Hey folks, Harry here with our long time spy friend, Walkabouter and his look at the latest Harrison Ford effort. And he's been making grunting efforts for a while now. HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE isn't due to come out till June 13th, 2003... The major release opposite it is New Line's WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD: DUMB AND DUMBERER... So just on general principle I would recommend seeing HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE that weekend this summer. Let's face it, we'll all see the latest Harrison Ford film in the hopes that we might see a spark of life, of vitality, of that old Blade Runner magic so to speak... From the sound of WALKABOUTER and his review (which contains many SPOILERS) it seems this is a film that plays it safe and never fully commits to being a hard nosed crime film or a comedy crime sidekick flick. Apparently it feels a bit like they're holding back, something that certainly could not be said about Shelton's last film, the recent DARK BLUE. However, I would recommend if the following two movies are released in a theater near you on June 13th, see them instead. THE EYE (yes the Asian film) and THE HARD WORD with Guy Pearce. I've seen THE EYE and there was very good word about THE HARD WORD's screenings during SXSW. Remember, watch out for those spoilers... Here's Walkabouter...
Greetings, Harry. WALKABOUTER here after a long break. Congrats on being mentioned in that SNL sketch. I guess you should consider it a testament to your enduring popularity.
I’m here with another scoop. Not many people have been talking about “Hollywood Homicide” lately (also called “Two Cops” in some earlier press releases), a film by Sony and Revolution Studios, so I thought I’d give it a crack. You probably know it stars Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, and is directed by Ron Shelton.
I’ve always liked Ron Shelton’s work. He injected a light, whimsical touch to both “Tin Cup” and “Bull Durham”, and he really knows how to have his actors play off each other with charisma and sparkle. But he broke new ground recently with “Dark Blue”, an intense, gripping thriller that I actually enjoyed every bit as much, if not more, than “Narc” and “Training Day”. Best of all, it finally gave Kurt Russell a solid character vehicle to show his true acting chops... Now Russell has always been a popular star, espe cially to us geeks (with his turns in BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NY, etc...), but he has yet to find that one role to break him into either superstardom or genuine critical respect. “Dark Blue” is his best turn so far, the closest thing to this, and I can only hope that it will lead him to bigger & better things... He’s aging gracefully, and actually looks better as he gets older.
But as good as “Dark Blue” was with Russell and Scott Speedman, had Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett played their respective roles instead, it’s likely that that film not only would have received more attention, but would have provided a much more interesting outlet for the two leads than Shelton’s new project, “Hollywood Homicide”.
“Homicide” harks back to the tone of Shelton’s earlier pictures, with colorful characters and somewhat whimsical situations. But the big problem is that, unlike TIN CUP and BULL DURHAM, Shelton has tried to find humor not in sports, but in a police/detective story involving gang related murders in the rap music industry...and while that subject is rather timely, it hardly sounds like the stuff of comedy.
But IS it a comedy? Or an action/cop thriller? Or an offbeat character study? Or a mystery?
Here’s my Big Problem with the film: I don’t know the answer.
“Hollywood Homicide” tries to be a little bit of everything. There are moments that make us smile and seem comic, but they’re not particularly funny. There are other moments -- chases, many chases -- that, while busy, aren’t really that exciting. I don’t know if anyone really bothered to make up his or her mind. And while there have been many films that combine comedy, action, and offbeat characters splendidly (BUTCH & SUNDANCE, LETHAL WEAPON come immediately to mind), those films have an underlining tone or consistancy that “HOMICIDE” lacks.
The film opens with a large shootout at a nightclub (though later, rather incredibly, we learn that there was only *ONE KEY WITNESS* within the ENTIRE CLUB who apparently noticed anything important), and sets the stage for Ford, the Seasoned Cop (TM), and Hartnett, the Young Partner (TM), to investigate... unravelling a conspiracy involving police, gangs, politics, and even (shocking!) corrupted music moguls out to set the...*AHEM*...record...straight. (OUCH...that was a REALLY bad pun on my part.)
And while I can’t get the film’s Big Problem out of my head, I will say that “Hollywood Homicide” does indeed have things to offer, and its own saving graces.
Minor thing: Superior locations. Yeah, yeah, who cares, right? Well, I for one got a big kick out of seeing all the major parts of Los Angeles (incl uding extensive use of...yeah...the “Hollywood & Highland”/Kodak theater site). The film does a good job of capturing the spirit of L.A., though perhaps only those who live there can really appreciate it.
Major thing: Even if the vehicle itself seems rather ho-hum, it does provide Harrison Ford with one of the best roles he’s had in years. As a cop who doesn’t have all the answers, Ford has a number of ex-wives and more than enough financial debt than he can handle. While struggling with the homicide case, he also juggles a floundering second job as a real estate agent, even pathetically resorting to coaxing/pleading/begging his police contacts to close his deals. All the while, creditors are after him, trying to reclaim his car, and he doesn’t even have enough cash to pick up his shirts from the dry cleaners.
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Ford play someone truly down on his luck, and in a way, the character’s vulnerability and imperfections are quite charming and refreshing. Ford seems more laid back and relaxed here than he’s been in his last few films, and his character is much better defined than the generic Good Guy we’ve seen as of late (from Jack Ryan to President Marshall). He also displays great comic timing and gives some funny line deliveries during some VERY awkward moments for his character. Some moments go from deadly serious to strangely funny, and he pulls it all off well. Now in his sixties, Ford doesn’t seem to mind showing his age, and with this particular character, it’s to his own advantage. (Give Ford a lot of credit for not being afraid to look a little foolish.)
Josh Hartnett's character isn't nearly as colorful as Ford's, but it is far more original than the predictable brash/hot-tempered or do-it-by-the-book rookie. Hartnett doesn't try to play a showoff here; instead he willingly steps into the background at times, quietly watching -- and listening -- to his costars onscreen. Those expecting the buddy cop/partner dynamics of LETHAL WEAPON, in which the two leads spend most of the film bitching at each other, aren't going to find it here....And frankly, I think that's AN ORIGINAL IDEA for a change. But Hartnett is given some fun stuff to do... He, too, has a night time job: he's a yoga instructor to a class filled with beautiful women, all of whom gaze at him longingly. Oh yeah, he's also an aspiring actor, too, hoping one day to quit the force and command the stage and screen. Shelton manages to inject some humor here, as well... Hartnett's character wants so much to be taken seriously as an actor -- "It's my bliss," he says rather self-consciously -- but he's really not that good at it, and, sadly, he's quietly aware of it.
As I said, though it isn’t a “buddy” film like BUTCH & SUNDANCE or LETHAL WEAPON were, Shelton’s film goes a long way on the charm of its characters -- especially because of the actors who play them. And for this, one can forgive many of the picture's shortcomings.
While entertaining and well made, when you consider the enormous talent involved in front of and behind the camera, "Hollywood Homicide" remains a disappointment. I wished it had taken a step futher in ANY direction, be it daring, comic, dangerous, controversial, or thrilling...rather than trying to play it safe, and feeling...well...generic as a result.
Walkabouter
