Year:
1999
Studio:
Warner Brothers
Movie:
3/5
DVD:
3/5
Teaser
James West and Artemus Gordon are back, this time played by Will Smith
and Kevin Kline, respectively. The time is 1869, four years after the
Civil War almost tore the nation apart. General "Bloodbath" McGrath,
formerly of the Confederate States of America, is setting up an
operation that bodes ill for the United States. US Army Captain James
West and US Marshal Artemus Gordon, both separately chasing after
McGrath, bungle into each other and in the ensuing chaos McGrath
escapes.
Meanwhile, President Ulysses S Grant has a need of his two best agents.
He calls on Captain West and Marshal Gordon to team up and stop a
heinous threat to the Presidency itself. General McGrath is behind it,
and it's up to the two government agents to somehow patch their
differences and work together to find and stop McGrath. It's not going
to be easy...
Movie
If this movie had been a hit, Will Smith would rightly have claimed the
title of "King of the 4th of July Weekend Movies". But that was a bit
premature as the movie did markedly less well than expected. It still
grossed $50 Million in that first weekend and $113 Million total in the
US, but that's a far cry from expectations and its $170 Million budget.
It's a fairly entertaining movie but there were too many things that
weren't quite right. The special effects were ok, better than average
but not cutting edge. Considering how important CGI was to the movie,
it hurt it a bit. The story itself seems to meander as the agents seem
to stay on track despite their incompetence, which is disappointing if
you've seen the television show.
Actors
Will Smith went from being part of a rap duo (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the
Fresh Prince) to star of his own sitcom (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) to
big budget action movie star (Bad Boys and Independence Day), all done
with flair and excellence. He plays Captain Jim West with a James Bond
smoothness and John McClane toughness and ingenuity, much like Robert
Conrad played the original role.
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Kevin Kline,
whom I keep associating with Monty Python even though he
wasn't part of the troupe, has done plenty of comedic roles and the
character of Marshal Artemus Gordon is right up his alley. Gordon
dislikes gunplay and relies on his wits and inventions and Kline
captures the character perfectly.
As a villain, Kenneth Branagh can be sublimely evil. Here he gets to be
an over-the-top bad guy as Dr Arliss Loveless, who was played by a
midget in the television series. He's basically a guy in a wheel chair,
which limits your acting a bit. Branagh did a good job with it.
Salma Hayek plays the beautiful damsel in distress Rita Escobar. Not
quite the helpless damsel though as she searches for her husband who
has been kidnapped by Loveless. Not really much of a role for Hayek,
though we do get to see her in underwear for half the movie (though
it's 1869 underwear which means it's still a lot of clothes).
Watching the DVD documentaries, a lot is said about Loveless' lovely
lady henchmen. Frederique van der Wal as Amazonia, Musetta Vander as
Munitia, Sofia Eng as Miss Lippenreider, and Bai Ling as Miss East. All
four women gush about the parts and how much fun they had. But mostly,
other than Bai Ling who gets killed early, they stand around and are
little more than window dressing. That's what the parts call for it's
just that I'm surprised that they were so enthusiastic about them.
DVD
The 100-minute movie is in wide-screen format, English only with
optional English subtitles. There are the requisite and brief Cast and
Crew Bios; a 15-minute HBO First-Look Special; four 7 to 8-minute
featurettes on the wardrobe, gadgets, lady henchmen, and evil devices;
the theatrical trailer; a 66-picture gallery; two music videos: "Wild
Wild West" with Will Smith and "Bailamos" with Enrique Iglesias; and a
3-minute newswrap about the "Wild Wild West" music video.
Finally we have Director Barry Sonnenfeld's audio commentary to the
film. He was enthusiastic, had lots of insights and anecdotes, and it
was all delivered in a dry monotone that just droned on and on. I'm not
sure if it's better to have a badly delivered commentary or no
commentary at all.
Recommendations
And with all the good things I've written about the film I still can't
really recommend it. The film just didn't come together and that's the
main reason people buy these things. Maybe if you find it in the
bargain bin. |