Today’s quick review: Jonah Hex. Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin), a disfigured bounty hunter, gets a second chance at revenge when Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), the Confederate general who killed his family, resurfaces years after his supposed death. Using his mystic ability to talk to the dead, Hex must hunt down Turnbull and his men before they can unleash a stolen superweapon on Washington, D.C. and bring the United States to its knees.
Jonah Hex is a fantasy Western based on the DC Comics character. Jonah Hex mixes a Western foundation with fanciful technology, fantasy elements, and superhero influences to produce an unusual take on the action genre. As well as leads Josh Brolin and John Malkovich, Jonah Hex’s solid cast includes Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, and Will Arnett. However, a weak script and mediocre direction keep the keep the film from living up to its full potential.
As a rule, Jonah Hex has interesting ideas but poor follow-through. Nowhere is this more apparent than Jonah’s ability to speak to the dead. The ability is explained in passing as a result of Jonah’s own brush with death, but apart from helping Jonah track down Turnbull, it has no bearing on the plot. The scenes where this ability is put to use have interesting dynamics, but the concept is never expanded upon.
The same goes for the film’s technological indulgences. Horse-mounted Gatling guns and dynamite crossbows make a good impression but have no lasting effect on the film. More broadly, the plot is predictable and about twenty minutes too short, needlessly glossing over Jonah’s origin story. The direction is passable but noticeably flawed, with a tendency to rush the pacing, overuse darkness, and misapply flashbacks and visions.
As far as acting goes, the film’s actors are let down by a lackluster script. Josh Brolin makes for a fine protagonist in the jaded gunslinger mold, but without the character development or killer lines to make him stand out. John Malkovich plays an oddly typical villain for an actor known for his unusual delivery. Michael Fassbender makes the most of his role as Burke, Turnbull’s psychotic right-hand man, falling just short of memorable villain territory.
In the end, Jonah Hex makes for a decent action film and a weak Western. Inventive ideas on the technology and fantasy sides help give the movie a flavor of its own, but the movie doesn’t follow through on its most interesting concepts and its execution is not strong enough to make it memorable. Give Jonah Hex a shot when you are in the mood for an action movie that blurs genre lines, as long as you are willing to forgive it some lapses in quality.
Other movies that play in a similar space include The Warrior’s Way, which adds Eastern assassins to the Wild West; Ghost Rider, which works Western elements into a supernatural superhero film; and Cowboys & Aliens, which fuses the Western and sci-fi genres. While all of these films have their flaws, their experimental takes on the Western genre may be of interest to a certain type of viewer.
4.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for interesting ideas held back by poor execution.