Today’s quick review: Moonwalkers. With less than two weeks to go until the Apollo 11 moon landing, the US government decides to film a fake moon landing to use as a backup. Tom Kidman (Ron Perlman), a frazzled Vietman vet, is sent to London to recruit director Stanley Kubrick for the project. But when Kidman mistakes Jonny Thorpe (Rupert Grint), a down-on-his-luck band manager, for Kubrick’s agent, Jonny seizes the chance to con his way into a fortune.
Moonwalkers is a black comedy about an ill-fated attempt to fake the 1969 moon landing. The movie pairs Ron Perlman and Rupert Grint in an elaborate, drug-fueled con job with the fate of the US space program on the line. Moonwalkers features a couple of skillful performances, a suitably tangled plot, and a hefty dose of 60s culture. However, the film’s mediocre humor, mature content, and shaky core keep it from coming together the way it should.
Moonwalkers’ main appeal is a pair of surprisingly spirited performances from its leads. Ron Perlman has a great sense of menace as Tom Kidman, a bloodthirsty CIA agent suffering from Vietnam flashbacks. Rupert Grint plays his scruffy foil in Jonny Thorpe, a perennial loser who tries to rip off Kidman by posing as Kubrick’s agent. Neither character is all that deep, but they are cast well and have a few good moments over the course of the film.
The plot is a convoluted web of crime and bad intentions. The opportunity to con Kidman falls into Jonny’s lap, but his half-baked plan soon spirals out of control. But in spite of a decent premise and a fairly satisfying resolution, Moonwalkers’ plot never sparkles. The stakes feel lower than the movie makes them out to be, and the plot falls just short of the madcap chaos found in the best crime comedies. The result is a story that’s merely adequate.
The issues with the plot are shared by the movie as a whole. Moonwalkers dabbles with a number of clever ideas, but it has nothing to tie them all together. The film is an eclectic collection of humor, violence, drug abuse, and scheming with no unifying thread. The setting feels no larger or more colorful than what is shown directly in the movie. The story is logical, but it never takes on a life of its own.
In addition, Moonwalkers is more explicit than its farcical premise would suggest, with plenty in the way of sex, swearing, and drug abuse. The film is also punctuated by occasional bursts of graphic violence. The tone remains light enough to offset the gore and psychedelic imagery, but the mature content pushes Moonwalkers even farther into its odd, black comedy niche. Sensitive viewers hoping for a breezy watch should steer clear.
Those interested in an offbeat take on a 60s conspiracy may want to give Moonwalkers a shot. It has just enough going on to be an entertaining watch for the right viewer. But those hoping for a more cohesive crime comedy should skip it. For a similiar flavor of cultural commentary, try The Men Who Stare At Goats. For a punchier crime comedy, try Snatch or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. For a political thriller about a fake movie, try Argo.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for fun pieces that never form a cohesive whole.