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Hollywood Homicide film review
HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE
Running time: 111 mins
Starring: Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Martin Landau
At one point during the disjointed Hollywood Homicide, veteran LAPD detective Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) turns to his raw young partner K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett), who is rehearsing for his upcoming stage performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, and says "give it some conviction." It's a sentiment that can just as easily be levelled at both actors, though their uncertainty is well justified given the only sure thing about Hollywood Homicide is that it's a confused mess.
Prior to Homicide director Ron Shelton had helmed the hardboiled cop thriller Dark Blue set amidst the volatile backdrop of the Los Angeles riots of 1991. Shifting his focus to a more lighthearted take on the LAPD, Shelton, who shares a screenwriting credit with Robert Souza, has created a buddy cop movie that tries to straddle comedy and drama, but fails to find firm footing in either. It is hard not to feel uncomfortable watching the dour Ford struggle to mine what little humour exists. Equally, Hartnett seems unsure of what tone to adopt. It feels as though both long to break out and take a broader, more whimsical approach but lack the material and belief to go for it.
The unlikely story begins with both policemen engaged in their secondary careers, Gavilan as a real estate broker and K.C. as a yoga instructor. They are called to a Hollywood nightclub where a rap group has been gunned down. To the seasoned and jaded Gavilan, his police career has long since lost its allure. With three ex-wives and two kids to support, his life holds few joys and is simply about paying the bills. The more spiritually attuned K.C.'s commitment to the force comes more out a sense of obligation to his policeman father who was killed on duty rather than any passion for the job. Indeed, he is planning to quit and pursue what he considers his true calling as an actor. "I have to follow my bliss," he declares to a bemused Gavilan.
Showing the dual lives of police officers forced to take on other jobs to subsidize their lowly incomes provides Hollywood Homicide with one of its few promising elements. But even this potential avenue turns into nothing more than a cul de sac, offering little more than a brief respite from the spurious plot involving the murder investigation. Presumably recognizing the story's glaring vacuity, it is filled with numerous distractions including a vengeful internal affairs officer's (Bruce Greenwood) pursuit of Gavilan, and Ruby (Lena Olin), a free spirit with connections to both men.
As the story climaxes (for want of a better word), K.C. stumbles around a small stage in front of an even smaller crowd doing his best impression of Brando as Stanley Kowalski but succeeding only in falling over the props. Although meant to be funny, the scene simply emphasizes the film's shortcomings as it becomes difficult to determine the difference between the painfully amateurish production of Streetcar and Hollywood Homicide.
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