The Tuxedo (2002)

 "The name's Tong, James Tong."

So I know I'm not blogging much this past fortnight while I'm in full on dad mode and focussing fully on Little Miss Llamastrangler- back to normal sort of schedule from Monday or thereabouts. But last night I happened to see this Jackie Chan film, pleasingly undemanding to my mind which this week is perhaps less prone to being a pretentious git than usual.

This is basically a comedy-cum-action thing where Jackie Chan does his comedy thing of playing an ostensibly hapless protagonist but having a pretext- in this case, basically a magic tuxedo that confers awrsome martial arts abilities on its subject by means of fancy CGI nanobots- and there's basically an action story riffing loosely off James Bond tropes, with a bit of sparks with Jennifer Love Hewitt's Del Blaine which inevitably ends in them getting together.

In short, this is a by-the-book action film of its time, entertaining enough with its CGI insects and James Brown cameo. I enjoyed it... but, well, as action films of the period go, it's fairly anonymous. Interestring, though, to see Chan for the first time in his later, Hollywood iteration.

But what's more interesting, perhaps, is that this film was made just two decades ago... and these sorts of generic, original action films marketed via a star rather than being a sequel or using existing IP are sort of, well, dead.

Fargo (1996)

“You betcha, yah.”

I admit, somewhat sheepishly, that this is only the second film by the Coen brothers that I've seen. Given the evidence, firstly of O Brother, Where Art Thou and now of this splendid little film, I’m forced to say they are real giants of the Hollywood scene over the course of the last twenty plus years.

This is wonderful from the very first shot, as a brilliant white snowscapes is punctured and illuminated by car headlights. In spite of the North Dakota title (and there’s a state we European tourists are unlikely to visit) the film is very, very Minnesota. I love the accent, with the “yah” and the ineffable Teutonic hints of the otherwise all-American vowels of these characters with mostly very Germanic surnames, with more than a sprinkling of Scandinavia. Presumably those Viking social democratic genes are what led the good burghers of the state not to vote for that moron Reagan in ‘84, like everybody else foolishly did.

William H. Macy is perfectly cast as Jerry, nebbishy car salesman and ultimate cause of all the mischief as his desperation over his immense debts leads him to concoct a kidnapping and ransom plot for his own wife. Also superb is Steve Buscemi,  playing his usual sort of character. But Frances McDormand is a revelation as heavily pregnant cop Marge, interrupting brilliant bouts of seduction with less brilliant bouts of morning sickness. After this film I fully understand why they cast McDormand as the voice of God in Good Omens.

The characters all feel real, it’s beautifully shot, and as a narrative the whole thing is simple awesome. I feel a slow Coen Brothers binge may be on the cards.