Compelling cast aside, this one feels familiar
A cast that features Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding, Jr. A film directed
by one of the producers of "Monster's Ball" (2001) and "The Woodsman" (2004). So why does "Shadowboxer" feel so familiar? Screenwriter William Lipz's script tries awfully hard to upend the hit-man-for-hire genre and succeeds to an extent. The trouble with "Shadowboxer" is that despite giving us rather absorbing characters - they may not be likable, but they are interesting and that's what I seek in a film - he doesn't give us a story that's all that unique. I can understand why Gooding took this role. After winning the Oscar for "Jerry Maguire" (1996), his career seemed to stall. Instead of getting better roles, poor Gooding wound up in truly horrible movies - "Chill Factor" (1996), "Pearl Harbor" (2001), "Snow Dogs" (2002) and "Boat Trip" (2002). So playing Mikey, the hit-man with a more than slight Oedipal complex, might have seemed like an incredibly juicy role. And it is. Especially when you have the opportunity to play opposite the brilliant Helen Mirren. Together, Gooding and Mirren create an interesting duo. They provide a good psychological study and add a freshness to what can be a rather tiresome genre. On the other hand, the plot leaves very little for the imagination. Stephen Dorff is pleasantly smarmy as the villain. But the twists and turns Lipz's story takes never keeps us guessing. We can anticipate what's coming and Lipz never bothers to keep his story tightly-coiled or even vaguely surprising. In the end, even Vanessa Ferlito baring her breasts can't save this one.. 
Captivating, an awesome film
I've never seen "Snow Dogs", thank God for small favors. I was actually
walking into this one with Cuba Gooding Jr.s' recent DTV flops ("Hardwired", "Lies & Illusions") in mind, and I was curious to see what he was like in his hayday. Cuba and Helen Mirren are two assassins/lovers, who have been assigned to terminate the wife (Vanessa Ferlito) of a big-time gang boss (Stephen Dorff) after she may have slept with another man. Things change, however, when Mirren finds that the wife is pregnant, and she refuses to take the life of the baby as well. All three leave that night to make new lives for themelves, always on the run from the Dorff's role as the gang boss. Sounds like a simple plot, but Lee Daniels really went all out. "Shadowboxer" is kind of like a strobe light in that you know you should look away as to not damage your eyes, but it's captivating and reels you in to the point where you cannot tear your eyes away. Cuba Gooding Jr. apparently has less then 40 lines in the film, but he's got a presence on screen, which I suppose I can measure to Javier Bardem's role in "No Country for Old Men". Both are strong, imposing, and almost dead silent men who offer a strange mix of sensuality and power. Cuba's chemistry with Helen Mirren, who plays not only his step-mother but his lover, is both believable and fascinating. You don't see many younger African American men with older White women, which was a strong contrast throughout the film. The same is with J.G. Levitt's character of Dr. Don, whose girlfriend is played by Monique. Levitt and Monique show us their amazing acting skill as they makes that otherwise strange relationship believable. Finally Stephen Dorff plays the badguy, and what a badguy he was. His arrogant, ruthless on-screen persona is intimidating and frightening. He swears, kills, yet you can't help but like him, even as he tries to kill his own wife. Ferlito was very good as well. Her relationship with the duo that almost killed her is another strong contrast. In a phrase, "I loved it". The cinematography was beautiful and kept me tied in. The music was captivating. I'll be sure to watch this one again, and soon. I hope you will also.. |
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