Jonah Hex is a very frustrating movie because there are many elements within that give it the potential to be a good film, but several poor cinematic choices knock it down over and over again.
Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, until one day he realized he was in the wrong and refused his commanding officer, Turnbull (John Malkovich) and is forced to kill his best friend, Turnbull’s son. Upset, Turnbull kills Hex’s wife and kids and scars his face. Hex goes on to become a ruthless bounty hunter. Turnbull, still bitter about losing the war, gets his hands on some super evil super weapon and decides to use it to blow up the capitol. So President Grant (Aidan Quinn) hires Hex to take him down. Oh, and Hex has a prostitute girlfriend named Lilah (Megan Fox)
Let’s focus on the good first, since most reviews seem only to ramble on about how horrible this film is.
Josh Brolin and John Malkovich are really good in this. Often going over the top, especially Malkovich, you can tell both these fine actors are having a blast with this silly little film. The rest of the acting fails to impress, including Fox, but none of it is cringe-worthy.
The make-up of Brolin’s scar is impressive as well. Hex’s scar is an integral part of his character and had they botched that, the greatest performance in the world wouldn’t have helped. This may seem like a small thing, but for the overall believability of this film, it actually very important.
It’s got some pretty solid gunfights and a pair of really sweet dynamite mini-crossbows, which I’ve never seen before. Sadly, these few good qualities are all but lost in the sea of bad film-making that is this film.
Coming in at one hour and 13 minutes before credits, the film is given very little time to develop a worthwhile story. And even at such a short running time several minutes are wasted on unnecessary flashbacks and dream sequences. A film this short doesn’t need to flash back to the opening scene at the end, we haven’t forgotten. The final fight between Hex and Turnbull should have been epic; instead it’s a muddled mess that could give any editor nightmares.
Also, cross hairs shaped exactly like the building you’re trying to blow up is just about the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. And saying “Eli Whitney designed it” is not enough of an explanation to get away with a strange glowing yellow ball that can blow up a whole city. I’m willing to accept the whole talking to dead people thing, this is after all a comic book movie, but crazy yellow death balls is just going too far.
Besides the rushed story, very little time spent developing the characters. Hex is good, Turnbull is bad and Lilah is a whore; that is all you apparently need to know about these characters. I’ve not read the comic, but it seems like there is a lot more to Hex than is presented here.
Yes, Brolin has some clever one-liners that he delivers impeccably, he kills lots of guys and blows lots of stuff up, and if that is all you’re looking for then you’ll probably enjoy this film. However, if you go into this expecting something resembling a competently made comic book action western, you’ll most likely be sorely disappointed.
Jonah Hex is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and the sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. This film has a very inconsistent look: sometimes good, sometimes bad. The overuse of bad CGI really hurts the film as well. The Mastadon metal soundtrack fits the mess that this film is, but I wouldn’t call it good. However the transfer on this DVD looks and sounds fine.
Deleted Scenes: (5 min.) You get three scenes her. The two with Hex are actually kind of interesting and should have stayed in the film, certainly couldn’t have hurt. But the third scene about Lilah is lame.
There are parts of this film that I really enjoy, mostly the performances of Brolin and Malkovich, however, even these two fine actors can’t make this mess of a film into something memorable. I think director Jimmy Hayward really should stick to animation.
Warner Bros. presents Jonah Hex. Starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox. Directed by Jimmy Hayward. Written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Running time: 81 minutes. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content. Released on DVD and BD: October 12, 2010.
