Year of Release: 2011
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, David Harbour, Edward James Olmos, Jamie Harris, Edward Furlong, Chad L. Coleman, Joe O'Connor, Morgan Rusler, Analeigh Tipton, James Franco
Genre: Action, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
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Synopsis and Review:
Following "The Science of Sleep" and "Be Kind Rewind", director Michel Gondry tackled the big budget adaptation of the serial "The Green Hornet", which had itself been previously adapted into a TV show with Bruce Lee in the 70s. The film follows the story of Britt Reid, a hedonist heir, who following the death of his father, is confronted with his legacy and also his business (of owning and running a newspaper). He also meets his father's assistant, Kato, whom he eventually hires as his own assistant. Following a few incidents, they both decide to fight crime under the guise of The Green Hornet, which places them in direct confrontation with Chudnofsky, owner of a series of meth labs throughout LA. As Britt and Kato work through their differences, they hire Lenore in order to provide them with further research assistance, all the while uncovering more details surrounding Britt's father death, and the people involved in it.
"The Green Hornet" had a convoluted road to the screen, with a variety of talented filmmakers interested in the property at some point, which included Kevin Smith and Stephen Chow (who was suppose to direct the feature and play Kato). The version which ended up on screen, is based on a script written by Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg (they've written "This is the End" and "Sausage Party" to name but a few). It's a film that never really works, on any level. Michel Gondry's point of view, which is typically associated with emotionally resonating love stories, or stories about recapturing love between characters, is nowhere to be seen here, and his visually distinctive style, barely makes an appearance. The comedy angle is barely present onscreen, with the whole aspect of "fish out of water" and "growing up rather quickly", faring very poorly, while the chemistry between the two leads is non-existent. It's a film that has a rather pedestrian plot, where supporting characters barely have anything to do, raising the question of why talented performers such as Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz even decided to embark on this journey. It's a film that never exactly gels, with generic action sequences reminiscent of Tony Scott's "Last Boy Scout", comedy sequences that are supposed to be based on physical humor, but lack the humor aspect of it, and attempts at character development, that never really materialize. It's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved in it and a waste of talent from a very interesting director.
"The Green Hornet" had a convoluted road to the screen, with a variety of talented filmmakers interested in the property at some point, which included Kevin Smith and Stephen Chow (who was suppose to direct the feature and play Kato). The version which ended up on screen, is based on a script written by Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg (they've written "This is the End" and "Sausage Party" to name but a few). It's a film that never really works, on any level. Michel Gondry's point of view, which is typically associated with emotionally resonating love stories, or stories about recapturing love between characters, is nowhere to be seen here, and his visually distinctive style, barely makes an appearance. The comedy angle is barely present onscreen, with the whole aspect of "fish out of water" and "growing up rather quickly", faring very poorly, while the chemistry between the two leads is non-existent. It's a film that has a rather pedestrian plot, where supporting characters barely have anything to do, raising the question of why talented performers such as Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz even decided to embark on this journey. It's a film that never exactly gels, with generic action sequences reminiscent of Tony Scott's "Last Boy Scout", comedy sequences that are supposed to be based on physical humor, but lack the humor aspect of it, and attempts at character development, that never really materialize. It's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved in it and a waste of talent from a very interesting director.
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