Domino (2005)

Brilliant and touching

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Blistering performances.

First thing that needs to be said is; don't watch this if you are prone to seizures. The camera/editing work is the most annoying I have ever seen, with a continuous green filter and a jumpcut every second. It's a pain to watch, and that is the number 1 thing that takes this movie down.The story is really not bad though, if it wasn't being told so incoherently, it can be very enjoyable. Plot devices are being laid down like cards on a table, then hussled together and shoved away to be pulled out of the sleeve at the movie's convenience, wether they add something to the deck or not, like the really unnesseccary piece that is the reality show. What a waste of Christopher Walken! Scenes don't make sense until the movie takes the whopping time of two seconds to explain them. It's like trying to read a story on a rapidly moving slideshow. On to the story itself: It's a clever game of crime, backstabbing, honour, revenge and greed, containing a pawn for each subject. With the rebel Domino Harvey as the queen, centering the onslought. The movie took an actual person as a base and slapped a fictional tale on it, and that is indeed quite a tale! There is so much happening that it's hard to explain. What do this trailertrash guy with his arm cut off and a sick little girl have in common - what is their link? That is the story the movie portrayes, and it takes as many detours as you'd expect from these brutally different characters. Some detours are good points, some are utter rubbish. Yes, it's as messy and confusing as it sounds, but that is all you are gonna get from this review without any spoilers. Actingwise i have nothing to complain. We all know Keira Knightley as the whiney little sass-pirate she played in another popular franchise and it didn't do her justice. I disliked her as a actress for that role but she playes Domino with passion. She's convincing to say the least. Mickey Rourke is a pleasure to watch and i wish his character had more to it then the movie showed. The acting is great but it gets blurred - literally!- by the movie's killer pacing, lack of depth and the damned flashy edditing. All in all a mess of a movie, but I don't regret watching it.

If there's a movie I'd compare Domino to, it's Natural Born Killers. Not that those two films have much thing common, apart from being huge disappointments, and mostly the most annoying parts are similar.Why did I want to watch Domino or NBK? The stories were interesting. They were simple, yet intriguing. But in both cases the story is ruined by the director trying too hard to be very unique in their style of directing. Even the simplest, most boring way is better than throwing too many details in one absolute sh*t show.In this case the story was ruined by the large amount of characters, while many of them seem like trivialities compared to the main trio. It is hard to keep a track on who did what and who is who. Sometimes even the main plot seems like it doesn't matter, that there's something more important to the movie, but I can't figure out what that could be. At first Domino seems visually interesting, but that wears off soon. The way this film is shot is confusing and hard to follow, even if it sometimes looks real pretty. The strongest quality of the cinematography is the colour scheme, yet that is used in very few scenes, contrast to really annoying effects. Those special effects are used so much they lose their effect, which is where Tony Scott f*cked up. Those little fun effects would've made this film great, if they hadn't been used every five seconds. This is why this film's technical strengths became its greatest weaknesses.The best thing about this film is Keira Knightley, who is an extremely good actress, and since I've liked her since my childhood (Pirates of the Caribbean), it's always wonderful to see her in a movie.In short, the story was butchered and Tony Scott tried too hard to be artistic instead of making a simple action biography that more people could enjoy without getting a f*cking headache from the effects used.

Domino (2005): Dir: Tony Scott / Cast: Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Jacqueline Bisset, Delroy Lindo: Daughter of famous actor Laurence Harvey, Domino seemed fated for carnage. Her story is told in flashbacks to her attorney about the death of her father at an early age and her induction into boarding school that left her less than satisfied. It is during a phony bounty hunter seminar led to her true calling with a truck load of money stolen and bodies piling up. Director Tony Scott wisely shoots as if it was a reality T.V. show and indeed, much of the screenplay suggests this. Keira Knightley plays the fierce Domino without fear or consequence. She knows her past as well as the consequential choices of now but remains true to her own reasoning. Mickey Rourke and Edgar Ramirez are superb as bounty hunters both of whom have different feelings in accepting Domino within their ranks but ultimately they too must face the consequences of their actions. Jacqueline Bisset plays Domino's materialistic mother in perhaps the one role that remains the only face of home to Domino. Delroy Lindo plays a bail bondsman whose side business seems to be armor vehicles. Film gives insight into the dangers of bounty hunting but it is also quite violent in its portrayal of these events that slide through our heroine's memory like a film reel. Score: 8 / 10

I wouldn't say Domino (2005) is totally worthless. If you can appreciate a film on style alone, then it's an interesting one to look at, with the way it plays with color filters, voice over narration, and editing. But if you're looking for character and plot, then you'll never find it here.Not that there isn't a plot, but the whole thing isn't sewn together well and it flows poorly. The best scenes were the comical ones, but every dramatic moment falls flat. When characters die, you feel nothing. When Domino has ill omens about the future, you feel nothing. Domino herself is a poor protagonist, lacking depth and just along for the ride the whole film.In the end, it's style over substance. And it's a loud and obnoxious style at that, definitely a matter of love or hate. Watch at your own discretion, friends.