The Green Hornet
2011 · Directed by Michel Gondry
Original language: English
- action
- crime
- comedy
The story
Britt Reid, the heir to the largest newspaper fortune in Los Angeles, is a spoiled playboy who has been, thus far, happy to lead an aimless life. After his father dies, Britt meets Kato, a resourceful company employee. Realizing that they have the talent and resources to make something of their lives, Britt and Kato join forces as costumed crime-fighters to bring down the city's most-powerful criminal, Chudnofsky.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy digital photography with saturated city colour: sunlit LA streets, chrome-and-glass offices, nightclub strobes and neon, all rendered with the slightly overcooked sheen of a studio comedy. Michel Gondry's split-screen inserts and fast, bouncy cutting give the action a playful, cartoonish energy, and the fight choreography leans on Jay Chou's martial arts with bursts of stylised slow motion and a pulsing, hip-hop-tinged score that keeps the pace high. The vibe is loud, irreverent and bromantic, a buddy comedy dressed as a superhero romp, best suited to a lazy weekend afternoon or a group watch when you want something silly rather than sombre. Violence is frequent and comic: punch-ups, gunfire, explosions and a few stabbings or bombs, played for laughs with little blood and no real lingering cruelty. The arc follows a directionless playboy slowly growing into purpose alongside a more disciplined partner. It is for viewers who enjoy slapstick, crude banter and a brash, self-aware take on the caped-vigilante genre.
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