Wild Wild West

There’s a pattern to a huge summer blockbuster – a pattern so exact that any mistake anywhere can have an unacceptable feeling. The 1999 adaptation of “Wild Wild West” has a lot of mistakes, which could explain why the critical reception to the film has been so largely negative. Noel Murray said in his review, “There's no denying that the picture is a mess; but speaking as someone who finds the "blockbuster rhythm" to be generally stupefying, there's some pleasure to be had in tuning in those rogue notes.”

Barry Sonnenfeld, director of “Men in Black” and “Get Shorty,” adapts the famous television show. The story, like the show, is set in a post-Civil War country fighting for a reunified future. The country is about to be ruled by charming confederate Arliss Loveless, played by Kenneth Branagh. Supporting President Grant (Kevin Kline) and the Union are two government agents, elegant gunman Jim West (Will Smith) and inventor Artemus Gordon (Kline).

Murray said, “The film arrives DOA in its first half hour, as Sonnenfeld and his team of screenwriters deliver not one, not two, but three consecutive action sequences set in crowded rooms with scantily clad women huddling in the wings. The scenes are dark, dull, and--with the persistent presence of prostitutes--needlessly randy.”

Murray continued, “Once Sonnenfeld and master cinematographer Michael Ballhaus move outdoors, though, the brighter light illuminates the leads a little more--especially Kline, who is almost poignant in his portrayal of a wide-eyed gadget hound and "master of disguise" who doesn't even know what a woman's breasts are supposed to feel like. Equally cool are the gadgets themselves, all pneumatic and rickety.”

Still, the pans are mostly validated. Female actor Salma Hayek is pointless, the close-up fight scenes are really hard to follow, and except for Branagh’s long (probably self-wrote) speeches, there’s nothing special about the dialogue. What is worth praising is the large visuals and narrative spark that was not common for an expensive summer film. Murray noted, “Between Smith's suave brutality, Kline's foggy romanticism, and Sonnenfeld's giddy contrasting of the Western landscape with steam-powered contraptions, Wild Wild West almost achieves an enjoyable style.”

Murray continued, “My biggest quibble is that the film ends just when it's finally getting its newer, funkier rhythm together.” That’s one thing that “Wild Wild West” has in common with most of the famous studio franchise – everything is introduced and nothing really to know.

As I had stated last week, this is a movie that I know a lot of people hate, but I never have seen the original show this was based on. I think the action and the humor is good, and Will Smith as usual brought his coolness that we all knew and loved at the time. If you want to see it, go ahead, but if you don’t, it’s not a huge loss. Still, I think it’s one to see and given a chance, and the main song is good, even though I know it was taken from both a famous Stevie Wonder and Kool Moe Dee song.

Now with that out of the way, look out next week when I look at a very famous film in “Salma Hayek Month.”