Clooney finally scores. Proof yet again that if you have a choice
between a mediocre A-list film (Batman, The Peacemaker, One Fine
Day) and an awesome B movie, go with the latter. Your co-stars
are hungrier and the script is usually better.
Yeah, Lopez delivers (although I bet she's not *near* as
interesting in real life). And Dennis Farina as her proud but
supportive daddy was such a presence in the film you could
*believe* he was buying her the clothes that she couldn't
otherwise afford on a cop's salary.
Ving Rhames is such a rock--gentle but strong. Don Cheadle is the
only actor around who can shift effortlessly from nice guy to
psychopath from movie to movie and make you forget he was ever
anything else. Zahn is wonderful. I agree he took a role that
*could* have gone over the top so easily, yet keeps it in bounds.
His reactions to the scene that *wasn't* shown made it the most
violent moment in the movie.
Brooks is fun, it's great to see Nancy Allen again, and two
surprise cameos round out the cast. Even the smaller
parts--Kenneth, The White Boxer, the ex-wife, Luis Guzman and the
Detroit detective--deliver perfect little moments.
I'm a fan of Leonard; this is what his books *feel* like. Get
Shorty was wonderful, but it was a high concept novel and
film--movies meet Mafia. I haven't seen Jackie Brown yet, so I
can't compare it to that. But this had the feel right. Not too
much attitude. Just enough.
I like the quick flashbacks, the freeze frame ends to many
scenes. The murder, shown entirely from Zahn's POV. The
conversation in the bar going on while the results of that
conversation were on screen was very sexy.
And there's been sufficient drooling over Lopez in this thread
that I'm going to end as I began. Clooney is phenomenally easy on
the eyes, and whoever chose those white boxers has my heartfelt
appreciation....as does Clooney, for that nicely tanned torso.
Yum.
