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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE BOUNTY HUNTER
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: *
The basic premise for this comedy is decent. There`s not a man in the world that
would not die for a chance to wreak vengeance on an `ex` he hates. Sadly
director Andy Tennant, who gave us the charming romantic comedy
Hitch, wastes his chances at both comedy and action with outdated
and worn out clichés.
Ex-cop Milo`s (Gerard Butler) job as a bounty hunter, man who catches those that
have broken parole, is a tough and risky one. Yet he jumps with joy at getting
the chance to arrest his ex-wife Nicole (Jennifer Aniston) and bring her to
jail.
A reporter, Nicole is investigating the suicide of a cop with help from a source
at a bar. When her source disappears, she is worried and tries to track him
down, only for her ex-husband to track her down and arrest her.
The rest of the film is about how the two try to outsmart each other.
Considering that the two were married, they know each others weaknesses, but not
much of their strengths. So, when Nicole fakes her tears, Milo knows it. When no
amount of cajoling or attempts to escape work for Nicole, she uses Milo`s
addiction to gambling to her advantage.
On the way of being shot at, posing as senators and a honeymooning couple,
riding a cycle rickshaw through Las Vegas and dodging balls at a golf course,
the two rediscover the love they had for each other.
They work together as a team to uncover the truth behind the man hunting them
down, the disappeared source and the cop-suicide.
The main problem with the film is that of an identity crisis. It is definitely
not a comedy as even the mandatory giggles do not come to you. Without any of
the spectacular action sequences Hollywood is famous for, it isn`t an action
film either.
It is not even a crime thriller as the suspense is not enough to pull you to the
edge of your seat. And this confusion transmutes to the viewers.
The chemistry between Butler and Aniston is nothing to write about. The
direction isn`t sharp either.
However, where the film falters the most is in the writing. Situations that
could have been hilarious, fizzle out because of bad writing and
characterisation. The transition from TV to the big screen for writer Sarah
Thorp has definitely not worked.
The plot - the war of the sexes - is an old cliché. The setting need not have
been so. In the end, The Bounty Hunter ends up being nothing but an
ensemble of done to death clichés.
The lead pair of Butler and Aniston, with their fan following, will get enough
crowds to the theatre despite their inability to act. But it is definitely worth
giving a miss, unless you absolutely, desperately are bent upon wasting your
time and money.
Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). He thinks all that’s ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes that nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other – until they find themselves on the run for their lives. They thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough – staying alive is going to be a whole lot tougher. Andy Tennant (Hitch, weet Home Alabama) directs.
