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Movie Review - Domino (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Tony Scott |
| Starring: |
Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, and Lucy Liu |
| Rated: |
R (for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use) |
| Length: |
130 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Drama |
| Tagline: |
I Am a Bounty Hunter |
| Studio: |
New Line Cinema |
| Website: |
Domino |
| Release: |
October 14, 2005 |
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PLOT
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This is loosely based on the life story of Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey who turned away
from her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter. An unconventional flick ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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My reaction to Domino is about as mixed as the mixed race flowchart that Mo'Nique presents on The Jerry
Springer Show during the movie (I know, that doesn't make much sense unless you've seen the movie). I dare you to
not laugh once she starts introducing terms such as Blacktino, Chinegro, and Japanic. I suppose if you suck at the
teat of political correctness then you might not get the joke, but otherwise it's one of the funnier scenes in
the movie (the running 90210 joke being the funniest). At this point you're probably wondering what in the world
Mo'Nique, Jerry Springer, mixed flow charts, and 90210 have to do with a movie about bounty hunters. It's a legit
question. All I can say is welcome to the unconventionalism that is Domino.
I didn't mind the fact that this isn't very conventional, but at times it does feel a little convoluted. By the
end of the movie I was pretty clear regarding what was going on, unlike the 'tard in front of me who couldn't
decipher the concept of flashbacks, but the script does feel unnecessarily complex. Yeah, the movie kept my
interest and is fairly entertaining, but it was just begging for tighter editing. Trimming about 20 minutes
would’ve made the story stronger and the narrative more fluent. My guess is that Scott was experimenting
and just couldn’t bear to get rid of anything (Tom Waits’ cameo especially felt unnecessary).
Tony Scott's made a movie that appears to be something he and his friends could most enjoy while under the influence
of substances of a dubious nature. I can deal with the frantic pacing, the quick camera cuts, and the strange
coloring, but is it really necessary to show characters saying the same line multiple times from different
angles? Sometimes it's all just a little too weird for the sake of being weird.
One of my biggest complaints is that we mainly know that Domino is a bounty hunter because she tells us about 24
times in her narration, which starts to grate on the nerves after a while. I would've preferred to see a little
more focus on, you know, her actual bounty hunting. SHOW us why she was a really good bounty hunter; don't just
tell us over and over. I was expecting some really cool scenes with Mickey Rourke and Keira hunting down their
bounty, showcasing the technical side of the hunt, and wrapping it all up with cool, tough-guy (and girl) bounty
hunter stuff. Maybe a little sniping here, a vicious beat down there. Sadly, it never came.
Do I remind everybody that I'm a reviewer by pointing out in every single review that, "I'm Johnny Betts. I'm a
movie reviewer"? No, I do my job and show you what it is that makes me a movie reviewer!
"By writing crappy reviews, Johnny?"
Uh, well, I guess we all get mixed reactions sometimes.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- The real Domino Harvey died on June 27, 2005 at age 35. It was determined that she died of an accidental
overdose of the painkiller, Fentanyl.
- Mickey Rourke's character, Ed Moseby, is based on real-life bounty hunter Zeke Unger. Delroy Lindo's character,
Claremont Williams III, is based on real-life bail-bondsman Celes King III, Domino Harvey's real boss. Both men
were used as technical advisors on the film.
- Mickey Rourke was in Fall Time with Stephen Baldwin who was in The Young Riders with Josh Brolin
who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This one is not for mama, grandmama, kids, or anybody who is easily offended. Profanity and sex/nudity (one scene
takes place in a strip bar) is quite heavy. Lots of "f" bombs, including a song that uses it quite frequently.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer had that "Hmm, looks like it could be OK" feel to it. I'd say that's about what the movie delivered.
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THE GIST
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If you're into experimental-looking films that look like they'd make more sense while under the influence of
"something" then Domino might rock your leaky little boat. Or if you just want to see Keira Knightley
looking hot and at her lip-poochingly cutest then you might find some enjoyment as well. I'd recommend it as a
rental though. There's nothing here that necessitates big screen dollars.
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