Matt Stone
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Domino
Directed By: Tony Scott
Studio: New Line
Year: 2005
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (Anamorphic)
Running Time: 128 Mins.
Rating: R (Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Sexual Content/Nudity and Drug Use)
Audio: 6.1 DTS ES (English), 5.1 Dolby Digital EX (English), 2.0 Dolby Digital (English)
Subtitles: English, and Spanish
MSRP: $27.95
Street Date: 21 February, 2006
Review Date: 11 March, 2006
(Ratings are out of five stars)
Summary
Tony Scott gets somewhat of a bad rap. Sure, they guy doesn’t have the artistic prowess of his older, well respected brother, Ridley, but he can occasionally make a hell of a flick. His hip, over-the-top MTV style editing and rich cinematography add up to a pretty fun ride. Most of time at least. Domino is another story entirely. It looks a little like his recent (and significantly better) Man On Fire, but that is where the similarity ends. Domino is a loud, flashing, boring two-hour plus trailer. Style over substance is one thing, but this is something else entirely. And I’ll happily leave screenwriter Richard Kelly’s name out of it. Donnie Darko at least gives him one “Get out of jail free” card.
Domino is loosely based on the true story of real life model turned bounty hunter, Domino Harvey. The story is told in flashback and is framed in an interview between a recently captured Domino and an FBI agent played by Lucy Liu. Stylistically the movie is interesting to look at, but the story is so utterly boring that it all comes across as a long, loud exercise in futility. The primary plot kicks off with Domino’s childhood and her decision to leave her cushy model life behind. It turns into a fairly convoluted caper with more supporting characters than a PT Anderson flick. In general, the acting was pretty solid, but whatever good existed was drowned out by the annoying style.
I’m not one to lambaste a director for using style over substance. If there’s something interesting to watch, I’m usually all for it, even if it lacks plot. There may actually be an interesting story here, but it’s never really allowed to break through all of the noise. Domino puts all of its eggs in one basket, and unfortunately that basket is a tedious, frustrating style. If The Blair Witch Project gave you a headache, stay away from this one.
Film Rating: :star:1/2
Video
I may not have been a fan of the story here, but the film looks beautiful. The cinematography is very similar to Scott’s recent Man On Fire and New Line has done a fantastic job in preserving the quality. There is a moderate amount of grain, but it intentionally enhances the gritty story. Some of the flashy lighting was damn near migraine-inducing, but hey…at least it looked good. Shadow detail is fantastic and the overall look of the transfer was very film-like. The warm look of the transfer was consistent and effectively used. If you’re a fan of this film, you’ll be very happy with the reference level quality of the transfer.
Video Rating: :star::star::star::star:1/2
Audio
Like the transfer quality, the audio is top-notch. Of course, it’s again waaaay too over-the-top for this reviewer’s taste, but what’s there sounds great. Tony Scott apparently came from the school of having annoying techno-music playing during every scene, but quality-wise it sounds great. All of the channels are utilized and the LFE gets a lot of action. I wish Tony Scott would have used a little more subtlety, but beggars can’t be choosers. The DTS track is a little more well defined than the Dolby Digital track, but they both sound terrific.
Audio Rating: :star::star::star::star:1/2
Extras
Commentaries – The DVD features 2 feature-length commentaries. Tony Scott and Richard Kelly provide insight on one, while the other features script notes and story development meetings (with Tony Scott, Richard Kelly, Zach Shiff-Abrams, and Tom Waits). The first track is pretty conventional and features a lot of information about the film’s long development process. Tony and Richard are both interesting guys and offer a good deal of information about the movie. The second commentary track is very interesting as well. It’s explores the actual development of the script with recorded dialog between Tony and Richard. The script notes line up to the moments in the film pretty well too. I didn’t like the film, but both commentaries were very interesting and informative.
Deleted/Alternate Scenes (7:54) – There are 7 total deleted scenes that can be viewed separately or all at once with the Play All option. There is also an optional commentary from Tony Scott. There are actually a few interesting scenes here.
”I Am a Bounty Hunter”: Domino Harvey’s Life (20:31) – A fairly detailed look at the real Domino Harvey’s life. It features a good deal of interviews from real people in her life (her mom, etc). I found this brief look at Domino’s background to be much more interesting than the film. You also have the option of listening to an alternate audio track that features an interview between Richard Kelly and recently deceased Domino Harvey.
Bounty Hunting on Acid: Tony Scott’s Visual Style (10:38) – A self-explanatory featurette examining Tony Scott’s style made up of interview footage from members of the film’s production.
The DVD also features trailers from some other New Line films.
Extras Rating: :star::star::star::star:
In Closing…
I consider myself a Tony Scott fan. He’s made his fair share of tasty cinematic popcorn (with the occasional dead duck). Unfortunately, Domino is an example of the latter. The main problem is that the movie never really feels like a movie. It’s a whole bunch of filmed crap all thrown together. There are a few interesting performances, but there is no feeling of continuity within the film. The flashy cinematography and loud soundtrack only accentuates the feeling of discord. I can’t recommend this one, but if you’re a Scott fan you might want to give it a rental. If you do decide to rent this one, my advice is to turn down the volume, but bring a bottle of aspirin anyway.
Overall Rating: :star::star::star:1/2
Matt Stone
11 March, 2006