"Domino" uses some facts from the bizarre life of Domino Harvey, from English boarding school to Hollywood to model to bounty hunter, as an inspiration for a rollicking, violent social satire. Stretching from England to Hollywood to Las Vegas, it is photographed in exaggeratedly unreal processed colors by Daniel Mindel like "City of God (Cidade de Deus)," edited with a whirlwind structure, speed and popular culture and musical references like Tarantino, and filled with political, social and class juxtapositions and crazed characters like Elmore Leonard.
While it is like a music video on steroids, it is also a very funny send-up of many stereotypes, as commentary on health care, reality TV, racial profiling, immigrants, "Beverly Hills 90210" go whizzing by. And there's even a sweet, sexy love story that's squeezed in.
The truth that Domino was actor Laurence Harvey's daughter lets "The Manchurian Candidate" play in the background as a repeating leit motif about cultural mind control, with Frank Sinatra as a link to the plot turns in Las Vegas with the Mob. The violence is of video game-like exaggeration, as it's clearly over the top and sometimes even re-winds with different results as misapprehensions are cleared up.
Sometimes the social satire just goes on too long from the main plot, which already is so gloriously convoluted it has to be labeled and charted. Mo'Nique's rant on "The Jerry Springer Show" is not that funny and her cohorts later criticizing the ineffectuality of her appearance doesn't make up for it. (And celebrity first-name dropping is spoofed in the closing credits.) But the conceit of the bounty hunters being featured on a "Cops"-imitation reality show (much like the actual "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on A & E) produced by a relatively toned down Christopher Walken and hosted by bickering ex-"90210"er's Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green sort of playing themselves is laugh out loud funny, especially as their RVs race across the desert. The concept of "celebrity hostages" is hysterical.
Because the film is being marketed as a Tony Scott action film for guys, the studio isn't promoting the romantic thread. But Edgar Ramirez is magnetic as Domino's lovelorn friend. Every time he pulls the rubber band off that pony tail and shakes his curly hair down, watch out! The camera appreciates his casual strip tease in a laundromat that may stoke quite a few straight women's fantasies, and is much sexier than Keira Knightley's lap dance.
As an action heroine, Knightley is much better here than she was in "King Arthur," partly due to the editing and that this character is more tense, pouty poseur than mover and shaker. She's particularly good in the interrogation scenes that frame the story as a series of flashbacks and justify the voice over narration, if not the echo chamber repetition. Lucy Liu is no Kyra Sedgwick from "The Closer," but her pencil sharpening ticks are amusing.
Mickey Rourke is pretty much playing his usual tough guy, but has some sweet mentoring scenes. Jacqueline Bisset is almost unrecognizable under her make-up as the ambitious mother and clearly has fun with the role.
The climax is an amusing fantasy but thrilling blaze of glory that brings together all the elements of a life that we know really ended with far less pizazz. The effort to tie in some reflection about fate and religion and goldfish doesn't quite work, but is visually entertaining as a way to try and get into her head and make her seem like a tough chick with a softie heart of gold. We get a brief glimpse at the real Domino before a memorial tribute to her.
The musical selections are integral to the pace and the humor and are selected for specific lines and rhythms, from hip hop to rock (you'll probably go out humming the chorus "Momma told me not to come!") and the closing Latin croon over the credits. Tom Waits has a cameo as a preacher who might be a drug-induced hallucination and lines from a couple of his songs referencing bounty hunters are included to good effect. Macy Gray sings on the soundtrack and is also funny in a small role, as good as she was in "Lackawanna Blues."
While it is like a music video on steroids, it is also a very funny send-up of many stereotypes, as commentary on health care, reality TV, racial profiling, immigrants, "Beverly Hills 90210" go whizzing by. And there's even a sweet, sexy love story that's squeezed in.
The truth that Domino was actor Laurence Harvey's daughter lets "The Manchurian Candidate" play in the background as a repeating leit motif about cultural mind control, with Frank Sinatra as a link to the plot turns in Las Vegas with the Mob. The violence is of video game-like exaggeration, as it's clearly over the top and sometimes even re-winds with different results as misapprehensions are cleared up.
Sometimes the social satire just goes on too long from the main plot, which already is so gloriously convoluted it has to be labeled and charted. Mo'Nique's rant on "The Jerry Springer Show" is not that funny and her cohorts later criticizing the ineffectuality of her appearance doesn't make up for it. (And celebrity first-name dropping is spoofed in the closing credits.) But the conceit of the bounty hunters being featured on a "Cops"-imitation reality show (much like the actual "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on A & E) produced by a relatively toned down Christopher Walken and hosted by bickering ex-"90210"er's Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green sort of playing themselves is laugh out loud funny, especially as their RVs race across the desert. The concept of "celebrity hostages" is hysterical.
Because the film is being marketed as a Tony Scott action film for guys, the studio isn't promoting the romantic thread. But Edgar Ramirez is magnetic as Domino's lovelorn friend. Every time he pulls the rubber band off that pony tail and shakes his curly hair down, watch out! The camera appreciates his casual strip tease in a laundromat that may stoke quite a few straight women's fantasies, and is much sexier than Keira Knightley's lap dance.
As an action heroine, Knightley is much better here than she was in "King Arthur," partly due to the editing and that this character is more tense, pouty poseur than mover and shaker. She's particularly good in the interrogation scenes that frame the story as a series of flashbacks and justify the voice over narration, if not the echo chamber repetition. Lucy Liu is no Kyra Sedgwick from "The Closer," but her pencil sharpening ticks are amusing.
Mickey Rourke is pretty much playing his usual tough guy, but has some sweet mentoring scenes. Jacqueline Bisset is almost unrecognizable under her make-up as the ambitious mother and clearly has fun with the role.
The climax is an amusing fantasy but thrilling blaze of glory that brings together all the elements of a life that we know really ended with far less pizazz. The effort to tie in some reflection about fate and religion and goldfish doesn't quite work, but is visually entertaining as a way to try and get into her head and make her seem like a tough chick with a softie heart of gold. We get a brief glimpse at the real Domino before a memorial tribute to her.
The musical selections are integral to the pace and the humor and are selected for specific lines and rhythms, from hip hop to rock (you'll probably go out humming the chorus "Momma told me not to come!") and the closing Latin croon over the credits. Tom Waits has a cameo as a preacher who might be a drug-induced hallucination and lines from a couple of his songs referencing bounty hunters are included to good effect. Macy Gray sings on the soundtrack and is also funny in a small role, as good as she was in "Lackawanna Blues."