From the time it was announced, Sony’s The Green Hornet was a project surrounded by skepticism, much of it generated by the fact that Seth Rogen was not only co-writing the film, but starring as the title character. Not since Tim Burton cast Michael Keaton as Batman have there been so many missives about the choice of actor in the role of a comic book hero. The question, of course, is whether or not Rogen, like Keaton, has managed to put the derisive comments aside and deliver the goods. The answer is… yes.
In the past Rogen had told CBM that his hope was that he and director Michel Gondry would deliver the first superhero action comedy, which in itself was a challenge – go too far into the action side, you lose the humor all involved were striving for, but stray too far into comedy terrain and you run the risk of going camp. The good news is that for the most part The Green Hornet successfully manages to walk the line. This has largely to do with the fact that the script co-written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg grab this particular bull by the horns, allowing their screenplay to successful ly reflect the skepticism in the form of Britt Reid, a party guy more preoccupied with getting wasted and laid than leaving any kind of significant legacy for himself, thus giving no indication whatsoever that he would ever be able to rise to the position of hero. By taking this approach, the film allows Reid’s gradual evolution from clown to hero to reflect Rogen’s embracing of the genre and proving himself believable in the role. It does take a bit too long for Rogen’s Reid to kind of figure things out – not just in terms of the crime they find themselves involved, which surrounds government corruption, but in regards to himself as a person – and for a while it feels like he simply won’t get it, but eventually he does.
As was the case with the ‘60s TV series that starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet and introduced the world to the late Bruce Lee as Kato, it’s the sidekick who steals the show. Jay Chou’s Kato is the brains behind the team, coming up with everything from the Black Beauty (an AMAZING car!) to various devices, including a gas gun that is used to effective (if not occasionally corny) effect. The character of the Green Hornet doesn’t have too many ideas that make sense until they’re finessed by Kato (one suggestion, however, does play in the film nicely). In truth, it’s the rapport between the two that makes this film work as effectively as it does – if we don’t believe in their relationship, then there’s nothing to fall back on but jokes and action, which would have been ineffective. But here we’ve got some classic back and forths in the tradition of films like the Lethal Weapon series.
Cameron Diaz, always so lovely to look at, doesn’t bring a lot to her role as Reid’s personal assistant, Lenore Case. That’s not a slam against her, but it’s a role that pretty much any able actress could have pulled off. Still, nice to have her along for the ride.
The real surprise is Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky, the Russian mobster who has taken over all crime in the city and is driven to the point of insanity by the intervention of the Green Hornet and Kato. What’s great about his portrayal is the way he goes from underplayed humor to deadly menace in a single breath, his facial expression barely changing at all to reflect what he’s feeling. Particularly look at for his bewilderment that, thanks to the Hornet and Kato, people no longer think he’s powerful… or scary. He intends on correcting that.
The real superhero in The Green Hornet, however, is director Michel Gondry. He has managed to create a film that harkens back to action films of the ‘80s, yet brings a modern sensibility . He senses just how far he can delve into the different elements of this unique mix in the CBM genre, and delivers everything he’s intending. Also, as gratuitous as it may seem, the addition of 3D actually enhances the action, never feeling like a distraction or forced.
The bottom line is that while The Green Hornet is not a classic in the genre by any stretch, it does manage to soar as what could indeed be the first superhero action comedy. It’s genuinely entertaining, and given advanced skepticism, that’s saying a lot.