Domino

My name is Domino Harvery. {EDIT *dizzying* CHOP} My--my--my name is Domino Harvey. {CUT, CHOP} My name is Domino Harvey. {EDIT. CUT. Playback}

Never have I seen a director take so much flack for his style before. By now it is evident that most people do not appreciate Tony Scott's choppy, flashy, dizzying editing technique. If I have to choose between loving it and hating it, I'd say I love it. It was borderline distracting at times, but the end result was pretty good and it's nice to see a director with a creative edge to his style and some originality (even if it borrows heavily from MTV videos).

This stylistic edge manifests itself as Keira Knightley plays the role of cocky badass bounty hunter Domino Harvey and even her dialogue seems strangely choppy. Otherwise she plays her poorly because I pretty much hated her character and did not sympathize one bit with her, no matter how much she suffered. We follow Domino through her life as she joins up with fellow bounty hunters Mickey Rourke, Rizwan Abbasi and Edgar Ramirez. The crew become tangled up in the FBI and suddenly has a reality show contract under Christopher Walken's TV production company (what is Christopher Walken doing in every film, by the way?). I guess that is a clever film technique, because now Tony Scott is free to use as much flashy MTV/Reality Show editing footage as he likes. It becomes a pastiche of MTV culture at this point.

It followes then that the story is told at an amazingly rapid-fire pace, with lots of raunchy strong language and gun violence. There are some funny jokes; it's all very modern and surreal at the same time. It's a mess, but it's a rather enjoyable mess. It is ultimately flawed in so many ways (the actors try too hard to make their characters "cool", for one) but it works. I give it a weak 7/10 which may seem generous when compared to the general consensus of movie-goers who graded this film — but I feel it had some good ideas and executed them well.

7 out of 10

Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley) is a tough bounty hunter being interrogated by FBI criminal psychologist Taryn Mills (Lucy Liu). Domino is trying to recover $10 million of casino boss Drake Bishop (Dabney Coleman)'s money stolen from an armored truck. She lost her beloved actor father as a child and stuck with her gold-digging mother (Jacqueline Bisset). She got tired of her life and joins bail bondsman Claremont Williams III (Delroy Lindo), her tough boss Ed Moseby (Mickey Rourke), Choco (Edgar Ramirez) and their Afghan driver Alf (Riz Abbasi). Claremont runs the armored truck company. Lateesha Rodriguez (Mo'Nique) is one of his mistresses who is his inside girl in the DMV. Also the group is being filmed by reality TV producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken).

The movie starts off as an edgy heist story. I like the crazy visual style from director Tony Scott. Things are working more or less. It's overly complicated but I'm willing to follow. Then they pile on too much. The reality TV bit is the straw that broke the camel's back. Mo'Nique has a funny scene on Jerry Springer's show. Overall, there are just too many crazy things going on. I get tired of the random outlandish turns this movie makes.

I liked 'Domino' even though the movie felt like a total mess. Describing the plot would be as much help to you as saying there was a beginning and an end, so I might as well just do that. I could tell you that Domino Harvey (Keire Knightley), once a model, has turned into a bounty hunter under the leadership of Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke). Also part of their team is Choco (Edgar Ramirez), who looks like a Latino version of Val Kilmer. The movie also involves mafia, stolen money, a man with an arm detached from his body, Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green from 'Beverly Hills 90210' as themselves, sisters named Lashandra and Lashindra, and a Jerry Springer-sequence that could have been a comedy short on its own.

I liked all of it for multiple reasons, its energy being one of them. The movie feels like one long music video, even more than films like 'Trainspotting', 'Go' and 'The Rules of Attraction' (funny how they all deal with drugs in one way or another), but it never becomes exhausting. It is one of those films where style over substance succeeds, maybe not in great way, but simply in a way. I also liked it for the actors. Keira Knightley is convincing as a tough girl, even more admirable after just seeing her as a naughty but delicate girl in 'Pride & Prejudice'. Mickey Rourke is back with extraordinary performance in films such as 'Spun', 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico', 'Sin City', and now 'Domino'. Not only them, but also Ramirez, Delroy Lindo, Tom Waits and especially Christopher Walken (as the producer of a reality show the team is doing) give the movie something extra to enjoy. It is exactly what this movie is, enjoyable.

I just saw a sneak preview of Domino, followed by a Q&A with writer Richard Kelly. Kelly said that this whole film is "self-reflexive," and that it is supposed to be a satire of reality programming. However, it doesn't come off that way at all. Sure, there's a little satire in there. But the satire is so inconsequential, it ends up actually detracting from the force of the story. I don't know if Kelly just doesn't understand this movie, or what. Of course, it's not really his movie, as he freely admitted. It's Tony Scott's vision. And some of it works.

Mickey Rourke is in top form. However, I am very disappointed in how his character plays out. Just when he should really step up and show what he's all about, he fades away into the background. That was very disappointing. He's supposed to be the leader of this trio of bounty hunters. However, for the second half of the film, Domino is apparently in charge. This huge development is never explained or even acknowledged in the film. It really doesn't make any sense.

Also, the film has the makings of a slightly twisted love triangle, but unfortunately it is never fully realized. How the love theme plays out is wholly anti-climactic, unnecessary, and unconvincing.

Kiera Knightley does have some good moments here. She shows a lot of strength and courage. Still, her portrayal of Domino is often unconvincing. I don't think that is all her fault. I fault the direction and writing more than anything else.

Ultimately, I think the movie fails because of the style . . . that is, the plot and character development are too often sacrificed for the sake of style. Because of that, the film often seems a little ridiculous and occasionally nonsensical.

Richard Kelly said that it has to be viewed multiple times for all the subtleties to fall into place. I think he's completely wrong. This film is about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

On a more positive note, this film does have a few inspired moments. My favorite is a creative nod to the late Sam Kinison. So, if you like style over substance, this may be your favorite film of the year. If you prefer fully developed, complex characters, then you may want to skip this.

Heads you live. Tails you die. Her name is Domino Harvey. She is a bounty hunter. This unconventional film is based very loosely on the true unconventional life of the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey. Losing her father at an early age, Domino grew up with her mother and lived the good life as a rich girl, becoming a Ford model at one point. But she has always been the aloof social outcast, and tend to loathe the high life (Beverly Hills brat-packers) she has been brought up in. She doesn't mince her words, and packs a wallop of a punch too.

Chancing upon a Bounty Hunter job, she signs up with one of the best in the business, Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and his partner Choco (Edgar Ramirez). It's a totally different life from one in which she grew up in, but as she explained to Ed, she's in it for the fun and thrills. She's skilled with various weapons like automatic weapons, knives and the Nun-chaks, and fast transforms into an asset to her team, with "bra and panties on". Soon, the trio become famous in the bounty hunting arena (who wouldn't with 2 hunks and a gorgeous babe), as we follow them through their various exploits. They even have their own reality TV show Bounty Squad, which plays an integral part of the story.

The film starts off very intensely and jumps right into the action, before the audience is brought back to the beginning, and chronicles her life from the start. At times, this movie is deliberately filmed in 70-ish television series style, especially the classic opening credits with theme song, character titles, and plenty of images with scenes from the movie. Some in the audience, however, will not appreciate the characteristic MTV styled quick cuts used by director Tony Scott, and I do see him making more films using this style, with his previous films Man on Fire and Spy Game. The soundtrack for this film is vulgarly kinky too.

That aside, there might be many not comfortable with the narrative style used, with constant flashbacks, and even "reversing" what had been shown on screen, making it a tad confusing at times. For those who somehow not manage to stay attentive to the plot, you may get lost halfway through, as it involves many characters with various personal motivations, which culminates in an explosive ending. Satisfying at the end, but only if you're patient with the build up, just like one of Tony Scott's earlier movies (which I shall not mention, as it is similar in narrative structure).

A number of actors make their appearance in this movie, like Christopher Walken as a reality show producer, Mena Suvari as his mousy secretary, Lucy Liu as an FBI interrogator, even singer Macy Gray and veteran Jacqueline Bisset as Domino's mother. Take note however, that major comedic moments are provided in Jerry Springer's Show, and the early 90s TV series Beverly Hills 90210 contributing 2 actors Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green to be has-been parodies of themselves.

Keira Knightley swears a lot in this film. A whole lot, different from when she first burst into the scene with Bend It Like Beckham. What's amazing is her ability to handle a tough-as-nails character, and the expressing of her emotions in totally different scenes, some sentimental, some sarcastic, some totally kicking rear. It's an eye opener too to watch her handle various deadly weapons with ease. She could well be on her way to marquee a film, though I felt in this one, she had the assistance of Mickey Rourke, and a good supporting cast, to carry this film through.

This film is dedicated in memory of the real Domino Harvey, who passed away earlier this year before the movie is released. The real her is seen at the end credits, where they feature the cast, and she makes an appearance as the last character, simply titled "Domino".

Such is the fictional story of an extraordinary life of an unconventional lady.