Film of the year so far. The only exasperating thing about it is the occasional would-be 'critic' attempting to claw back credibility by spluttering his/her indignation about its unsuitability for "serious filmgoers". Please - spare me.
Proving that Brian Helgeland is a man of many, many talents, he's knocked out a fantastic slice of free-spirited action-comedy here that never, for a single second, takes itself seriously. It'd be an instant disaster if it did, and every single person on the screen and behind the screen clearly knows it, resulting in a film with a contagious sense of manic, all-out fun (and I don't use the 'F'-word lightly) the likes of which you'll very rarely see these days. Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, it's downright ridiculous. But here's the kicker: it knows all this, and it COULDN'T CARE LESS.
As one of the most cynical people I know, I urge you: see it. Enjoy it. Soak it in. Don't go intending to pick holes in the historical accuracy or the paper-thin storyline to appear 'cool': you're the one who'll end up losing out.
Proving that Brian Helgeland is a man of many, many talents, he's knocked out a fantastic slice of free-spirited action-comedy here that never, for a single second, takes itself seriously. It'd be an instant disaster if it did, and every single person on the screen and behind the screen clearly knows it, resulting in a film with a contagious sense of manic, all-out fun (and I don't use the 'F'-word lightly) the likes of which you'll very rarely see these days. Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, it's downright ridiculous. But here's the kicker: it knows all this, and it COULDN'T CARE LESS.
As one of the most cynical people I know, I urge you: see it. Enjoy it. Soak it in. Don't go intending to pick holes in the historical accuracy or the paper-thin storyline to appear 'cool': you're the one who'll end up losing out.