Review of:Domino (2005)
Director:Tony Scott
Rating:R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use.
Starring:Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Rizwan Abbasi, Ian Ziering
Domino is supposed to be a movie based on real life events of Domino Harvey, but in no way is this film a documentary. Domino Harvey was the real life daughter of Hollywood actor Lawrence Harvey and model turned socialite Sophie Wynn.
Kiera Knightly stars as the rebellious Domino who for whatever reason prefers the life of a bounty hunter to that of a socialite. Domino finds her true calling and joins a colorful band of reprobates that includes her wolfish yet formidable ex-con boss, Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke); Choco (Edgar Ramirez), a ruggedly sexy Latino who secretly worships Domino; and Alf (Rizwan Abbasi), an Afghani ex-pat obsessed with explosives. An unlikely foursome to be sure, but their synchronized style consistently results in the capture of felonious bail jumpers. Before long they become L.A.’s most successful, not to mention infamous, bounty hunters.
When producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken) and his faithful assistant, Kimmie (Mena Suvari), come knocking, the bounty hunters agree to become the stars of a new reality television show, “The Bounty Squad”, hosted by Beverly Hills 90210’s Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green (as themselves). Unbeknownst to cast and crew alike, Domino, Ed, Choco and Alf are about to embark on their biggest case ever.
In a bizarre turn, the bounty hunters find themselves tracking the most dangerous fugitives of their careers thanks to the antics of their employer, bail bondsman Claremont Williams III (Delroy Lindo). Faced with a financial crisis concerning his extended family – including his girlfriend, Lateesha (Mo’Nique), their daughter and granddaughter, as well as Lateesha’s twin cousins Lashandra (Macy Gray) and Lashindra (Shondrella Avery) – Claremont hatches a reckless plan to extricate himself from economic ruin. When his plan goes awry, Domino and her team blast their way out of a complex FBI investigation, led by criminal psychologist Taryn Miles (Lucy Liu), that involves the mob, a couple of errant college students and some ‘greazee’ white trash thieves.
Although I liked the film I also thought that it wasn’t very engaging at times. The sequences of flashbacks became annoying, and if you would ask me if I actually liked the care of Domino I would have to say no. I didn’t care what this lady was doing or why she was doing it. On the other side I did enjoy the brief supporting role of Monique. She brought laughter to the screen when she appears, and some of the films better moments. Mickey Rourke would also have to be included in the category of “better moments”.
