Monday, April 7, 2014

Dom Hemingway

Dom Hemingway wants you to know that his cock is exquisite. He’s staring at the camera, naked, arms raised in a Christ-like pose, telling us. Telling us how big and epic and otherworldly it is. His adjectives know no bounds, his metaphors no peaks. Then he’s finished. A prison bitch gets up off his knees, receives a swift apology from Dom (because, no warning), and from there, Dom Hemingway is off and running.

The pop, slang, fuckitall gangster brand of British cinema has been around for ages, but for more than a decade, we’ve seen a pleasant resurgence of these types of films. Stylish flicks void of a specific tone, boasting a lead character(s) that is amusingly intolerant, hyper-articulate, ultra-violent, and, occasionally, helplessly drunk. Films as recent as In Bruges, and as distant as The Long Good Friday (with everything from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to Sexy Beast in between), are all stellar examples. Now we get Dom Hemingway, a profoundly crass, consistently hilarious addition to this sacred genre.

We meet Dom (Jude Law) as he’s being released from prison after a 12 year bit for robbery, safe cracking, and who knows what else. Dom’s time could’ve been considerably shortened had he rolled on his boss, Mr. Fontaine (Demián Bichir), but he kept his mouth shut, missing out on his only daughter’s formative years, and his wife’s death to cancer. Enraged by the amount of time spent away, Dom is sprung from the hoosegow and demands reimbursement in the form of pure coke, loose women, and stacks of dough.
Once released, Dom’s first thought is to visit the poor bastard who married his wife while Dom was in prison. He beats the man senseless (a graphic scene impressively captured in just a few well choreographed shots), before going about his evening. He meets up with his old partner, Dickie (the ever delightful, always insightful, Richard E. Grant), gets absolutely shitfaced, and spends the next three days indulging in some of those precious reimbursements. Three days later, while suffering a hangover Dom likens to “a fucking Manila disco full of transvestites and suckling pigs,” Dom and Dickie travel to meet Mr. Fontaine to collect Dom’s money.

Plot? Yeah, sure, there’s some, but I wouldn’t advise you to see the movie for it. As fun as it is to watch Dom Hemingway have something to do, the true beauty of the film is watching Jude Law do anything at all. As Dom, Law is a sheer revelation. I’ve long considered Law a slight actor with fleeting moments of greatness (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Closer, Sleuth and Side Effects are examples of his best work), but nothing prepared me for Dom Hemingway. Dom is the anti-Jude Law: filthy, disgusting, a boorish pig with a short temper and an insatiable thirst. The actor not only gained 30 pounds to inhabit the part, he gained a new sense of himself. A confidence that I never knew he had in him, a go-for-broke fearlessness that I found enthralling. Whatever horrible shit Dom says and does, it is clear that Jude Law is having a blast saying and doing it.
As mentioned, Richard E. Grant is as sarcastic and charming as you want him to be, Bichir plays an affable psychopath always on the edge of boiling over, and Emilia Clarke brings a particularly spirited amount of bile to her role as Dom’s daughter. The writer/director of the film, Richard Shepherd, has had equal success with feature films (Pierce Brosnan delivered a similarly revelatory performance in Shepard’s wonderfully vulgar film, The Matador) and television (he directed Girls’ most infamous episode, “One Man’s Trash”), and his script for Dom Hemingway certainly doesn’t disappoint. An actor is only as good as the material he’s given, and thankfully, Dom Hemingway is a perfect union between script and performer.

Dom Hemingway isn’t very insightful cinema, but I would argue that it isn’t trying to be. Sure, its titular character gains a heart that nearly grows as large as his temper (nearly), but the point is, Dom Hemingway is a very specific type of film – loud, raging, frenzied and mad. Know what you’re getting yourself into, and you’ll do just fine. B

26 comments:

  1. I want to see this. I like Jude Law and I bet he has an exquisite cock. Plus, I love raunchy British comedies.

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    1. Ha, I think you'll dig it man. This is raunchy British cinema at its raunchiest.

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  2. I liked it and I laughed a lot towards the beginning, but it almost got too sentimental towards the end and then I wasn't sure how to feel about Dom. Maybe I was expecting too much, but still, it was pretty fun. I think I have a thing for eloquent gangsters. Law and Grant were both hilarious. I still kinda want Law to do amazing roles while looking like himself (Dickie is very much still on my mind).

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    1. I did sort of fall off in the end for me as well. I also didn't understand that final scene in the restaurant at all. I don't want to spoil the film here, but I thought the purpose of him entering that restaurant was to reclaim what was his, but instead, he didn't even ask about it. Very odd. Still, definite laughs to be had in this one.

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  3. Jude Law and an exquisite cock? Sold.

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    1. Oh fun fact, when I saved that in my Netflix queue, a movie that popped up as a recommendation like it was The Little Vampire. wtf?

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    2. Jonathan Lipnicki lives and breathes! Gotta love Netlflix for keeping that guy relevant. But no, seriously, that recommendation makes absolutely no sense. I mean, they both co-star Richard E. Grant, but still... way off.

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  4. I've heard so many people put this film down but it's great to hear some positivity Alex. I've always fancied and I'll definitely be giving it a look after this fine review, man.

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    1. Thanks for reading, Mark! I skimmed a few reviews after posting mine, and I'm kind of surprised that the film is being shit on so universally. Granted, there isn't much depth to it, and the plot runs rather thin, but the film is really about Law's performance, which is incredible. You just gotta have fun with this one, you know?

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  5. Never heard of this, but sounds like a good time. Jude Law (metaphorically) letting it all hang out? Sign me up.

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    1. Letting it all hang out and then some. Ha. It's go-for-broke work on his part, and I loved every minute of it. See it for him, though, not for the movie as a whole. If that makes sense.

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  6. Love these kinds of films but had been tentative about the casting of Jude Law. I'm not expecting a life-changing experience, but it's fun to hear that he lives it up in this movie. It's officially on the list!

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    1. Great! I kind of touched on my general tentative attitude toward Law's acting my review, but I can tell you the guy is seriously on point here. It's a fun flick that doesn't demand a lot from you, which is much needed every once and a while.

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  7. Nice review. Sounds like something I need to check out...in spite of Jude's exquisiteness.

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    1. Ha, thanks. Yep, that ol' Dom is an exquisite sonofabitch.

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  8. Great review. This is one outrageous and fun flick. Not bad, considering Jude Law's film track.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah I wasn't too sure how much I'd like this one either. I'm not Law's biggest fan, but he really did great work here.

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  9. This sounds quite a lot like Filth with James McAvoy...I'm actually a big fan of those British crime flicks but it seems to me they are slowing crossing the line from 'vulgar and funny' to 'just too vulgar' lately. I'm gonna see this one for Emilia Clarke, I haven't seen her outside of GoT and she seems like the one who is gonna have the most promising career from the series' cast.

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    1. I haven't seen Filth yet, but just from the trailers, the two do seem really similar. I think Filth is probably a tad... filthier, but yeah, definitely the same theme.

      Emilia was so good in the movie. I really enjoyed her work!

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  10. I'm dying to see this movie! I consider Law a very underrated actor, so I can't wait to see him in a role like this. And it's awesome that you consider Sleuth one of his best performances. I dig that film.

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    1. I like Law probably half the time, but I have no problem calling his work as Dom some of the best work of his career. If not THE best. So I really hope you dig it. And Sleuth... man, I loved that movie.

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  11. I don't know what happened in the middle of this movie. The beginning and ending I thought were really solid (if a bit expected - asshole grows a heart) but the middle I thought was a bit too meh. But damn if Law and Grant aren't great in these roles. I'm hoping for Law to carry on doing more interesting work like this since it appears as if Sherlock is going on hiatus and there really needs to be a Grant resurgence or something. Give this guy more roles (or at least ones that can match him like this one does!).

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    1. If by middle, do you mean everything post-accident? Because that's where I thought the film started to drag. And I think that's because the energy stopped so suddenly. I mean, as heartwarming as it may have been to watch Dom grow a heart, it wasn't nearly as entertaining as watching him be a complete ass. Still, Grant really did kill it, didn't he? I loved the bit when Dom found out he had one hand. Hilarious.

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    2. Yep, you nailed it! So did Grant.

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  12. I'd give it a B too. Law was excellent and his chemistry with Richard E. Grant is what made me like the film more, both actors worked beautifully together.

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    1. They did for sure. Those two singlehandedly made the movie worth it.

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