Seems like Kato can bend the Matrix to his will.
All movies have holes, but I always wondered how exactly Kato was able to acquire all those lovely toys for the Black Beauty and keep it a secret. Machine guns, ammunition, bomb parts, chemicals, lab equipment... Does the Reid estate's accountant just file it under "Miscellaneous Crap Britt Buys"? And, if he does, what the hell kind of spending habits does Britt have where the accountant would go, "Looks like Reid just blew thousands on munition and chemicals. Must be Thursday..."
Britt Reid [Seth Rogen] is your stereotypical douche bag son of a rich guy. Parties all the damn time, destroying crap and tarnishing the family name with wild abandon. His father, James [Tom Wilkinson], publisher of the LA newspaper The Daily Sentinel, is killed by an allergic reaction to a bee sting, causing Britt to reflect over where his life is going. After recklessly firing everyone hired by his father, Britt discovers that his morning coffee is shit and looks for the guy who used to make it. He meets Kato [Jay Chou], his father's coffee guy, mechanic, and valet... who turns out to also be a scientific and engineering genius and a martial arts expert. After bonding and a joined act of vandalism, the two inadvertently save the lives of a couple.
They take that rescue to fuel them becoming the Green Hornet and... partner; however, Britt is smart about their future vigilante business and makes sure they appear to be villains and not superheroes so that the bad guys don't threaten them by killing innocents or whatever. Slowly, with the help of Britt's unknowing secretary at the newspaper Lenore Case [Cameron Diaz], the Green Hornet takes over the crime of LA, destroying drug labs and kicking the crap out of gang members. This catches the eye of the current crime lord, Chudnofski [Christoph Waltz] who pulls out all the stops to destroy this threat to his empire.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
When I heard Rogen was writing The Green Hornet, I felt a bit iffy. He's by no means a bad writer, mind you. It's just that his repertoire consists entirely of comedic pieces and, even though comedy in an action flick is always welcome, it shouldn't be the focus. There were times, especially in the main character's dialog, where the comedy felt... thick. Speaking of which, Rogan wrote the Reid's part almost exclusively for his fratboy-ish self. It's not at all surprising. Just... disappointing. A bit more maturity from the protagonist would have definitely made this flick better.
Straight up, Diaz and Waltz were wasted on this movie. I understand that, according to formula, love interest is needed [I guess], and, without Diaz's character, there wouldn't have been anything for Kato and Reid to fight over. Plus, I love seeing Diaz in anything. My gripe is Diaz herself was barely used. This "important character" felt unimportant. The same goes for Waltz. He was bloody fantastic hunting Jews, but here... Eh. The constant seeking of validation? Bloodnofski? He came across as a whiny bitch more than a crime lord. Once again, it's all just wasted potential.
The Green Hornet was supposed to be a superhero flick. Instead, I got "Rogen Getting Shot at by a Whiny European's Flunkies while Kato Bent the Universe to His Will." While not necessarily horrible, it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. Go ahead and rent this whenever it comes out. Don't bother seeing it in theaters, though. Not even at matinée prices.
Scientific validity? Non-existent.
RATING:
rock hard. live harder. o_O
0 Reviews of My Review:
Post a Comment