Reel Review: Hancock

 

Director: Peter Berg

Cinematography: Tobias A. Schliessler

Screenplay: Vince Gilligan, Vincent Ngo

Runtime: 92 mins

Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan

Synopsis: Hancock (Will Smith) is just another loser, bum with an alcohol problem on the streets of LA, well with one major difference he has superpowers.  His drunken acts of so-called heroism have caused the whole city to hate him as he leaves a wake of destruction in his path whilst fighting crime, until that is he saves the life of Publicist Jason Bateman. The PR man decides to help Hancock by reinventing him as a typical superhero; a difficult task that his wife (Charlize Theron) believes will only lead to trouble.

Let me start by stating that I really enjoyed this film, it seems to have had some bad press, particularly in the USA, and whilst the film is flawed on several levels it is one of the better blockbusters I’ve seen this year.  Now maybe I have this positive opinion as a direct result of all this bad pre-release publicity, the premiere was pushed back to accommodate some hasty re-shoots, the outcome of poor test screenings, I was expecting a poor film but Hancock is far from this.

The movie seemingly began as entirely different beast, an exploration of a superhero set in a real world with the genuine hardships that such a person would face, loneliness, exclusion, the burden of responsibility.  Hancock clearly has elements from the original concept, but the story has been reshaped for a mass audience and to better suit its leading man.  Now we can all moan about this fact but realistically films like that don’t get made, studios are not willing to hand over the level of budget required unless they will get the return, in others words without these changes this film would never have seen the light of day.

So we are left with a film of many parts, some that work together some that don’t, we first see our ‘hero’ on an inebriated attempt to stop a highway chase, the sequence is both well executed and funny, a description that pretty much sums up the first half of the film.  Hancock is persuaded to change his image by Ray a publicist, who’s trying to save the world in his own way, he convinces the protagonist to start serving the jail sentence that has been imposed for all the damage left by his attempts at heroism.  The movie shines in these scenes, as we witness Hancock attempting to sober up and behave, a particular moment with a young bully is a stand out.  As our hero adjusts to his life of incarceration the crime rate in the city escalates, leading to Ray’s ultimate plan of having Hancock released to save the day.   Along the way we meet Ray’s wife Mary, she like many others seems to have a thorough dislike of Hancock and his methods and desperately tries to convince her husband to stay away from him.  After his triumphant return the film takes an unexpected turn, we find our hero being drawn to Mary, the consequences of which play out in the second half.  This is were the film hits a problem, we expect a story of a rehabilitated superhero saving the city/world from a foe of extreme threat with the comedic threads of the previous 45 minutes, instead the tone dips towards a more serious note as the principal characters are forced to face up to the realities of their lives. 

I have never been a fan of Peter Berg’s directorial efforts; his acting skill is quite adequate but I have not enjoyed one of his films when he has bee behind the camera.  He has though crafted a very funny film with a unique representation of a superhero, the shifts in tone look to have been forced by rewrites and re-shoots, but when the film hits the right marks it really works.  The ending to the film is like no other in the superhero family, the moment of extreme heroism does not involve battling a villain in some scenic location, it is a simple and beautiful scene, aided by the talents of the movies score (composed by John Powell).  The effects in the movie also work very well, they are not as accomplished as some other films out this year, but they flying in particular has a genuine feel to it. 

The movie has one major element working for it, which is in its star Will Smith.  The film has be written to suit his comedic style and is the better for it, whether he’s drunkenly throwing a car full of criminals around the sky or trying deal with the aggressive prisoners in jail, his talent is evident throughout.  The film does require some serious acting too of the ‘A’ lister, he also performs these scenes with superb skill.  The ever-excellent Jason Bateman backs up the star, who injects his character with extreme liability and shows off his comedic abilities too.  Charlize Theron lets the side down slightly, the first half of the film gives her very little to do, leading to a dialogue heavy role in the latter parts. 

This is a film that does not know which genre it wants to be labelled with, comedy, superhero blockbuster, or action drama. It is evident that many people have tried to pull it in one direction, the studios influence especially in the final scenes setting up for a new franchise, these inconsistencies stop the film from achieving the sum of it’s parts. There are stand out scenes especially those with humour at the forefront but sometimes feel out of place with other moments.  Its attempt to be a conventional superhero film are let down by lack of appropriate villain and shifts in tone, but what we are left with is an original film with exceptional scenes, a highly accomplished central performance and wonderful ending. 

Don’t listen to all the bad reviews and press, this won’t be the best film you see this summer but it will be far removed from the worst, and if you’re a fan of Will Smith you will love this film.

Reel Rating