Lightning Jack

Put on Lightning Jack and all your worries will disappear for 90mins.

The humor is just as fresh today as it was when I first saw it several years ago. Goodings shows a depth of talent that this viewer really appreciates. His expressions are nearly as plastic as Jim Carrey's and spontaneous enough to steal the show without any lines.

It may have received some scathing reviews, but overall, Lightning Jack is DAMN funny movie. Paul Hogan's stiff acting is an asset here, Cuba Gooding Jr steals the show hilariously, without saying a single word. I dare anyone to not laugh when Doyle(Gooding Jr) shoots himself in the foot.

Far from flawless, but overall, if you dont take it seriously, fun to watch. 6.5 out of 10

Lightning Jack Kane (Hogan) is an elusive but aging Australian outlaw living in the Old West who doesn't get the respect he feels he deserves. He contemplates retirement, but before that can happen he has one final wish to make major headlines. When a bank robbery gets bungled, he takes a mute store clerk (Gooding) hostage, but they unexpectedly bond, develop a genuine friendship, then try to help each other out by forming an unlikely partnership to pull off a big score that will attract the necessary attention. The two leads make a surprisingly engaging team, and there are some enjoyable moments, but the whole thing is familiar and obvious. **½

What an homage to Westerns. This is more in the mold of "Rustler's Rhapsody" which itself was a treat.

Lightning Jack was played by Paul Hogan. He was a quickdraw outlaw that was quickly gangless after a botched bank robbery. Though he never rebuilt his gang, he gained a sidekick in Ben Doyle (Cuba Gooding Jr.). There was just one problem: Ben Doyle was mute. Ben Doyle being a mute sidekick made for some serious comedy.

Part of me said that I shouldn't laugh because they're making fun of a handicap. Another, more juvenile, part of me laughed heartily at Ben Doyle's antics. Honestly, it takes remarkable acting to play a mute and have the range of expressions to be funny. It's almost a throwback to silent films in which everything was conveyed via facial expressions and bodily motions. So maybe "Lightning Jack" is just a guilty pleasure of mine.