| THE LADY CRAVED EXCITEMENT : Tony Scott's 'Domino' [7/10] |
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| Sunday, 26 February 2006 | |
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Along with Guy Ritchie's Revolver, Domino was one of the most critically-lambasted major releases of 2005 in the UK: caustically savage one-star dismissals were the norm, and the film lasted only a couple of weeks at the multiplexes before a hasty transfer to the DVD market. Seen at home on a Saturday night, however, with a couple of beers and a bottle of wine, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Britain's reviewers must have been suffering from a collective sense-of-humour failure when gathering to view Domino: this is a raucously enjoyable semi-spoof comedy-thriller, gleefully unapologetic in its trashy, sleazy delirium (and thus a precursor of Wayne Kramer's similarly OTT Running Scared). It's the most satisfying picture yet from leading-lady Keira Knightley (her work here at least as good - and, in the romantic scenes, as convincing - as her Oscar-nominated turn in Pride & Prejudice), or writer Richard Kelly - the latter having been previously responsible for the intriguingly ambitious Donnie Darko. In contrast to the high-falutin' Donnie Darko (and the even more upmarket Pride & Prejudice) - Domino positively revels in its disreputable scuzziness: everything is amped up in a Hollywood-zilla orgy of exce$$, from the toxic, colour-saturated cinematography (by Dan Mindel) to the ear-assaulting, eclectic score (Harry Gregson-Williams), via editing so hyperkinetic it's no surprise to find three individuals credited (Tony Ciccone, William Goldenberg, Christian Wagner)... as if one after the other they slumped, exhausted, in front of their console and were replaced by a fresh pair of hands. Kelly's contributions are no less frenetic: having collaborated on the basic story with Steve Barancik, he proceeds to spin out an insanely convoluted 'plot' around the central figure of Domino Harvey (Knightley), pampered daughter of Laurence Harvey who rejected her posh upbringing to become one of Los Angeles' most acclaimed bounty hunters. Working for grizzled boss Ed (Mickey Rourke) and alongside smouldering Venezuelan tough-guy Choco (Edgar Ramirez), Domino soon attracts the attention of the media: spotting a star in the making, reality-TV boss Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken) builds a Cops-style programme around her ass-kicking (or rather 'arse-kicking') exploits. But the messy fallout of an armoured-car robbery threatens to stretch even Domino's impressive skills to the limit - which is understandable, as you'll need a degree in criminology to follow all the dizzying switchback twists. Amazing as it may seem, there really was a Los Angeles bounty-hunter named Domino Harvey, who really was the daughter of Manchurian Candidate star Laurence. But don't come to Domino expecting sober adherence to such old-fashioned things as facts: Kelly and Scott's brazenly 'creative' approach is evident from the moment we're told (via an on-screen caption) that the young Domino saw her father alive in 1993 - Laurence Harvey having passed on a full two decades beforehand. Chronological, geographical - and, indeed, psychological - accuracy aren't on the agenda here: with a take-no-prisoners directness inspired by its frightfully businesslike heroine, Domino sets out to dazzle and entertain by absolutely any and all means necessary. There are one or two dead spots in the two-hours-plus running time, but the only a couple - and these are easily outweighed by the showstopping highlights. An out-of-the-blue metaphyiscal cameo by a certain cult-favourite music-biz legend (who it wouldn't be fair to name here); a flat-out hilarious (non-sequitur?) detour to the Jerry Springer Show featuring Springer himself (rap-star-turned-actress Mo'nique's coining of the term 'Chinegro', is worth the price of admission on its own - thanks in no small part to the outraged reactions of an audience-member superbly played by Liza Lapira); an off-the-leash Christopher Walken 'Christopher-Walkening-up' his every line of dialogue (best bit: his unrestrained delight when 'psychopath' Choco clicks into top gear.) Even the opening and closing credits (the latter chummily identifying each of the actors by first names only) are carried off with such zingy aplomb you sit in stunned, movie-drunk admiration. Full-tilt shenanigans, socked over with a wink and a grin: if Domino is this good, perhaps we should even give poor Revolver another chance? Neil Young 26th February, 2005 DOMINO : [7/10] : USA 2005 : Tony SCOTT : 128 mins (BBFC timing) seen on DVD at home in Sunderland (UK), 25th February 2006 - with thanks to Jurij Meden |
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