The Green Hornet

OPENING: 01/14/2011

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

RUN TIME: 119 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Breaking the Law to Protect It

Opening Statement
It’s no secret that The Green Hornet went through a long and troubled development period. Folks like Kevin Smith, Jake Gyllenhaal, George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg were attached the film at various points, but the property eventually fell into the hands of actor/writer Seth Rogen and director Michel Gondry. Together, this unlikely duo turn in a version of The Green Hornet that’s by turns oddly entertaining and unforgivably messy.

Facts of the Case
Britt Reid (Seth Rogen, Knocked Up) is the spoiled son of a powerful newspaper editor (Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton). When his father passes away, Britt decides to stop fooling around and do something with his life. Dear old dad was committed to the fight against crime in his newspapers, so Britt decides he’s going to take the fight to the streets. With the invaluable aid of his father’s former auto mechanic/coffee-maker Kato (Jay Chou, Curse of the Golden Flower), Britt adopts his new secret identity as “The Green Hornet” and begins a mission to take down the city’s most powerful crime lord (Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds).

The Evidence
The most immediately amusing idea this version of The Green Hornet has to offer is that it’s a superhero movie without a superhero. Well, that’s not true–Kato is pretty impressive in a variety of ways. However, the title character certainly doesn’t qualify as a superhero in the traditional sense. He has no extraordinary powers, no noteworthy fighting abilities and an intellect that’s just a little below average. Kato is Batman and Alfred wrapped into one. That leaves Britt in the role of Bruce Wayne, though he doesn’t have half as much business sense. When he inherits his father’s newspaper business, he insists on meeting with the staff. His attempts at inspirational speeches have a way of leaving people feeling nervous about their careers.

So, Britt and Kato wander into a variety of violent situations. In most instances, this involves Britt getting in way over his head and Kato finding a way to bail him out. Things would probably go smoother if Kato were by himself, but Britt’s the one with the money and the desire for notoriety. There’s a good deal of humor in the little moments in which Kato subtly attempts to find ways to protect Britt from his own foolishness. The film more or less works when it’s in buddy-movie mode, though these two spend so much time bickering that I’m not sure “buddy” really applies.

However, things get more problematic when the film enters action-movie mode. Save for one stylish gimmick Gondry has to offer (that would be the intriguing “Kato-Vision”), the action scenes tend to be loud and purposeless. They’re too much of a muchness, as we often see a lot of chaos onscreen but aren’t always able to easily identify who is doing what to whom. It seems as if Gondry is so caught up in his moments of clever minutiae that he fails to do enough work on the big-picture stuff.

In a way, the entire film is like that. The Green Hornet is loaded with clever dialogue exchanges, fun visual tricks and charmingly kooky moments, but it neglects far too many of its characters, suffers from uncomfortable tonal shifts and has some severe pacing problems. Additionally, the film seems to become increasingly conventional as it proceeds, eventually trading in free-wheeling loopiness for a banal, generic third act. I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I was in the film’s action-packed finale, which crushes some light touches of wit with overbearing blandness.

Rogen and Chou have some nice chemistry together, though they fare better during quiet moments (such as a scene in which the two sing together while enjoying a ride in Black Beauty, their tricked-out automobile). Rogen doesn’t stretch himself much and clearly doesn’t fit the traditional superhero mold, but he wrote the role for himself and thus never seems miscast. Chou stumbles over his English-language dialogue from time to time, but he has an appealing screen presence and a pretty good sense of comic timing. His subdued demeanor plays particularly well off of Rogen’s boisterous personality.

The supporting players aren’t bad, but the screenplay by Rogen and Evan Goldberg treats them badly. Christoph Waltz has a terrific opening scene with a hilarious punch line, but after that he’s given little of interest to do (even worse, variations on the aforementioned punch line are repeated so frequently that eventually the joke runs out of steam). Cameron Diaz (The Box) initially seems to be playing the obligatory love interest, though she neither falls in love with anyone nor manages to be interesting. Honestly, there’s no reason for her to be in the film. I suppose the filmmakers were worried about not having a female in the principle cast. Tom Wilkinson and Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) are both prominently credited, but they’re onscreen so little that you’ll probably forget they were in it.

Closing Statement
When we learn that Wilkinson’s character has passed away early in the film, a news flash informs us of the cause: a bee sting. That’s an amusingly offbeat way for a character to die; particularly in a film like this. I laughed at what seemed to be a poke at other superhero tales in which parental figures die horrible deaths at the hands of villains. Alas, later in the film it’s revealed that Wilkinson was not killed by a bee sting, but rather by an injection which was administered by… well, that would be telling. Suffice it to say that I was displeased this turn of events. That’s the movie in a nutshell: oddball fun alternating with considerable disappointment. It’s not bad, it doesn’t work, it’s worth seeing, it’s not worth paying for, it’s fresh, it’s typical, it’s funny, it’s tedious, it doesn’t deserve to be released in January, it doesn’t deserve to be a summer blockbuster, it’s… well, it’s The Green Hornet.

The Verdict
6/10

RocknRolla

OPENING: 10/08/2008

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
“If a slap don’t work, you cut him or you pay him. But you keep your receipts ‘cuz this ain’t the Mafia.” –Archy

Opening Statement
With the wildly entertaining Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and his studio-backed follow-up effort Snatch, Guy Ritchie burst onto the scene with his brand of witty, intricately woven action-comedy. Soon after, the English writer-director’s reputation as a filmmaker took a back seat to his notoriety as Madonna’s husband. He directed, and she starred, in the critically lambasted Swept Away and Ritchie’s slow climb out of the career hole continued with the straight-to-video Revolver. So it is a pleasure and a relief to report that his new crime comedy RocknRolla is solid entertainment. Oh sure, it does feel familiar in many places, but it’s so satisfying to see a fighter back on his feet.

Facts of the Case
Real estate is where the money’s at in today’s London and everyone wants a piece of the action. Old time gangster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton) has reinvented himself as a development kingpin who works backroom deals to speed up the permits process for his clients. A pair of low-rent thieves, known as the Wild Bunch, owes him 2 million pounds after their attempt to buy and convert a building falls through — thanks to Lenny’s own intervention. A wealthy Russian named Uri has contracted Lenny’s help to get his redevelopment project approved. As a gesture of good faith the superstitious Russian lends his favorite lucky painting to Lenny. Stella, Uri’s talented “creative” accountant, plots to steal from her employer the money intended for Lenny and hires the Wild Bunch to pull it off. Meanwhile, the painting is stolen from Lenny’s house and the word on the street is that it’s in the possession of Johnny Quid, a junky rock star who has been reported dead (the third time this year). With multiple eyes on the prizes, it’s only a matter of time before the trajectory of these characters meet in violent and hilarious ways.

The Evidence
Guy Ritchie returns to familiar territory — geographically and creatively — with RocknRolla and that’s not a bad thing. Moving between the playgrounds of successful gangsters and the haunts of struggling crooks, this view of London strikes the right balance between the old and new to complement the story’s theme of criminals overreaching their boundaries. On one end of the spectrum there are the worn brick buildings of lived-in neighborhoods. This is the realm where the Wild Bunch hangs out. One Two (Gerald Butler, P.S. I Love You) would try to go legitimate if it wasn’t for Lenny putting the brakes on his business plans. Then there is the London of high-rise buildings, golf courses, yachts and stadiums: it’s built on money, often foreign investment, sometimes dirty. High rollers like Uri want in on this new opportunity. Lenny, the established racketeer, likes to think he controls it all.

The multiple and overlapping storylines will remind viewers of Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Snatch. To a certain degree the characters also feel like close facsimiles to previous protagonists. It is easy to imagine this actor substituting for Jason Statham or that part possibly being played by Brad Pitt. But that’s a little unfair and probably speaks more to how memorable Ritchie’s earlier films are rather than the limitations demonstrated here. The assembled cast deliver solid performances, some unique and others unique variations on characters that have an aura of familiarity.

Tom Wilkinson is enjoyably villainous as the old school mobster who thinks London grows or collapses on his order. He almost invites sympathy when he realizes he’s in deep trouble unless he can recover the Russian’s painting. Mark Strong (Body of Lies) is quietly effective as Archy, Lenny’s second-in-command, a loyal tough guy with an attitude of righteous dignity about him. Gerald Butler is very funny as One Two, the leader of the Wild Bunch but perhaps its least observant member. His confident macho personality is completely undone by a friend’s revelation. Thandie Newton (W) accomplishes much by seeming to do so little. Her body language says bored, beautiful and expensive (translation: trouble) and she brings enough sexy cool to unsettle the mix of tough guys.

Ritchie’s filmmaking is much improved this time around. Though he goes through plot mechanics similar to his first two features, his pacing is much more consistent here and he avoids the lulls that made me a bit impatient with Snatch. The story is crowded with characters but it holds together quite well on screen and the intertwining plot is easier to follow than it at first seems. The supporting roles are also handled well by Karel Roden (Hellboy) as the Russian; Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (Max Payne) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) as a pair of concert promoters being muscled by Lenny; and Toby Kebbell (Control) as Johnny Quid, the enigmatic rock star who doesn’t want to be found.

Closing Statement
Calling this Ritchie’s best movie in years is an understatement. The story revisits familiar territory but his direction is in top form and we’re reminded of the potential of the pre-Madonna filmmaker. Though RocknRolla doesn’t have the freshness of Lock, Stock, it improves on the pacing, characterizations and humor. Throw in some excellent cinematography and a rockin’ soundtrack and we have an exciting caper-comedy that shows Ritchie can still handle this genre. With another good one to his credit, perhaps audiences will be ready when Ritchie tries something different in his next project.

The Verdict
8/10