and everything, and I do mean everything, goes wrong. Spectacularly.
And get this. It's based on a true story.
So, what's good about this film?
First off, the cast. Keira Knightly, always a pleasure to watch, does a commendable job as the titular Domino; she has to carry this film, and she doesn't buckle. She portrays a fierceness coupled with a girly innocence which is intoxicating to watch. Mickey Rourke continues his comeback with Ed Mosbey's gritty and hard-as-stone mentor/bounty hunter, a role he seems to have been born to play. Newcomer Edgar Ramirez also does a good job as the mysterious, sultry and surprisingly ruthless Choco. Hell, even the 90210-guys do a decent job!
Another area where this film scores points is, surprisingly, the comedy. If you don't smile during the Jerry Springer/the mixed race flowchart-scene, you're either dead, dying, or far too politically correct for your own good. Christopher Walken, always a delight to watch, manages to create quite a few laughs with his maniacal television producer Mark Heiss. But the funniest thing in the film simply has to be the 90210 running gag, in which Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green show that they have a good sense of humour, the self-depricating kind.
And what's not so good?
The story, the structure, and the editing. The story in itself is fairly complex and surprisingly good, courtesy of Donnie Darko scribe Richard Kelly (though, I have the nagging suspicion that there quite a few plotholes to be found; I just can't put my finger on them). That said, there is nothing wrong with a complex film; au contraire. However, making an already complex film even more complicated by telling it in a flashback narrative, and cutting it so that it resembles a 120 minute music video, does complicate matters. Scott's frantic pacing, the quick camera cuts, and the strange coloring leave you panting for breath when the credits finally role.
All in all, not the best film you'll ever see; hell, not even the best Tony Scott film you'll ever see (Man On Fire and Spy Game are better films), but it nevertheless is one hell of a rollercoaster ride through the past, present and future of the life of Domino Harvey, bounty hunter.
A 77 out of 100.
3 Comments:
I thought you fell into the toilet or something.
What makes you say I didn't?
Cheers
if you can't think of anything decent to write, pen down your thought on any random film, and you'll be fine
My whole friggin' blog is based on this assumption. Hmph.
Except for the posts that hint that I might have just been laid, or be about to get laid. (It's actually been 18 months. I'll admit that here, but not there.)
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