The Boss: Why did you think I was him? Slevin: I didn't, I thought he was you.

Rating: 10/10 (5 March 2006)

Seen very soon after a belated watching of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, with the eminently substantial Crash (2006) in between, this movie had to earn its place amongst the most valuable cine-memories for almost 8 people on a depressing February Wednesday in a little town on a tiny island off the coast of a small country that has, let's face it, seen better days. And earn it did! Having only seen Josh Hartnett in Black Hawk Down, I was confident of an adequate performance in what I had been led to believe by the local press -(one edition PER WEEK)- was going to have to be a 'word of mouth' success if it were to make the big-time.
The pick of a bad bunch, (I thought), we decided to see it because we could get an Orange Wednesday half-pricer, at the same time checking-out how Bruce Willis is doing these days. (Incidentally, a couple of elderly ladies in front of us had got their money back after ten minutes of The Producers because they didn't like the language. They chose this instead).
Obviously not a star vehicle for Bruce, what a jolt to the system to find an intelligent, funny, sharp, fresh, offbeat and exhilarating performance by him and by all involved! The opening scene reminds us that nobody does it better than Bruce, even with his vest covered and a nerdy side parting in his hair. He's the backbone of the movie, even though you sense from early-on it ain't gonna be an easy ride. Josh underplays his role just enough to send a message out that there is always a bright young thing snapping behind the heels of every established star who can carry a movie on their own. Lucy Liu, showing a strong but sympathetic personality, is engaging, and here is evidence of that old chemistry Hollywood wastes so much time and dollars trying to invent!
Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman must have come aboard on the strength of the team already proposed, and a script that leaps off the screen. You could be forgiven for having thought it was all too damned cool for itself, if it hadn't been so thoroughly enjoyable and commendable at every twist and turn. Once every couple of years, you see a bit-part performance that defines the word 'breakthough', and I've yet to find out the name of the black guy (Elvis' buddy), with the teeth, who steals the first scene he's in and invokes an underlying regret that you don't see much more of him. The progress of the plot is many-layered, and the drive of the main character reveals itself through the eyes of an innocent-abroad. I was telling myself this is the sort of movie Hitchock would have been making were he still alive (107 next August), when Ben Kingsley made much the same point. Josh's hotel room is dressed in unfashionable retro, not so much an attempt to remember the good old days as remind us that neglect in updating decor gives off a smell of decay that doesn't need Odourvision to make it potent in an auditorium.
You can't help thinking Tarantino, though this didn't have the 'gloss' of Pulp Fiction, the coldness of Reservoir Dogs, or the inconsequential dialogue of either. Yet, the cool is there, and like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang it advertises that really good movies don't have to have Superheroes and Extraspecial Effects. I suspect audiences twig the plot a little earlier than desired by the director, but ENJOY for goodness sake, the film's not trying to make a point! In fact, credit to Paul McGuigan, for holding back from a handful of more traditional twists, and for keeping himself under control to finish this effort with superb standards in look, sound and feel. Special credit to Jason Smilovic fresh from television writing for an ambitious debut into the world of quality features.
Josh Hartnett follows this with The Blue Dahlia, a Brian De Pamla/James Ellroy concoction, hopefully launching himself thereafter successfully into the role of Chet Baker as The Prince of Cool. On this evidence Brad's position in the Hollywood hierarchy is in his sights, maybe De Palma will be the one to pull the trigger. ..... Oh, and the elderly ladies in front of us? They f*****g loved it!