Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind, Science of Sleep) is known for his dream-like style of weirdness that would never be seen in commercial film making. Except for when it is. Enter the Green Hornet.
First reaching American audiences viw radio in 1936, the Green Hornet made his debut with martial art expert side-kick Kato. Britt Reid is the son of the owner of the L. A. newspaper the Daily Sentinel. When his father suddenly dies, Britt finds himself at the head of the company and in control of a multi-media empire. After pulling a prank with his father’s assitant, Kato, Reid decides that they should becoming superheroes. With Kato’s technology and martial arts expertise, and Reid’s…money they form the duo known as the Green Hornet. After taking out local gangs and thugs the Green Hornet attracts the attention of big crime boss Chubnovsky. The Green Hornet has finally found a worthy adversary after Chubnoxsky is reborn as Bloodnovsky the red-wearing supervillian.
The movie is fairly tongue-in-cheek throughout the film while Gondry’s style add amazing elements to the fight scenes (alternating slowing and speeding of the time-code on alternating sides of the screen). There are other touches in the film that make this a Gondry film and on whole the movie is entertaining and funny. The Dark Knight this is not, but a still there is a great film here.
Here is one of my favorite Michel Gondry music videos: Daft Punk Around the World.
