
Director: Michael Gondry
Writers: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, & Christoph Waltz
Opens: January 14, 2011
Official Synopsis: Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of LA's most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime.
To get close to the criminals they come up with the perfect cover: they'll pose as criminals themselves.
Protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante the Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets. Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimately in advanced retro weaponry, The Black Beauty, an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower. Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato's clever gadgets, the Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt's new Secretary Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), they begin hunting down the man who controls LA's gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all.
Any GREEN HORNET purist with a stick up his butt needs to avoid this movie at all costs. Anybody who likes to have a good time at the movies needs to rush out to see THE GREEN HORNET this weekend.
Put me in the category as one of many who groaned when I heard the name Seth Rogen attached to THE GREEN HORNET. My first thought was that they were going for a spoof or a parody. But I was wrong. Yes, this movie had moments where I was howling with laughter, but it was laughter from legitimately funny interplay or situations unfolding from characters I liked and came to love. No, this is not the deadpan Van Williams' portrayal of Britt Reid/Green Hornet. No, this is not the Bruce Lee version of Kato. The writers of this version of THE GREEN HORNET chose to throw out the legacy aspect of the Green Hornet and Kato and instead develop a series of events and relationships that make the creation of the Hornet's identity a plausible outcome even in 2011.
Kato and Britt bond following the burial of Britt's father. This bonding quickly blooms into a co-dependent friend relationship and ultimately into one of antagonistic brothers who piss each other off but each would die for the other. This relationship between Kato and Britt is the reason this movie works so well. There is an extensive fight scene between the two, over a woman naturally, that is fantastic. It works on the "cool" level, but it also is an emotional breaking moment between the two that establishes that you never get as angry or disappointed in someone else like that...unless you genuinely love them. Plus the scene had me laughing out loud. These two grow together into something that feels real. Outstanding performances by both of them. Jay Chou's role as Kato is (get ready for the internet to break) at least 10 times what Bruce Lee gave to it. Chou can actually act and he gives his all to make Kato real and connect with the audience. Plus, his fight sequences were some of the best orchestrated things I've seen before. Not only thrilling, but often funny and always exciting.
The action sequences are outstanding as well. About the only thing I have in terms of criticism is not really a criticism but a recognition that the action sequences start small and keep getting more and more elaborate and huge until it builds to an absolutely absurd (but wholly entertaining) action-based climax. The director utilized 3D to good effect within a number of these action sequences with lots of things bursting and flying out of the screen.
Cameron Diaz is the only flat player in this otherwise very good movie where she plays the dull character of Lenore Chase, Britt's secretary and an unrequited love-interest of both Britt and Kato. The comedy there comes from their competing peacockery for her attentions.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your feedback! I always appreciate it.