FOLIO
by Rick Grant
Based on the classic comic book by D.C. Comics, the film adaptation puts the wild in “wild wild west” with disfigured bounty hunter, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) on a solo mission to get revenge. He is seething with rage motivation to find and kill Col. Quentin Turnbull, (John Malkoivich) who branded his face while he watched his family being burned alive. Hex further disfigured his face by burning the brand off.
Set right after the Civil War, Col. Turnbull has never stopped fighting the now United States of America. He possesses a strange weapon of mass destruction (WMD) which looks like antimatter balls. Whatever it is, it’s like a nuclear weapon with enough explosive power to take out cities. He is determined to change the outcome of the Civil War.
Hex doesn’t give a damn about Turnbull’s motivations or politics, He just wants Turnbull dead. However, in a twist of fate, President Grant hires Hex to track down Turnbull before he can use his WMD. Hex obliges.
The story is driven by the classic western motivation. Some fiendish band of killers, Indians, or bandits torture and kill some guy’s family. This sets the protagonist off on a quest to get his revenge. In this case, Hex is working for the U.S. government.–not that he needs any help.
Megan Fox plays Lilac–a tough woman of ill repute who, despite Hex’s disfigurement, loves him. She makes a great cohort with small weapons hidden in her clothes and on her body. She can also kick butt when the time comes to help Hex take down Col Turnbull.
Filmmaker Jimmy Hayward and a committee of D.C. Comics writers shredded the script of much of its content in favor of the mind bending special effects. But Hex doesn’t have much to say. He lets his two Colt 45 revolvers and shotguns speak for him.
The paranormal elements of Brolin’s character add another dimension to the story. Clearly, Hex has seen the other side and is not scared to go there. So, he’s not afraid to die. This makes him especially dangerous because he’ll take chances other men would not take to get the job done.
Sometimes I crave a badass western. “Hex” delivers a butt-kicking, shoot-em-up that satisfies my jones. Yeah, the script is sophomoric and the WMD Col. Turnbull commands makes no sense. Still, Hex is one mean hombre who is more than willing to risk his life to accomplish his mission. John Malkovich makes a convincing sadistic killer. So head em up, move em out, its time to ride on the wild side.
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