Movies-TV

"Wholly Weird Putrefied"

Maybe it was me, but I found it nearly impossible to follow the opening massacre in this movie. The overall storyline is also so disjointed, I needed Gladys Knight to explain to me what was going on. I can't believe LAPD would allow Ford's character to carry on his real estate business while on duty. That would be a firing offense at virtually any job I know. Further, the antics Ford and Hartnett perform during their IAD interrogation would have got them thrown into the slammer. Certainly, what self respecting interrogator would allow Ford to keep his cell phone? This cop buddy movie is about as convincing as "Tango and Cash" or "Showtime". In other words, despite some fairly humorous scenes and dialogue, the best I can give "Hollywood Homicide" is a "4".

No surprises here...

This film, in Denmark at least, was marketed as a lightweight cop/buddy movie, part of the joke being the mismatch of Josh Harnett and Harrison Ford. Personally I thought it was OK; as a rental that is. I wouldn't be too happy if I'd paid good money to see it in a theatre. Sure, in a few places it made me laugh, thereby fulfilling my expectations. There were more than a few 'names' in the movie that were either under-utilized or just tossed away, but so what? Everyone needs to slum it now and again, something that I'm sure director Ron Shelton was more than happy to do after the hard-hitting and bleak 'Dark Blue'. And I'm also sure that everyone got paid a tidy sum at the end of the day. Harrison Ford is a good serious actor, truly believable when playing furrowed-browed, exasperated characters under pressure. What a lot of viewers forget is that the bulk of his high profile comes from playing lightweight comedic characters - fast quipping Han Solo, desperate but dry Indiana Jones anyone? - He doesn't disappoint here either. He's a seriously entertaining comedic actor, whilst Josh Harnett is a proficient and good looking foil to the dog eared Mr. Ford. That said, the film just doesn't add up. Just look at the names; besides the aforementioned leads, there's Martin Landau, Lena Olin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lolita Davidovich, Bruce Greenwood and a host of notables in cameo roles. The whole mish-mash is directed by the reputable Ron Shelton. Admittedly, just because a film has some heavyweight names doesn't automatically mean that there's going to be a lot of substance in the content, but one is right to expect more. There certainly isn't here though. This is a soufflé of a film. The main plot is quickly forgotten.(...why I haven't mentioned it,)and there's the wasted talent, but I seen worse films that purported to be funny, and weren't. Films that even had sequels made!And therein lies my point. I had low expectations. I chuckled, therefore I was pleased. No more, no less.Epitaph: When the film ended, I couldn't help thinking that it could be translated into a highly entertaining TV cop show, but you'd have to keep Harrison Ford for it to work; and somehow I just don't see him doing that. Not just yet...

Atypical Harrison Ford outing that works for me

I don't get all the hate coming at this movie. It seemed to me a pleasing enough satire on the level of SHOWTIME. One way to 'get' this film is forget its a cop movie. Think of the Ford and Hartnett characters as actually a realtor and an actor who happen to chase around criminals and screw beautiful women. Nobody is taking the plot that seriously and that's kind of a good thing. There is the exception of the Isaiah Washington character who seems to be imported from a completely different type of film. There is also an odd echo, from of all things: BLADERUNNER. I realize to compare that classic to this bag of french fries may disturb some movie lovers but there were certain moments(Joe's initial interview with Antoine, the rooftop climax)that seemed to purposefully comment on the earlier film. I don't mind the idea of a sequel for these characters. The issue that a lot of people aren't getting is that Ford is a great light comic actor in the Bob Hope tradition.

Even Ford Could'nt save this one

A few (very few) laughs don't make this sort of serious, sort of not serious police drama any easier to get through. The writer and director build a plot with several subplots. Then, unable to resolve them in any sensible way, resort to a loooong, boring chase sequence, arrest all the bad guys and bail out of the movie. Not even worth renting. Sorry Harrison, you're the man but this is a turkey.

oh boy

harrison ford made a mistake but ill forgive him
since he has done and will do excellent work.
josh harnett's hair is the star .
i still cant figure out the story
but then again who cares.
rent it dont buy it.

my god, what a horrible movie!

the script might be written by a brain-dead person. the whole film dragged on like a leaking suv tire, slowly turned soft and under pressure and finally totally became flat. yeah, flat. i could never imagine that harrison ford would have agreed to take this role or even agreed to read the script before signed on. did he know that how pathetic he would have turned to be by accepting such role? my god, a nightmare. this is one of the worst movies i've seen so far in year 2003. amen.

Very Funny Movie!

Just saw this movie and it was just what I needed. A very funny Harrison Ford, plays it for laughs. He is very good at comedy...surprisingly as he's usually very stoic and
non-expressive in his movies. Josh Hartnett is also very good. A great movie with lots of unexpected cameos.

Fabulous

Hilarious - well written - well delivered.I ignored the 'main coincidence', as it was *almost* too much.The donut and the sale-of-the-house subplot had me laughing out loud.As a 'have fun and enjoy yourself' rating: 10/10

Someone Missed The Boat

This movie would have worked better as a serious cop drama with the comic relief but instead it was a comedy that drew more laughs from embarrassment then humor. Josh Hartnett does a good job as an Ashton Kutcher mimic. And Dwight Yoakam was a surprise, as was Lou Diamond Phillip as the hooker/decoy. I did have to look at the credits to identify Gladys Knight because I was thinking she was maybe someone else I couldn't quite put my finger on, but there was no mistaking Smokey Robbinson. This movie also has a lot of other cameo shots throughout, such as Eric Idle, Martin Landau, Robert Wagner, Frank Sinatra Jr., and for those that are into hip-hop and rap, (sorry, I'm not) many an artist from that gene had cameos. Harrison Ford gave a good performance and had the only true laugh in the movie when he was in the interrogation room and did the "hip motion" while up against the two way glass. My feeling is that this is a good dollar rental or a movie for Spike TV. This is not the type of movie I'd spend a lot of money on, (I got my copy at Big Lots for $3) but I wouldn't avoid it either.

Don't believe the hype, it ain't all that bad

Let's cut to the chase. Hollywood Homicide is not a classic. It's not Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, or even within sniffing distance of Chinatown. It's borderline whether or not it can be classified as a comedy or not. For all that, it's a harmless piece of amusement that has lots of little disparate elements which individually are appealing but which never gel into a cohesive unit. Sure it's annoying, but it doesn't mean the film is a complete waste of time.

What the film has going for it: the overall concept, the location, the sardonic travelogue quality/tribute to Los Angeles, Martin Landau, Ron Shelton's track record as a director, a great car chase sequence, and some very funny character quirks on the part of Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. Yes, these are not things to hang your hat on, but they do provide some good moments. Ford never looks quite comfortable and Hartnett is fine once you accept that fact that he's just an overgrown goofball, but the plot is flimsy at best and seems to be just a sideshow for the interplay between Ford and Hartnett.

One other note about Harrison Ford - his image is such that for him to step into what is perceived as a comedy is almost a culture shock. You don't know whether or not you should laugh or feel awkward. Me, I tended to laugh more often than not.

Ron Shelton has proven himself to be a very competent filmmaker and if he missteps here a bit, it's not for lack of trying. You can see that somewhere in this mess there's a decent film but it shouldn't be the audience's responsibility to find it. Nevertheless, it's not the worst thing to come out in the last couple of years and I for one enjoyed most of it.

Hollywood Foolishness

I made the mistake of showing up at the theater at a time when this was the only movie playing, so I went in. And then I came out later wondering why I saw it. Harrison Ford has never been high on my list for anything he's done, but this has to be in the bottom half of what he's done. Along with the highly over-rated What Lies Beneath, this is only the third movie of his I've seen in the last ten years, including the terrific The Fugitive. The plot does not matter in this movie, the characters do. The dialog is the best reason to see this movie, but there's not much drama or action, even, until the last 30 minutes. There isn't much comedy either. The cop buddy film has been done too many times in too many ways for us to accept this movie as anything other than another clone, which tries to work unique traits into the characters, such as meditation, real estate, acting, psychic powers, etc. It doesn't change the fact that this is a tired formula and even more so when it focuses on predictable buddy banter and a long string of big time cameos, which is always a signal that the screenplay is missing something, instead of the plot (of which there is very little). The best things in this movie are the all too brief Martin Landau as an elderly Hollywood producer trying to sell his home and the extremely sexy Lena Olin as the forgettable love interest. Anyone wanting to see her in another extremely sexy, more erotic role, in a much better film, should see The Unbearable Lightness Of Being, 1988. I like Lolita Davidovich too, but her too brief role could have been played by anyone. Pretty boy Josh Hartnett, who made his debut 5 years ago in the always obligatory horror film for young actors, Halloween H2O, is merely on hand to grab the younger demographic. No doubt all girls, teens through their mid 20's, will want to see pretty boy Josh, by gosh. However, when the funniest scenes in the movie consist of news helicopters crowding the skies and each other, you know the movie is in trouble. ** of 4 stars.

Enjoyable Fluff

"Hollywood Homicide" wasn't what I expected at all. First off, it was a lot funnier and a lot more fun than I had been led to believe from the advertisements, which seemed to show a straightforward action-cop flick. But that's misleading. Instead, it's a lighthearted romp much in the style of a "Die Hard" or "True Lies," a high-speed action film with a good deal of tongue-in-cheek humor and poking fun at everyone, notably the age-old, crusty, buddy-cop movie itself (heck, it's just this side of being flat-out satire). Cell phones, everyone in Hollywood wants to be an actor or to sell a script, old guys vs. young guys, all the cliches. They're not in here by accident.

Harrison Ford stars as Joe Gavilan, put-upon Los Angeles police sergeant detective with a handful of ex-wives and a faltering real estate business who knows his police work but struggles to deal with his life outside the department. His partner, K.C. Calden, played by Josh Hartnett, is a young idealistic yoga instructor who has a way with the ladies and is apparently only on the force because his father was. What he REALLY wants to be is an actor (of course!). But to give the story a little meat (or, at least, protein-based tofu), naturally, his father was killed on duty under some shady circumstances, and his shady partner got off scot-free. That's foreshadowing, mark of quality literature. No, the story isn't deep (unless it's so deep it's shallow). Joe and K.C. are called to the scene of a brutal shooting where an up-and-coming rap group were senselessly slain in apparent executioner style. The chase is on. While the heroes search for the gunmen, we in the audience find out right away that of course they are only hired guns -- they arrive at a pre-arranged meeting spot to get their money for carrying out the hit where they are ruthlessly slaughtered by the big boss and henchman, who turn out to be the head of the rap group's record label, Antoine Sartain (Isaiah Washington) and (ta da!) the shady partner of Hartnell's father, Leroy Wasley (Dwight Yoakam). A couple of hops, skips, and jumps, and you know the score, the bad guys lose and the good guys win.

No, it's not a terribly complex storyline; it's also paved with dangling plotlines which were probably tossed in to show "there's a life outside of this story," but it was often frustrating to be shown tidbits with no relation to the main storyline (it's not the story, it's the jokes which are important); but where "Hollywood Homicide" comes up all right is the interaction between Ford and Hartnett. Both turn in easy, comfortable, and likeable performances, making their characters fun and interesting, particularly Ford, who is at his butt-kicking, getting-his-butt-kicked best (probably a bit of a waste in a throwaway film like this, but hey, he's Harrison Ford). Likewise, supporting characters are fun and interesting, including Martin Landau as a aging movie producer, Master P as a rap club owner Ford is trying to sell a house to, and Gladys Knight as the mother of a witness on the lamb. The main problem lies in the two-D villains. Not only are we shown from the onset who the bad guys are, it's fairly obvious from the beginning that our heroes pretty much know, too, so it's only a drawn-out chase, leading to the actual chase (with a terrific send-up of LA high speed chases, including media choppers). While Washington is reasonably convincing in his role (Hey, look out, Joe, he's a bad guy! Joe knows already), it's very much a single-celled character; with Yoakam it's almost worse, because it's just an amalgamation of the same character(s) he's been playing in his last few major releases -- a character who is a swaggering bully like Doyle (Sling Blade), cold and cruel like Raoul (Panic Room), and hysterical and whining like Glasscock (Newton Boys). I can appreciate wanting to play so far from type, but when you play against "type" all the time, guess what... it's typecasting again. It's time for Yoakam to show he can play more than a thug.

The action is non-stop, the pacing even, the acting pretty good for a bit of fluff like this is. Very enjoyable. Cameos of Lou Diamond Phillips, Eric Idle, and notably Robert Wagner with Honorary Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant are riots.

A lot of fun!

I went with a friend on opening night to see my idol Harrison Ford in this action/comedy extravaganza. I've been a Ford fan since The Empire Strikes Back and have seen everything he has done past and present. What I saw this evening was my hero finally trying a comedic role and let me say he was absolutely outstanding. Ford and co-star Josh Hartnett worked wonderfully together. I don't want to give away any of the plot but I will say there is an awesome car chase, foot pursuits, fist fights, gorgeous women, and funny sub plots about realty and yoga. The rap music and score of the film were pretty good too.For anybody who is a fan of Harrison's work such as myself go see this movie, you won't be disappointed!*** out of ****

Silly and Forgettable

In Hollywood, Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) is a competent detective of the homicide division and a real-estate broker in his spare time to pay his debts and mortgage. His partner K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett) is also an aspirant of actor, looking for a chance in the cinema industry to quit his position in the police department. While Gavilan and Calden are investigating the death of four rappers, the dirty Lt. Bennie Macko (Bruce Greenwood) of the internal affairs and enemy of Gavilan is chasing them. 'Hollywood Homicide' is a silly and forgettable movie, although having a great cast and a very high budget. I agree with the title of the comment of another user: 'I'd rather just watch "Lethal Weapon" again...' Me too. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): 'Divisão de Homicídios' ('Homicide Division')

Mixed Thoughts On Ths One

Hollywood Homicide isn't a good film when you get right it down to it, nor is it a really bad one. Hollywood Homicide is a film that was butchered in the editing, script department and really lacks what it needed to be a hit in the summer time which is more action. The trailer pretty much gives away the plot which at some points in the movie goes haywire it seems like the studio was forcing Ron Shelton to give everything into the movie so it could be a big summer tent pole release but alas for a movie of this nature to be a big summer tent pole release in my opinion I would have changed a few things. Number one- replace the non acting Master P with the more rounded Mos Def (who can make any bad movie pretty enjoyable hence his work in Showtime). Number two - make the film R rated you can't make a movie about Gangster rappers and not have profanity, I mean honestly how many ganster rappers do you know that release clean CD'S by choice ? As much sex as Hartnett was getting the film could have showed some T&A ! Number three - Give the very underrated Isiah Washingtion more screen time as the villain ! I think that version of Hollywood Homicide would have been good to release in the summer. Although Ford and Hartnett have good chemsitry the film that is made here would have been better suited as a winter or fall release. So like I said I still have mixed thoughts on this one I liked the film for Hartnett and Ford and the many cameo's and pop culture refernces but the story line and lack of action upset me. I give the film ** stars.

When are we gonna see some gratuitous sex,violence and language on our screens again?

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsHollywood Homicide tells the story of two members of a gang going to a rap gig,opening fire and shooting them all dead whilst endangering the lives of concert goers in the process,and of the subsequent investigation that follows.This is the sort of film that 13 or,maybe even as recently as 10,years ago would have received a 15 or,hell,even an 18.But,in my eyes anyway,this would have been fine as it would have shown willingness to explore the adult content at hand.Not that a large amount of the content shown in Hollywood Homicide is suitable for anyone under 12 anyway,but alas those are the potential audience members that,with the company of a parent or responsible adult,are going to be able to see it.Maybe a lot of stuff was edited in the UK version,or maybe film producers are nowadays just too aware of the audience population pre teens represent,but either way,as a result,what we have ended up with with HH is a film that is just jokey and stupid when it should have been serious and adult oriented.Neither Harrison Ford nor Josh Hartnett pull off their roles very well (which has to be a bad thing),managing to be neither convincing as tough,hard-as-nails detectives or amusing where the script requires them to be.Director Ron Shelton's previous film,Dark Blue,was his first venture into the world of serious drama,and despite being an intently enjoyable film,it was not quite the sum of it's parts.Compared to this,however,it's a true masterpiece.Worst of all on this count,a large part of it is his fault,allowing the pace to waver and the story to lose any structural coherence,which,for a film stretching or ebbing just over the two hour mark,is a major bummer.Another problem is that throughout the film,it seems to be striving to be a self mocking parody of the sort of blockbuster action type films that Hollywood produces by the bucketload.On this count,the film fails in the same way the Arnold Schwarzenegger flick Last Action Hero did 10 years ago (and it's been just as big a flop too).It opens well and there is the odd entertaining action scene or genuinely amusing moment,but I do rather think it's time the producers of this type of film sat back and realised that by making this type of film accessible to all age groups,they could risk alienating their main,and most influential,audience.**

Too much

This movie could have been good but the story has far too many sub-plots and the main theme gets lost. Is it Buddy-cop movie, is it a you killed my dad movie, is is a murder movie...it goes on and on. Not horrible but not worth the time.

Could have been a lot worse, could have been a lot better

I came out of this movie baffled --- I think I spent most of the time baffled. The entire internal police investigation thing I still do not understand (sharing of funds?) and Madame Cleo's and Psychic Ruby's characters (Lolita Davidovich and Lena Olin) looked so much alike the group of us spent the entire movie thinking they were the same character posing as one as part of the police sting and Joe's character didn't realize it. (we didn't even realize it until the credits rolled!) The bad cop and the donut scene was hilarious ... Josh Harnett needs to learn to stop acting without squinting and Bruce Greenwood was wasted (what a fine actor!) The best part of the movie were the cameo roles ... you will be laughing to yourself "was that who I think that was???" (and yes it was!) Not a bad was to spend a hot afternoon at the multiplex that has air conditioning ... just make sure you have lots of junkfood!

Is Harrison Ford really this desperate for roles?

Summary:
Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) and his partner, K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett), are homicide detectives in Hollywood. But, that's not all... Gavilan also dabbles in real estate as a second income and K.C. is a Yoga instructor and 'wannabe' actor.

The movie begins with the murders of the members of an up and coming rap group, H2OClick. Gavilan and Calden are called in to investigate the murders only to find that it was actually the owner of the recording studio that had a contract with the group that ordered the murders, Antoine Sartain (Isaiah Washington). As it just so happens, the former partner of Calden's father, Leroy Wasley (Dwight Yoakam), is in charge of Sartain's security - he hires the hitmen then kills them when they've finished their jobs.

The rest of the movie involves Gavilan and Calden tracking down Wasley and Sartain while at the same time Gavilan is trying to make a huge sell and Calden, who does the Yoga instruction just to meet women, is pursuing a career as an actor.

My Comments:
I do have to admit that I laughed while watching this movie, but only about four times. This movie was supposed to be a comedy, really! But, well, it falls dramatically short on the delivery. When I think of the ideal people for a buddy cop comedy, Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett are not the first two names that come to mind. Geez, if Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy can't pull off a buddy cop movie, Ford and Hartnett don't have a prayer.

Anyway, the story is almost interesting but only because it shows pretty much every cop as having a second job. Whether or not this is true to life, I don't know; I'm not a cop. But it was at least a little bit new. There are a number of problems with the story, but the major problem is the investigation of Gavilan by Lt. Bennie Macko (Bruce Greenwood). The movie keeps trying to give some explanation for the investigation, but it never actually makes any sense. Supposedly they think Gavilan is taking money, but then they accuse him of meeting with 'bad people' and prostitutes and who knows what else. They only way this added to the film was by giving Gavilan someone to sleep with, Ruby (Lena Olin), who also just happens to be Macko's ex-wife. Also, the connection between Wasley and Calden is another big, big coincidence that just doesn't work. It's almost as though the writers found as many things as they could to possibly complicate the movie and put them all into it with the hopes that people wouldn't see this as 'just another buddy cop' movie. The result, just another buddy cop movie... but one that isn't funny and has far too many coincidences.

The acting is okay, but, despite being a big fan of Harrison Ford, I really didn't think he was that great in this film. This just isn't his genre. He needs to stick the 'drama with a bit of action' genre. As for Josh Hartnet, well, he was okay, but again, not very convincing. Also, neither of these two are funny. The only funny elements of the movie revolved around Gavlin's make real estate deals while chasing Sartain. It didn't really make any sense, but it was a little bit funny. The rest of the acting was about what you would expect from an episode of NYPD Blue.

Overall, as buddy cop movies go, this isn't funny, the story is too complicated for its own good, and the actors are out of place. I don't believe any of the buddy cop movies following Rush Hour have even come close to equaling its humor and action; this is not the exception. I would highly not recommend this movie.

Better than I expected

Hollywood Homicide wasn't exactly what you would call fantastic cinema, but it had some worthwhile moments. Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett actually worked very well as a team. Hollywood Homicide had a few twists to it that made it different than the usual cop movies. Among K. C.'s 'Streetcar Named Desire' storyline, there were other parts that made the film reasonably amusing. I would suggest seeing this movie if you are in the mood for just a fun sort of film.