Domino review

Like a two-hour music video, Domino is loud, brash, gaudy pulp for the ADD generation. Several directors' distinctive styles have become terms in themselves, Felliniesque and Hitchcockian being two examples. If Tony Scott had a more poetic surname, and wasn't in danger of being confused with his brother Ridley, the Domino director would lend his name to a phrase that described films more interested in trying to look cool than having any substance. It's clear his background in commercials has never deserted him, and in small doses can be effective, but over time becomes exhausting, insuring that whatever product he's selling loses its appeal.

Based on a true story "sort of", Domino is about Domino Harvey, the daughter of renowned British actor Lawrence Harvey, who abandoned a life of wealth and privilege to become a bounty hunter in Los Angeles. It's a story that if invented would be hard to swallow, but though true, in the hands of Scott, is totally unbelievable, if not impenetrable. The fact that Scott was a close friend of the real Domino, who died of a heroin overdose shortly after filming, makes the disconnect even more bewildering.

Domino never satisfactorily attempts to explore how the well educated daughter of a famous actor and a Ford supermodel became immersed in the violent and insalubrious profession of bounty hunting. Instead it glibly suggests the reason Domino's life spiraled out of control was due to the death of her pet goldfish.

Screenwriter Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) is less interested in understanding Domino than showing her wielding a pair of machine guns and declaring "My destiny is life. Life as a bounty hunter." Out of the plumy mouth of Keira Knightley, Domino's tough talking - "My intention is to kick arse" - sounds more risible than threatening. The real Domino, who is shown briefly at the end, has lifeless eyes and a ruggedness that no amount of make up could etch onto Knightley's delicate features.

Kelly's script is an overly plotted maze of threads involving Domino and her two colleagues, the rugged Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and hot-headed Choco (Edgar Ramirez) who is besotted with Domino. One element is $10m, which their bail bondsman boss (Delroy Lindo) is tied in with, along with a variety of nefarious types including the mafia. To further complicate things, Domino and her partners are the subject of a reality TV series produced by the maniacal Mark Heiss (Christoper Walken) and presented by a pair of Beverly Hills 90210 stars Brian Austen Green and Ian Ziering.

Confused? You will be. The only thing to prevent bewilderment at the unnecessarily convoluted tale is the fact that, thanks to Scott's frenetics, it's hard to even care what's happening. At the conclusion, Knightley's Domino states, "I'll never tell you what it all meant." As if it had any meaning.

Kevin Murphy