Gabriel Macht as The Spirit, in the film
written and directed by Frank Miller and based on Will Eisner's comic books of
the superhero. (Photo: Lionsgate)
THE POPCORN REEL FILM REVIEW/"The Spirit"
Central City And Its Women Need Him, But Do You?
By
Omar P.L. Moore/December 25, 2008
Frank Miller's "The Spirit" is classic eye candy -- visual seduction all the way
-- but you can't feel the heart of the film for it is as hollow as the hole in a
doughnut. Part of the problem with the film is that it is an intimate
story that is played up with such grandiosity and pretension that it becomes way
too big for its cinematic boots. Had it been made as a series of half-hour
television episodes, "The Spirit" would have been far better off. "The
Spirit" is based upon the graphic comic books created by Will Eisner. Mr.
Miller succeeded with the lively and inventive "Sin City" in 2005 along with
Robert Rodriguez of
"Grindhouse"
and also created last year's
"300",
which was directed by Zack Snyder.
Gabriel Macht stars as the title character in Mr. Miller's latest film, an
apparition whose death in the line of duty as a Central City police officer
Denny Colt was abrupt. With the help of an unlikely source he gets a
second chance at life -- to fight crime again right alongside the fellow
officers he left behind. The film is unclear about whether The Spirit's
love life was busy prior to his rebirth, but now in his guise as a Zorro-like
figure decked in all black with a skinny crimson red tie flapping in the wind,
his prospects with the fairer sex have greatly improved. He is a woman
magnet, though he doesn't do himself many favors by professing that a particular
woman is the only one for him, especially when there is a childhood sweetheart,
one Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) whom he has a deep fondness for. In his new
life he wonders what has happened to her. Has she forgotten him?
Would she recognize him if they crossed paths again?
Underneath all the tepid action and Mr. Miller's lousy written dialogue ("I'm
gonna kill you all kinds of dead", and "shut up and bleed"), "The Spirit" is a
love story, but who cares about the drab and unrewarding potential of such a
story when you have
Samuel L. Jackson as
Spirit nemesis The Octopus? It is Mr. Jackson, who in the film's credits
is billed as "and Samuel L. Jackson . . . " who doesn't steal as much as
dominates the proceedings with a campy performance. He even appears in
full Nazi regalia in one scene in a homage oddly reminiscent of the opening
entrance of George C. Scott in "Patton". He is enjoying the heck out of
himself as Central City's ultimate badass, and the audience is too. Mr.
Jackson (and at the risk of sounding sexist, the array of attractive women) are
the only reasons to see this snoozer of a film at all -- a tepid affair because
despite its strong sense of style "The Spirit" essentially takes place in the
shadows of black and white, with most of the color drained out of the film --
The Octopus at least has something to say, even if his intentions are
evil. He surrounds himself with Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss, his
sidekick and accessory in malevolence, and a score of cloned bald-headed goons
with names across their t-shirts like PATHOS, ETHOS and others too goofy to
mention. The baldheads are like bowling pins, just existing in order to be
knocked down, including one in a cartoon-like gruesome moment.
Mr. Macht shows that The Spirit doesn't have the exalted powers one might expect
other comic book superheroes to have -- there's no gamma ray exposure that
allows him to transform into a behemoth, or a spider bite that enables him to
spin webs. He is the crime fighter that he always wanted to be, caring
deeply for the city that he loves so much. As Mr. Macht's character
narrates during the film, he talks about the city that he loves as if he means
all of the women in it. There's Ellen (Sarah Paulson) a medical doctor who
he claims to love, and numerous others. Paz Vega also shows up here as the
alluring Plaster Of Paris, an enticing lady who is as unpredictable as Mr.
Miller's film is predictable. There's also an irritating and recurring
image of the mysterious and heavenly Lorelei (Jaime King), barely
distinguishable and always close-up, that drifts in and out of the film as if to
woo The Spirit and advise him at the same time. Even Morgenstern (Stana
Katic), a plucky Central City police officer wrapped tight in a very
snug-fitting uniform, may not be safe from The Spirit's charms.
"The Spirit" is a joyride of style, but there's little in the way of pure
engagement. We are invested more heavily in the visuals than we are in
anything else. If this film was released just two or three years ago and
had a spark of enthusiasm it may have registered, but instead we are actually
dazzled to sleep by the repetitive Pollock-like splashes of color amidst chaos.
When you have three impressive superhero comic book films, including two
released this year ("Iron Man" and
"The Dark Knight")
and "Spider-Man 2" -- with "The Dark Knight" the best comic-book superhero film
ever made -- you have a very high bar to meet. In any event by itself,
"The Spirit" lacks a certain je ne sais quoi and a relevance that makes us care.
Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus. He camps it
up on a platter in Frank Miller's "The Spirit", along with Scarlett Johansson
(right) as Silken Floss.
"The Spirit" is rated PG-13 by the
Motion Picture Association Of America for intense sequences of violence and
stylized action, some sexual content and brief nudity. The film's
cinematography is well-executed by Bill Pope and the film's duration is one hour
and 48 minutes.
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