THE GREEN HORNET
***
Director: Michel Gondry
Screenwriters: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – adapted from the radio series The Green Hornet created by George W. Trendle
Principal cast:
Seth Rogen
Jay Chou
Tom Wilkinson
Cameron Diaz
Christoph Waltz
David Harbour
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 119 mins.
Australian release date: 20 January 2011
Originally a radio series in the 1930’s, then a one-off television series in the 60’s, The Green Hornet, the comic book series about a masked avenger, has been adapted for the big screen by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Michel Gondry. Shot mainly in 2D and then enhanced to 3D, it gave the director the opportunity to manipulate images to create a more creative and at times unexpected vision.
This is a big-action comedy. It never lets up the momentum as the masked avenger, Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet (Seth Rogen) and his sidekick Kato (Jay Chou), charge around the streets of LA in the Black Beauty, their uber-cool Chrysler Imperial that is rigged up with the latest weaponry.
James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), is LA’s most prominent and respected media magnate and the owner of The Daily Sentinel. When he mysteriously dies, his son Britt, who is a party animal, decides to use his inheritance to do some good. He teams up with his father’s mechanic, Kato, because he makes the best coffee and because he also makes the best buddy.
Jay Chou, who plays Rogen’s sidekick, happens to be the King of Asian Pop, having sold over 32 million albums and has had Asia’s top-selling album for the last ten years. This role may well put him on the USA star list as was his predecessor in the television role, non-other than Bruce Lee. Chou is very charismatic and works well alongside Rogen, whose character may be a bit of a loser at times, but he is very likeable.
Cameron Diaz plays Britt’s secretary Lenore Case, who is passionate about journalism and she’s obsessed with criminology and forensics. This puts her in the perfect position to unknowingly feed the duo with the information they need to carry out their missions. Diaz works well in this type of role and she carries it off with brains and beauty.
As in all avenger stories there is the villain, and in this case, it is Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). He is an insecure villain though, concerned when referred to as being ‘not tough enough’ and not having a scary enough name.
The Green Hornet is almost two hours of rip-roaring action which will delight a young male audience. The gags are pretty adolescent and the action is at times pretty overwhelming. Credit must be given to Owen Paterson for his wonderful production design and John Schwartzman’s cinematography. It is also worth the price of a ticket to see the Black Beauty in action. In fact, there are times when she steals the scenes.
Screenwriters: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – adapted from the radio series The Green Hornet created by George W. Trendle
Principal cast:
Seth Rogen
Jay Chou
Tom Wilkinson
Cameron Diaz
Christoph Waltz
David Harbour
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 119 mins.
Australian release date: 20 January 2011
Originally a radio series in the 1930’s, then a one-off television series in the 60’s, The Green Hornet, the comic book series about a masked avenger, has been adapted for the big screen by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Michel Gondry. Shot mainly in 2D and then enhanced to 3D, it gave the director the opportunity to manipulate images to create a more creative and at times unexpected vision.
This is a big-action comedy. It never lets up the momentum as the masked avenger, Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet (Seth Rogen) and his sidekick Kato (Jay Chou), charge around the streets of LA in the Black Beauty, their uber-cool Chrysler Imperial that is rigged up with the latest weaponry.
James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), is LA’s most prominent and respected media magnate and the owner of The Daily Sentinel. When he mysteriously dies, his son Britt, who is a party animal, decides to use his inheritance to do some good. He teams up with his father’s mechanic, Kato, because he makes the best coffee and because he also makes the best buddy.
Jay Chou, who plays Rogen’s sidekick, happens to be the King of Asian Pop, having sold over 32 million albums and has had Asia’s top-selling album for the last ten years. This role may well put him on the USA star list as was his predecessor in the television role, non-other than Bruce Lee. Chou is very charismatic and works well alongside Rogen, whose character may be a bit of a loser at times, but he is very likeable.
Cameron Diaz plays Britt’s secretary Lenore Case, who is passionate about journalism and she’s obsessed with criminology and forensics. This puts her in the perfect position to unknowingly feed the duo with the information they need to carry out their missions. Diaz works well in this type of role and she carries it off with brains and beauty.
As in all avenger stories there is the villain, and in this case, it is Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). He is an insecure villain though, concerned when referred to as being ‘not tough enough’ and not having a scary enough name.
The Green Hornet is almost two hours of rip-roaring action which will delight a young male audience. The gags are pretty adolescent and the action is at times pretty overwhelming. Credit must be given to Owen Paterson for his wonderful production design and John Schwartzman’s cinematography. It is also worth the price of a ticket to see the Black Beauty in action. In fact, there are times when she steals the scenes.