Mortdecai
2015 · Directed by David Koepp
Original language: English
- comedy
- adventure
The story
An art dealer, Charles Mortdecai, searches for a stolen painting rumored to contain a secret code that gains access to hidden Nazi gold.
What it’s like
Bright, overlit studio comedy with a glossy digital finish: sunny English country houses, saturated London interiors full of gilt frames and brocade, and the bland polish of a big-budget caper that never quite settles into a single look. The camera mostly sits still in medium two-shots and cheerful establishing wides, with quick, cutesy zooms and slapstick inserts that break up the rhythm. Sound is a jaunty, breezy score over bustling party chatter and comic stings, with the occasional chase punctuated by sudden slapstick thuds. Its vibe is breezy and smug, a light, faintly disappointed farce, suited to a lazy afternoon or a background watch while half-attending. The pacing is brisk but repetitive, and the tone stays arch and detached; a vain, financially strapped dandy bluffs his way through absurd scrapes without any real emotional shift. Mild violence, a few crude gags and suggestive innuendo, but no real gore or dread. For viewers who enjoy old-fashioned, self-satisfied period comedy and don't mind a film that flatters its own cleverness more than it earns it.
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