A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Hollywood Homicide

Date Viewed: 6/14

Details:

Harrison Ford

Josh Hartnett

Lena Olin

Martin Landau

Lou Diamond Phillips

Gladys Knight

Director: Ron Shelton

Score: 0

The Review: A buddy-cop flick, with Harrison Ford as the older more experienced one and Josh Hartnett as the young whippersnapper. Hartnett is not at all sure he wants to continue to be a cop, and is hedging his bets as a (painfully) fledgling actor, meditation instructor, etc. Ford is getting ready for retirement as a (perpetually failing) real estate agent. When a past (unsolved) case stumbles over a fresh new case, gets twisted in the debris of side jobs, miscellaneous income and home sales, and is then seasoned with an aggressive (and increasingly personal) investigation by internal affairs, the plot -- such as it is -- takes off.

The duo does not have the dynamic of other buddy-cop flicks (neither their interaction nor their dialog is any competition for Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon series; not even for Steven Siegal and Damon Wynans in Glimmerman), nor of other buddy flicks (an Odd Couple, they're not). There are some good lines, some decent running gags, and at least one amusing chase scene, but it just doesn't click. Lena Olin has a small but excellent role as a radio "psychic" and periodic love interest. Gladys Knight has an even smaller role as the (recognized) mother of one of the suspects/witnesses.

(2-Aug-03)

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