Robert Downey, Jr. makes a great Iron(y) Man

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2008)

Java Man Reviews "Iron Man" (Rated PG-13). Directed by Jon Favreau. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir & Clark Gregg. Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com June, 2008.
OVERVIEW:
Brilliant, arrogant Tony Stark (Downey) heads a corporation that makes sophisticated weapons systems for the U.S. military. A latter-day Howard Hughes, he inherited Stark Industries from his father and runs it with his dad's partner Obadiah Stane (Bridges). Like Hughes, Stark is rarely seen without a drink in his hand or a woman on his arm. Also like Hughes, he is a technological genius who can build a first-rate robot with parts lying around your garage.
On a sales trip to Afghanistan, Stark is ambushed and captured by Taliban types who confine him to a cave and force him to formulate an ultimate weapon. Instead, he creates a makeshift suit of armor which enables him to escape into the desert. When he arrives back home, Tony is a changed man and decides to renounce his arms business. This sends the firm's stock into a tailspin and arouses the ire of Obadiah who wants to keep selling weapons to war zones, preferably to both sides. Always unpredictable, Tony begins fashioning a more sophisticated version of his jerry-rigged armor suit and begins to attract the attention of his pal at the Pentagon, Jim Rhodes (Howard). Keeping Tony organized during all of this is Pepper Potts (Paltrow), his highly competent assistant who may also be secretly smitten by her boss.
REVIEW: 3 1/2 out of 4 Java Mugs:
Early in the film, Tony shows up late for the take-off of his private plane with this excuse... "I got stuck doing a piece for Vanity Fair." This line, which has more than one meaning (you'll see), is a good example of how well the script is written, and how well Downey inhabits the complex character created for him. Tony's irresponsible lifestyle as well as an intensity and drive that characterizes an action hero are both alive and well in Downey's inspired performance.
While Downey decants large drafts of his public persona into his flawed hero, the other actors remain expertly in character. Bridges, Howard and Paltrow, all with previous Oscar nods, have memorable scenes brilliantly performed. Paltrow is especially appealing, doing her best work since Shakespeare in Love.
But what is all this talk about a character and performance? This is, after all, a super-hero action movie. The title is Iron Man, not Irony Man. Some of these serious method actors will be flying around in metal suits by the second act. The answer is... we're attracted to movies with interesting characters, especially ones who can remain interesting even while wearing a junkyard's worth of metal
But if you're a fan of flying steel and fiery explosions, don't worry... You won't find this film wanting. The action sequences, and there are plenty of them, are like the movie itself: witty, ironic and well-executed.
This is one of the best movies of the year, so far. Though not known for their long memories, Oscar voters should make a note to take a look at this DVD toward the end of the year.