Juggling angry Russians, the British Mi5, and an international
terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai
races to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain a code that leads
to lost Nazi gold.
Director: David Koepp
Writers: Eric Aronson (screenplay),
Kyril Bonfiglioli (novel)
Stars: Johnny Depp,
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Ewan McGregor |
See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife
and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue
Charlie Mortdecai must traverse the globe armed only with his good
looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored
to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.
Mortdecai movie Reviews:
Mortdecai
has been Depp's fifth box office flop in a row. Johnny Depp's new
comedy Mortdecai isn't quite the utter disaster the promos suggest, but
it's still a laughless, stupid and pointless affair. Led by Depp's
Secret Window director David Koepp, the movie centers on a debonair art
dealer (and part-time scoundrel), Charlie Mortdecai, who is tasked by
the British Mi5 with recovering a stolen painting rumored to contain the
code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi riches. It's a simple
premise, one that gets twisted and tangled by a messy plot.
As
Mortdecai, Depp is in his component - in spite of the fact that it is
not so much something to be thankful for. Credit where credit is
expected, the performing artist completely focuses on his flashy
character and offers a personality and enthusiasm that no one but he
could. In some capacity its just about praiseworthy how Depp has the
capacity to keep up Mortdecai's smarmy, smooth persona for the whole
film. Fifteen minutes of "I say, old bean" and "Kindly my dear" would be
all that could possibly be needed, yet sadly it goes ahead like that
for an alternate hour and a half.
That being said, whatever
remains of the film isn't that entertaining either. The principle
running stifler here is Mortdecai's stache, which I figure should be
interesting all by itself. Having developed it weeks before the story
starts, Depp's character spends the majority of the film protecting the
hairs under his nose, essentially to his luxurious wife Johanna (Gwyneth
Paltrow). Other than that, the vast majority of the jokes depend on
Mortdecai's failure to fight for himself, as he calls upon his trusty
steward Jock (Paul Bettany) to battle for him. It's kind of a
Clouseau/Cato dynamic, however with no place close to the same measure
of appeal. In general, the funniness is low and unsurprising.
Truth
be told, the main climactic surprise in this movie here is that
Mortdecai had the capacity secure such a high profile celebrity cast.
This involves the additions of Paltrow and Bettany, and the film
characteristics appearances from Ewan Mcgregor, Olivia Munn and Jeff
Goldblum. In any case, with Depp consuming the vast majority of the
landscape, whatever remains of the cast gets saddled with negligible,
one-note side characters. Especially Goldblum and Munn, who don't even
show up until the movie is almost over.
The only other positive
thing I can say in regards to Mortdecai is that Koepp's heading is
shockingly showy and fun, which in any event keeps the film from being
an aggregate waste. Smart organization and smooth camera-work give the
story an energetic and flighty feel, while the various scene transitions
are checked by noteworthy, globetrotting design. You could probably
tell that Koepp and Depp are having a great time with Mortdecai but it
is simply a disgrace that we can't appreciate it as well.
