Reviewer's Rating 2 out of 5
Domino (2005)
15Contains strong violence, language and sex references

Somewhere between MTV and LSD lies Domino, a fit-inducing riot of rock tracks and off-kilter camerawork that will leave you numb. To call it simply 'style over substance' is to underestimate Tony Scott, who directs this "sort of true" crime story about English schoolgirl-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey like a rabid dog with a rag doll in its gnashers. Keira Knightley is the unfortunate victim, giving a restrained performance only to have it savagely pulled apart in the cutting room.

Clearly there's been a lot of chopping and changing in the story of Domino (daughter of British actor Laurence Harvey) who was so bored of strutting the catwalk that she switched to stalking bail-jumping bad guys instead. If there were any other psychological quirks behind this startling career change, they're only hinted at by screenwriter Richard Kelly. In a short-lived moment of reflection, Domino wistfully watches dad in The Manchurian Candidate (1962); apparently she's a bit sad that he died and it makes her want to punch people...

"TEDIOUSLY HAPHAZARD"

After painting a sensitive portrait of troubled youth in Donnie Darko, Kelly has missed the point with Domino. Her transition from fashion plate to tough-boots bounty hunter is blithely glossed over and instead we're dragged through a tediously haphazard bank heist plot. Meanwhile Scott angles for Tarantino-inspired black humour - most notably when Mickey Rourke (as Domino's mentor) mistakenly shoots a man's arm off. Unfortunately the immediacy of a gritty, documentary style means it's neither funny nor clever. Special appearances by Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering (of Beverly Hills 90210) and a scene involving Jerry Springer deliver a few laughs, but in every other way, Domino falls flat.

End Credits

Director: Tony Scott

Writer: Richard Kelly

Stars: Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Lucy Liu, Mena Suvari, Christopher Walken

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Length: 127 minutes

Cinema: 14 October 2005

Country: USA

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