Jarrod WalkerHANCOCK
June 29th 2008 10:29
Directed By Peter Berg
Written By Vincent Ngo
Stars: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Hancock began its life as a spec script by screenwriter Vincent Ngo in 1996 and in the period since, it’s been punted back and forth between various producers and any number of directors, including Tony Scott and Michael Mann, before being taken on by Peter Berg (The Kingdom) as a vehicle for Will Smith. Apparently the inherent dark comedy of the script was deemed objectionable by the studio, leading to several versions of the completed film. A sub plot regarding statutory rape was cut; other issues were Hancock’s alcohol consumption and the films violence. The studio wanted a blockbuster ‘event’ film what it got was an R rated action-comedy.
What we end up with sees Smith as the eponymous anti-hero, a drunken super-powered wreck who languishes on park benches, groping at passing women and guzzling bourbon all day long, struggling to fly straight as he apprehends evildoers and destroying parts of the city in the process. His crime-stopping escapades turn most of Los Angeles populace against him and it’s only when he rescues hapless PR consultant Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from certain death that he finds himself undergoing something of a PR makeover, in order to become the kind of superhero that the city wants and expects.
The inspired moments of comedy and action seem to be fragments of a greater film that have failed to coalesce into a coherent whole. The component talents involved are at the top of their game, notably Bateman as Ray, however the film feels rushed and muddled, having been sliced and diced in the editing room in an attempt to tailor the film to its target demographic, so whether Smith’s pulling power with audiences can save the day is anyone’s guess.
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