Domino
Such sadly squandered potential...
Domino is very loosely based on the life of Domino Harvey, a child-of-celebrities, possible-model rich-kid who turned L.A. bounty hunter in the 1980s. In my book, that gives it quite a bit of potential heroine content. I mean, a female bounty hunter could kick some serious ass.
But alas, the version presented by Tony Scott (also responsible for piece of crap Man on Fire, which shares a visual feel with Domino) doesn't allow for any of that. Instead, it's a scattered, stupid, messy, farcical mess of a film. And as if the general low quality of the movie weren't bad enough, it's also a serious failure when it comes to feminism or anti-racism.
From the race perspective, the film is nothing more than a series of stereotypes. Black female DMV clerks, played by Mo'Nique, Macy Gray, and Shondrella Avery, are less characters and more set pieces, recognizable by their finger-snapping, jive-talking, and serious manicures. To make matters worse, they are basically the stable of kingpin/pimp character Claremont (Delroy Lindo). While part of the farce is intentional, there's no underlying irony to make it funny. Instead, it's just racist. And sexist. And that's without even getting into the whole crazy, bomb-building Arab angle the film takes on later...
And things don't get any better when it comes to Domino herself. Given how she keeps choosing these underutilized roles, it is questionable whether or not Keira Knightley is capable of playing a true ass-kicking heroine at all, but I have to say, I found her more capable and assertive as Lizzie Bennet than I did here. To illustrate: early in the film, we see Domino's first raid with her bounty hunter buddies Ed (Mickey Rourke) and Choco (Edgar Ramirez). In a tight spot, Domino's brilliant plan to get out is to offer the man with the gun in her face a lap dance in return for his cooperation. Yes, a lap dance. While the idea of a female bounty hunter may be radical, the behavior displayed in this one is anything but.
All in all, this movie was a vicious disappointment with no redeeming qualities. It's a lousy movie to begin with, made infinitely worse by being one of the most disgustingly racially and sexually stereotyping pieces of junk I've ever seen. Everyone involved in it should be ashamed.
Subscribe to posts
hey so i love your site, but just saw this review and was surprised. the moments you describe definitely occur, but as a whole the movie had a lot going for it. i'm gonna give it a watch and come back to this with more solid reasoning, so think of this as a place-holder.
thanks for doing what you do.