DOMINO

Notable Cast:
Keira Knightly, Mickey Rourke

Rating:
R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use.

Plot:
Based on the true story of Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley), daughter of film actor Laurence Harvey. Tired and unsuited to the pretentiousness of her high-society LA life, Domino leaves the glittarti behind and sets off to become a bounty hunter. She quickly falls under the wing of veteran hunter Ed Mosley (Mickey Rourke) and his crew and becomes an unlikely natural in the art of bounty hunting. But things really heat up when a gang of masked men begin a series of armored car heists, and before long the mob, a crazed TV producer, the FBI and a terminally ill child have all got caught up in the crazy situation.

My Thoughts:
I really dug this movie. The visuals in this movie really reminded me of "Man on Fire." And low and behold Tony Scott, the director, directed "Man On Fire" also. From what I can tell they took great liberties in this story, but they acknowledged that fact from the get go with a great tag line. "This is based on a true story...sort of." I think when movies do this at least they can own up that they are not following real life. Which they did for this movie, so that's cool. As for the movie like I said it was totally interesting. Not to mention a great little spoof with Brian Austin Green and Ian Zering. They were doing a reality show and the two 90210 boys were to be the hosts. The only real problem I had with the movie was it seemed that there was one to many double crosses. It just kinda carried it out to much and you get a little lost. Great action! And good visuals. If you haven't seen it go out and rent it, it's a lot of fun.

My 5 Star Rating:
****

Things to Ponder:
1. Early on, after describing her childhood experiences with death, Domino says, "I decided not to invest too much emotion in one thing. It's always a set-up to the pain of losing them." Is there some truth to what she says? Do relationships ever end without pain? What should our attitude be towards this kind of pain?

2. Why do you think the coin tosses are depicted against images of Christ? Is the presence of God reflected in this film in any way? Note the references to a higher power; note also the fatalism of the films closing line. Does the film say life is all meaningless chance, or does it point to something else? Would fate be any better than chance?

3. How concerned are these characters with their images? Note the reason Ed gives Choco for accepting Domino on their team. What about the actors from Beverly Hills 90210?

4. Does the film say anything new or interesting about the media? Why do you think the TV producer is so concerned that he not show people smoking a joint on TV, but he's okay with crime and violence and sexy images? Is this hypocrisy? What double standards do we employ in our own relationship with the media?

5. Domino says the world is divided into three groups: the rich, the poor, and everyone in between. Do you agree? What do you make of the films closing images? Does this film portray wealth or poverty in a meaningful fashion?