2008 Woodie Awards
Domino topples before it even begins
By Nick Gligor
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/4/05 Section: Entertainment
First and foremost, Director Tony Scott lets you know what you're getting into the moment his film Domino begins: "This is based on a true story….. sort of". What he neglects to mention is that "sort of" entails a convoluted plot bloated with pretentious scenarios of the utmost ridiculousness, completely indecipherable from the truth. And as negative as that may sound - that's the entire point of the movie.
The über-hot Keira Knightley (The Jacket, Pride and Prejudice) headlines as Domino Harvey, the real life daughter of the late actor Laurence Harvey, who left the world of modeling to become a bounty hunter in Beverly Hills (oddly enough, that's the most factual part of the story).
Domino attends a bogus bounty hunting seminar put together by Claremont Williams III (Delroy Lindo). But after his men try to sneak out with everyone's money, she corners professional hunters Ed (Mickey Rourke) and Choco (Edgar Ramirez) in a back alley, demanding answers. Begging them to take her seriously, they reluctantly agree to take her under their wing.
The trio eventually gains some media attention and spark the interest of reality television producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken). Heiss convinces them to star in a show called "Bounty Hunters" and enlists 90210's Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering (playing themselves) to host, who bring about some extremely awkward, yet painfully funny moments.
The entire story is narrated by Domino, who is being held for questioning by detective Taryn Miles (Lucy Liu). Knightley does a tremendous job with the dialogue she is given, always staying one step ahead of the audience. Her rebellious edge makes her cool and sexy, not to mention the countless cigarettes she smokes throughout the course of the film.
Rourke is perfectly cast as the mentor Ed who, just like in Sin City, has again solidified his position as Hollywood's toughest badass. Ramirez is good too, but almost seems to be in the film for nothing more than a lousy love story sub-plot. In fact, most of the supporting cast is spot-on. Walken and Mena Suvari (Heiss's assistant Kimmie) are enjoyable, Jacqueline Bisset is perfect as Domino's mother, and comedian Mo'Nique causes a very memorable ruckus on the Jerry Springer show when she presents her own chart of classifications for mixed-race individuals.
Despite all the great casting, the characters are terribly underdeveloped. It's impossible to have any real compassion for any of them. The story itself is so strangely patched together that at times it's torturous to stay interested. All the backtracking and more-than-meets-the-eye trickery doesn't help either.
The film waits until the half-way mark to get moving; but even then it doesn't really go anywhere. Scott's attempts at concocting an interesting and bizarre story are admirable but wear out their welcome. The promising premise could have been turned into quite an entertaining film, which it can be terms of visual style. Unfortunately, the choppy story and misguided character development make Domino nothing more than an experiment with flashy eye candy.
The über-hot Keira Knightley (The Jacket, Pride and Prejudice) headlines as Domino Harvey, the real life daughter of the late actor Laurence Harvey, who left the world of modeling to become a bounty hunter in Beverly Hills (oddly enough, that's the most factual part of the story).
Domino attends a bogus bounty hunting seminar put together by Claremont Williams III (Delroy Lindo). But after his men try to sneak out with everyone's money, she corners professional hunters Ed (Mickey Rourke) and Choco (Edgar Ramirez) in a back alley, demanding answers. Begging them to take her seriously, they reluctantly agree to take her under their wing.
The trio eventually gains some media attention and spark the interest of reality television producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken). Heiss convinces them to star in a show called "Bounty Hunters" and enlists 90210's Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering (playing themselves) to host, who bring about some extremely awkward, yet painfully funny moments.
The entire story is narrated by Domino, who is being held for questioning by detective Taryn Miles (Lucy Liu). Knightley does a tremendous job with the dialogue she is given, always staying one step ahead of the audience. Her rebellious edge makes her cool and sexy, not to mention the countless cigarettes she smokes throughout the course of the film.
Rourke is perfectly cast as the mentor Ed who, just like in Sin City, has again solidified his position as Hollywood's toughest badass. Ramirez is good too, but almost seems to be in the film for nothing more than a lousy love story sub-plot. In fact, most of the supporting cast is spot-on. Walken and Mena Suvari (Heiss's assistant Kimmie) are enjoyable, Jacqueline Bisset is perfect as Domino's mother, and comedian Mo'Nique causes a very memorable ruckus on the Jerry Springer show when she presents her own chart of classifications for mixed-race individuals.
Despite all the great casting, the characters are terribly underdeveloped. It's impossible to have any real compassion for any of them. The story itself is so strangely patched together that at times it's torturous to stay interested. All the backtracking and more-than-meets-the-eye trickery doesn't help either.
The film waits until the half-way mark to get moving; but even then it doesn't really go anywhere. Scott's attempts at concocting an interesting and bizarre story are admirable but wear out their welcome. The promising premise could have been turned into quite an entertaining film, which it can be terms of visual style. Unfortunately, the choppy story and misguided character development make Domino nothing more than an experiment with flashy eye candy.
