Watching films can often be a frustrating experience as The Green Hornet attests. It’s not so bad when it’s a good film, but when it’s lacklustre one is always sitting there thinking how it could have been better. Sadly viewers aren’t part of Hollywood’s creative brain-trust - we have to accept their vision as gospel. But as any fan of The Green Hornet series knows – which began life as a thrill packed radio show in 1936 – it deserves better than this film’s dodgy script-writing would have you believe.
After his newspaper magnate father suddenly dies, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) inherits his business. Not having the best of reputations due to his playboy life-style, he determines to make something of his life. Becoming a hero called The Green Hornet he finds help from Kato (Jay Chou), one of his father’s skilled young employees. Crusading against evil-doers, their first target is Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) a criminal kingpin whose plans to take over L.A. meet with powerful force by the towns newest masked crime-fighters.
Despite being called The Green Hornet, the film should really be called ‘Seth Rogen: The Movie’. Not only does he play the lead, he also wrote and produced its screenplay. That’s probably why its artistic direction goes into a comedic tangent whenever he appears. Whilst any art-form is about interpretation, sadly he forgets to truly encompass what made the character famous. Gone is the stoic defender of justice of old – in his place is a crass jokester eliciting little sympathy.
Fortunately it’s not completely appalling with Chou making for a great co-lead who handles himself well in the tightly shot action sequences. They’re probably the best moments of this misguided enterprise as the mix of comedy and drama rarely works with the villain and love-interest totally wasted. Proceedings would have worked much better had the comedy been cut and the story made into a period piece. That would have perhaps given it a timeless elegance this version sorely lacks.
The most fun The Green Hornet provides is working out its faults and thinking how much cash was spent on such an over-blown production. For long-time fans of this moody and great series may be aghast at this latest version of their green attired hero and leave the theatre a deep shade of red.
Movie Review Rating 3 / 10
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
The Green Hornet released in Australia on Thursday 20 January 2011.
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