Hey folks, Harry here - this event kicked ass and DOMINO followed suit. As soon as I get pics from the event of me and Richard Kelly killing those fucking clay pigeons and feasting on their carcasses like the hunters we are... I'll write it all up. Here's Massawyrm finally talking sense. Here ya go...
Hola all. Massawyrm here. I love Tony Scott. Always have. He’s one of those directors who just doesn’t get enough respect and yet manages to entertain me every god damned time he steps up to the plate. He’s one hip motherfucker cinematically, always on the very edge of cinema cool. Yes, I know, many of you hate him. Many of you love to charge him with the crime of style over substance. And I can understand that…to a point.
You see, Tony Scott’s greatest asset is also his greatest curse. Tony Scott films are always very stylish, utilizing the newest and latest camera, lighting and editing tricks to make a film that just plum looks cool as all hell. However, Tony Scott’s films also date themselves rather quickly, each of his films becoming wonderfully entertaining relics that ultimately define the look of the age in which they were made. Examine his resume. The Hunger is the perfect example of an edgy early 80’s horror film. Top Gun is the prime example of a mid 80’s blockbuster. Beverly Hills Cop 2 and The Last Boy Scout stand testament to the post Lethal Weapon buddy/cop action film. True Romance is the perfect example of the indie-pop crime film, utilizing almost every single actor and trick that would be played out in the genre by the late 90’s. Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State are two of the stand out examples of the 90’s Techno thriller explosion, while the rarely seen, but really good, Spy Game is the model that many of the current crop of techno thrillers seem to be crafted from. And when the dust settles and a little more time has passed, Man on Fire, The Hire: Beat the Devil and Scott’s new film, Domino, will be prime examples of turn of the millennium filmmaking. Yes, his brother, Ridley Scott, makes Timeless films – films that can be watched decades later and still feel fresh and original. Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Kindom of Heaven, G.I. Jane (Fuck the naysayers, Viggo “Well, that was a goat fuck” Mortensen’s Master-Chief owns that fucking movie.) But Ridley and Tony are very different filmmakers. Say what you will about the enduring genius of Ridley, for my dollar, Tony has had a much better batting average entertainment wise. After all, I’ve never walked out of a Tony Scott film angry or disappointed. I wish I could say that for Ridley (Matchstick Men, Hannibal, White Squall.)
What I love about the current incarnation of Tony Scott is that he takes all of the tricks we see in music videos, trailers and commercials – tricks trailers often promise us and never deliver – and churns out cool, edgy looking films akin to something we’d expect from avante garde cinema – yet manages to tell involving, textured tales within the framework of mainstream storytelling. Chock full of gore, gritty ass kicking and altered states of mind, Scott immerses us into the world of his films – a haughty mix of 70’s era, French Connection/Rolling Thunder violent realism and 21st century slick hyper-reality. Of course, this is exactly why others absolutely hate him. And anyone who takes issue with Scott’s work can stop reading now -you will hate Domino with the rest of them – I can assure you of that. So take this review for what it is – one written by someone who loves the living hell out of Tony Scott’s work and nothing more.
Domino is one hell of an ass kicking thrill ride that blends the stylish look and feel of Man on Fire with the frenetic, interwoven chaos of True Romance. And much like True Romance, Scott tapped a young talented writer with an indie cult hit under his belt (Richard Kelly) to weave his most subtle, layered film to date. Rather than merely telling the typical “based on a true story” glorification of an interesting character, Kelly decided to write a script that was part truth, part hyperbole and part complete fucking bullshit, crafting a mythic modern legend that never for one minute pretends to be anything resembling the way it really was. Right from the beginning Domino tells you she’s going to lie and she’s even kind enough to remind you of that fact at the end. Domino isn’t about the truth and you get the sense that the real life Domino Harvey wasn’t exactly about it either – she was about being a punk rock legend of the bounty hunter community and this script captures that perfectly. All the while Kelly manages to both honor Domino while managing to deliver a satirical look at reality TV, America’s fascination with sex and violence, and yes, even Tony Scott himself, proving to be a film much more like Natural Born Killers than anything else (without the inherent over the top goofiness that is rife in NBK – a film I love by the by.)
If there’s one inarguable fact about Tony Scott’s career, it’s that the man can assemble top of the line casts of actors in the prime of their careers – and Domino is no different. Teaming the current love of my cinematic life, Keira “yes, yes, sexy tomboy beanpole” Knightley, with legendary Hollywood badboy Mickey “Thank god for comebacks” Rourke and talented newcomer Edgar Ramirez, we’re treated to performances that prove to be a trifecta of psychotic punk rock cool. But make no mistake – Knightley owns this fucking movie. Every god damned moment of it. With Bend it Like Beckham and Love, Actually Knightley gave us cute and adorable; with The Jacket she gave fragile and cracked; and with King Arthur she gave us something to look at to keep us from pulling our own hair out. Here Knightley defines herself as an actress and delivers her best performance yet, cementing herself firmly in the minds of movie goers as more than just another pretty face. The girl can fucking act. This is for Keira what Alien was for Sigourney Weaver, what The Terminator was for Linda Hamilton. Without for a second shedding her natural adorability and sexiness, Knightley dons the mantle of the tough as nails bad girl and kicks the living shit out of anything that gets in her way. But Domino Harvey is more than just Punk Rock – she’s got serious issues, shit she doesn’t want to deal with, and descends instead into a life of danger to hide from the life she doesn’t feel she belongs in.
Backing up Keira is a supporting cast of characters that never disappoints – as strange as the casting seems. With Stand Up comedienne Mo’ Nique, One-hit-wonder (at least in the states) Macy Gray, “Where the hell has he been?” Actor Dabney Coleman, Trash TV King Jerry Springer, and 90210 has-beens Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering (in the best good sport self parodies since James Van Der Beek and Jason Biggs in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), Scott succeeds in a delicate balance with sure thing character actors Delroy Lindo, Christopher Walken and Lucy Liu. And it works, it really works, the cast turning in performances as perfectly weird as the film itself.
But what makes this film work overall is the truly chaotic nature of it. It’s a trippy, surreal first person narrative winding from fucked up event to fucked up event, introducing almost two dozen characters that are all tied together into one massive snafu. What’s true, what isn’t? It never matters. Much like The Usual Suspects, it is the story our narrator Domino Harvey wishes to tell. And it proves to be one hell of a yarn so fantastic that you don’t want to know the truth. As John Ford said “If you have the choice between telling the truth and the legend, always tell the legend.” This is the legend. This is the Domino Harvey that scares the living shit out of me. She’s the girl you’d love to fuck if you weren’t so afraid she’d break your balls and bust your nose just for asking.
And just to put icing on the cake, Domino proves to be one of the most politically incorrect films released by a major studio in years. Bound (and determined) to offend scads of people, this film will no doubt piss off a number of Arabs, Lesbians, African Americans, 90210 fans as well as those of mixed heritage. Some just won’t get the joke, and those that don’t hate this film for simply being directed by Tony Scott might well hate it for breaking the Politically Correct Fourth Wall that’s been erected in the last few years. Sure, comedies can get away with it, but this is at heart an action film - a satirical action film yes, but a subtly satirical action film. Easily Scott’s most intelligently layered film ever (a testament to him bringing in Kelly to write every single draft) Domino is a film that requires dissection. It wants you to consider what it’s doing very carefully and will no doubt require multiple viewings to catch every joke, to understand every bit of subtext. By the time you understand the state of mind that Domino is in when she tells you her tale, you realize you have to go back and watch it again to fully appreciate why Scott edits and effects everything the way he does.
While many will accuse this film of being one of the most overly stylized of all time, when all is said and done, the overly stylized nature of it is inherent to the story itself. It is overly stylized by design. It’s a fever dream told by someone who’s just beginning to get all the facts straight herself. But at the same time it is Scott acknowledging his own career and having as much fun with himself as he has with the life of Domino Harvey and the actors satirizing themselves. For those that look closely, drink in every moment and dissect every line and happenstance, Domino proves to be a treat to enjoy long after you walk out of the theatre.
Is it Tony Scott’s best film? I don’t know. Domino demands to be watched again and I’ll gleefully do that now that the initial shock of its cinematic blitzkrieg has faded. I’ll say that it’s certainly smarter and sharper than any of his previous films and might possibly become one of his most reviled. But it is fast becoming one of my favorite Tony Scott films.
But will you like it? Well, the best litmus test seems to be Scott’s BMW short Beat the Devil. If a two and a half hour version of that seems like your cup of tea, this movie is most definitely for you. However, if that short is like nails on a chalkboard to you, this isn’t your film. You’ll simply continue to hate Tony Scott. And so be it. Tony Scott isn’t for everybody. As mainstream as he seems, he is a point of contention between film “lovers” and film “critics”, and will no doubt continue to be. Me? I love the fucking guy and I love the hell out of Domino. This is Tony Scott at his most Tony Scott. And god bless him for it.
Now talkbackers – endlessly ream Mr. Scott at your leisure and me for loving him so.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em. I know I will.
Massawyrm
This Is My Gun! This Is My Cigarette! You Can Pry Both From My Cold Dead Body You New Age Daffodil!
