Domino

Synopsis: The daughter of The Manchurian Candidate star and matinee idol Lawrence Harvey, Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley) was born into a life of wealth and privilege - a lifestyle that did not interest her... so she became a bounty hunter.

You know, I don't care if the entire thing was fabricated  this was fun. It was also stupid, too long, boring in parts and, as usual for Tony Scott, overstylised and seemingly edited by an ADHD-affected teenager on crystal meth. But unlike Man On Fire, where the style was pointless and mostly distracted from a potentially interesting story, Domino benefits from the hyperactivity. I can't call this a good film, but I can say I laughed a lot. Mostly with the film, sometimes at it.

The film has the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the back of your head, but most of the time you'll find yourself enjoying this strange treatment. The script is quite witty too, written by Richard Kelly, the guy behind Donnie Darko, so you know there was quite a bit of intelligence involved (let's just pretend that director's cut thing never happened...). There are all kinds of little gags worked into the structure of the film, clever tricks with the story chronology and suchlike. Pay attention and you'll see for yourself. But those little gags are nothing compared to a completely throwaway and totally hysterical Jerry Springer segment where a "Blacktino" woman explains the different sub-categories of racial intermixing. If by this point you're not laughing, you should walk out, because it just gets sillier from there.

The plot, such as it is, is pretty ordinary. Standard double-cross/confused identity stuff. It's the set-up that's the fun bit. Domino joins up with Ed Moseby (a superb Mickey Rourke), who becomes her boss and mentor in the world of bounty hunting. Then there's Choco, another bounty hunter and Alf, their Afghani driver with a penchant for blowing things up. They're a family of sorts, and their interactions are a lot of fun. Some hysterical stuff comes from mixing in a reality TV producer and two out-of-work actors who happen to actually be two out-of-work actors. (Anyone remember Beverley Hills 90210?) None of it has any real point, it's just there coz it's funny. But it works on its own level, which is how the film demands to be seen. And while I said before that I don't care if it's all bogus, the film does us the service of admitting that it mostly is. Not just tacitly, it actually tells you it's not gonna let you know what's real and what isn't. Domino's voiceover is aggressive, and she's not out to help you understand any of it.

Domino is a madcap ride into minority cultures, reality television, gangsters and bounty hunters, and far too many bizarre situations to mention, though the appearance of Tom Waits as a desert preacher has to rank pretty high on the list. Plot is secondary to setpiece, but once it gets rolling it really moves. Basically, it's a lot of fun if you like fun stupid stuff. And I should also say violent too, it's very violent. And if you like clever stuff, well, there's a bit of that thrown in as well. A whole heap of fun if you're in the mood for something that is by turns smart, stupid, bloody and darkly humorous.

 

 

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