Hollywood Homicide

Starring: Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Martin Landau, Lou Diamond Phillips
Directed by: Ron Shelton
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Crime
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two California cops (Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett) investigate the murder of a hot rap group. These two cops shift through the evidence and the dangerous investigation, all the while dealing with personal dreams- one wants to sell a house and the other wants to become an actor.

Review:

Tim: Ok, I really do like the pairing of Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. Ford represents the old school action hero, not only Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but good cop roles like in The Devil's Own and such films. Hartnett is the new up and coming star, with such films like "O" and Black Hawk Down. Their chemistry together on screen is pretty decent.

Hollywood Homicide is funny... but not that funny. It is entertaining... but not that entertaining. Its good... but not that good. The film is oftentimes too slow and not plot-driven in any sense of the term. The audience is often subjected to the two cops' attempts to fulfill their dreams- one in real estate, the other on the stage. Unfortunately, we don't really care about either dream, and an attempt to give these characters multiple dimensions comes off as a cheap way to divert attention and fill space in the movie. It gets annoying real fast.

Also, I am sad to report that this film plays the old, "I'm a young cop thats only a cop because my cop dad died in the line of duty" card with Josh Hartnett's character. I have news for you- this card has been played. Time and time again, this plot has appeared in buddy cop movies. Unless some variation of this occurs, immediately the film seems more lackluster than it otherwise could have been.

Ultimately, this film throws too much at you too quickly, and doesn't make you care enough to stick through it. I mean, in this movie, you have a cop/real estate agent, a cop/yoga instructor/aspiring actor, psychics, rappers, crooked cops, and cells phones constantly going off. None of these add up to anything too spectacular. While Hollywood Homicide will offer enough action and entertainment to keep you from falling asleep, you will at last grow tird of the film and beg for it to end.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Devil's Own, Black Hawk Down, 40 Days and 40 Nights, "O", Clear and Present Danger, Witness, The Fugitive