Hollywood Homicide
Harrison Ford's track record of late has not been good. He's got a string of stinkers surrounding one good film (What Lies Beneath in 2000) in the last nine years, and it's probably no coincidence that the end of his marriage to screenwriter Melissa Mathison was brewing and ultimately finished during that time. His script selection since then has been lousy, and she must have helped him screen the good from the bad. In the case of Hollywood Homicide, Ford tries to add his name to the ledger of great buddy pictures, but the script is so cluttered with lifeless gags that it never develops a relationship or chemistry between its lead characters—a must for any buddy picture, whether it's about cops (Lethal Weapon) or crooks (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).
This one happens to involve cops, and it tries to add a new spin to the concept by sticking its protagonists in the self-referential land of Hollywood. Ford's cop, Joe Gavilan, has a world of financial trouble from several failed marriages and investments and moonlights as a real estate agent. Hartnett's cop, Gavilan's younger partner, moonlights as a yoga instructor but really wants to be an actor. It's not a terribly bad idea, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Hartnett spends most of his screen time just trying to stay out of Ford's way, while Ford is desperately trying to invigorate a script that isn't up to the challenge of what he brings to the table as an underrated comic actor.
The moonlighting subplots end up way off the mark, having nothing to do with the relationships between the characters and leaving no time to make sense of the homicides they're supposed to be solving. We're taunted by some amusing cameos early on, such as Eric Idle being booked for a Hugh Grant-style offense (this is Hollywood, after all); but they turn out to be few and far between, and another opportunity to liven the proceedings goes by the wayside. By the time the film reaches its somewhat amusing, over-the-top chase finale (one of the longest ever—from car to foot to rooftop fight, during which Gavilan tries to close the real estate deal he's been working on the whole movie), it takes a few minutes to realize there's no reason for the chase to be happening. The cops have no real proof that the bad guy ordered the killings—just hearsay and circumstantial evidence—so there's no reason for him to run in the first place.
Hollywood Homicide is a solid misfire for director Ron Shelton, who tried valiantly to combine the trademark comic style of his famous sports movies (Bull Durham, Tin Cup) with his highly underrated cop drama, Dark Blue, but the combination just doesn't work. Even the bad films in the Lethal Weapon franchise are better than this because the leads have chemistry. As the credits roll, there's nothing to do but shake your head and wonder about what's happened to one of the most successful actors of all time.
- June 27, 2006
DVD Extras
Director's commentary, cast and crew filmographies and trailers: a fitting lack of information.