Cast: Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Hal Holbrook, Rosario Dawson. Lois Smith, Don McManus
Directed By: John Madden
Written By: Hossein Amini
Based On The Novel By: Elmore Leonard
Cinematography By: Caleb Deschanel
Editor: Mick Audsley & Lisa GunningWhile based on the Elmore Leonard pulp novel. This film strives to be down and dirty noir but it comes off as rushed and mistakes moody for deep when it comes off as neither. The film also tries to make some of the characters mystical, spiritual and quirky there again it fails. It’s a shame after Mickey Rourke’s comeback in the wrestler that tis film is seeing the light of day where as if it was released when it was supposed to be about two years ago it wouldn’t be as embarrassing he doesn’t embarrass himself and while this material seems right up his alley these are the type of projects I would expect when he was struggling to make a come back at least this one looked like it was supposed to make it to theaters
This film has quite a history originally it was set up with Tony Scott directing and Robert DeNiro and Quentin Tarantino playing the native American Hitman and his sociopathic temp partner, then that fell apart. It then looked like it was going to go with Viggo Mortensen playing the husband lead and Justin Timberlake as Richie the Sociopathic temp partner of the native American hit man. In the end we got the cast and director we have now originally Johnny Knoxville had a role as a corrupt cop but he was cut out of the film totally because test audiences hated his character. Which would explain why the film is so short when the book is very thick and usually are more intricately plotted here things seem cut and dry and simple fake and also cheap, which really doesn’t help also we hardly know anything about any of the characters, which makes it hard to care about them when they are imperil good or bad. The film also went through a bunch of re-shoots and while they couldn’t decide whether or not it was good enough to make it to the Bigscreen this ended up going straight to home video which with a humble heart I have to admit is where it belongs. It’s a shame as u wanted to like the film I like the cast I only wish they had better material and john madden does have style and I rather enjoyed changing lanes but this just was not the story to utilize his talents with.
Rosario dawson has a thankless role that amounts to her character being a whore who changes alliances rather quickly between low lifes. Then the film tries to make us feel sorry for her when her life is on the line. In fact the film tries to make her one of the most innocent characters. So I instantly hated her character and while I respect Joseph Gordon Levitt as a actor again this performance felt like a performance and in his quest to create a character he went a little to far and made it feel like a caricature. He tried too hard
The film tries to show the changing shifts in the characters of Mickey and Joseph when earlier he is so worried about Mickey killing Rosario’s character he pulls a gun on him. Only later in the film when Mickey has to make a decision he shows mercy, where we expect him to bring death. It is Joseph who seems to lose his humanity while in a rare moment Mickey shows mercy. That is really the only noteworthy scene other then a rather shocking one near the end that involves the death of a major character. But these scenes are not enough to save the film.
The basic story is Mickey Rourke plays a burned out hitman who does a job and kills one more then he was supposed to and incurs the wrath of his employers while on the run he needs to make some cash so he decides to go in with a con who is extorting money when they go to collect the money they fail to collect and attack a couple who see there faces and can identify them so they attempt to murder them but they survive again and go into the witness protection program while the killers still hunt them down. until finally a standoff comes. Now this being a crime film you expect this usually the films are updated westerns in a urban landscape and have to do with all sorts of morality and character.
The only thing I don’t like about films like these is that the characters are so dislikeable but then they make the characters look so stylish and cool to be emulated so no matter what has happened on screen how evil they are through style alone by the end of the film you are sad to see them go not based on whether you even really liked them. The score also gets really annoying after awhile like every moment is so dramatic or is going to be life changing trust me there isn’t too much for it to.
It’s a shame as this is one of those almost was it could have been something it’s one of those films I wish I or someone could go back to the drawing board and give it another try now that we know what not to do.
Skip it unless you are a Mickey Rourke completist.
GRADE: D-
