Infernal Disco

Rating: 6/10 (29 December 2018)

The irony that my 54th review should be on this film....
As a big fan of Salma Hayek I had a long wait for '54', one of a slew of late 1990's projects that examined the decadent and excessive 1970s club scene. If Boogie Nights (a personal favourite of mine) set the pace, what could I expect from a high powered cast of (mostly) then favourites and a young director who was considered to be in the rise?
Truth be told, I found 54 something of a frustrating experience. This ought to have been a powerhouse drama, with a dream back story, and an equally able cast. Yet it never really ignites the way it ought to have done. Firstly, there was not enough focus on Mike Meyers's ruthless, materialistic club svengali. It was a pity that Meyers never sought to build on this dramatic success, instead opting to spend the remainder of the decade in misfiring comedies (Austin Powers excepted); had 54 concentrated on the relationship with an effective Ryan Philippe - tailor made for a pretty boy reliant on looks and shallow charm- then this might have been a different film. Phillippe manages to a fair job here, but cannot quite make the effort required to stamp himself on proceedings.
Instead, there's too much emphasis on a tepid 'love triangle' between the underwritten Salma Hayek (who later disowned the role - nothing particularly wrong with her effort but see above), and a hopeless Breckin Meyer. Meyer's hapless everyman routine is fine in the likes of Road Trip or Rat Race, but he totally lacks either looks, charisma or credibility that his role demands. Neve Campbell puts in little more than a glofied cameo; sorry to say, but almost anyone could have played her part.
I'm not being overly harsh or unfair. This is not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but I honestly felt that it could have been better. It makes a fair stab in terms of atmosphere and pathos, but I just felt it was lacking in certain areas where the likes of Boogie Nights, Go or even Party Monster succeeded. I understand that there's cut footage/deleted scenes out that there that may have made a major impact on the storyline - perhaps the kind of impact that Mark Christopher, Salma Hayek and Ryan Phillipe intended (perhaps). Until this material is properly assessed, I'm only reluctantly willing to endorse 54. A bit like that party you were looking forward to going to. You know, the one that never quite got started?