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By ROLAND E.
ZWICK
Why anyone would have
thought it was a good idea to remake "The Big
Bounce," an utterly unmemorable 1969 caper comedy
(based on an Elmore Leonard novel), is a
complete mystery to me.
Owen Wilson takes over the role of Jack Ryan
(originally played by Ryan O'Neal), a petty crook
who has some issues with his ex-boss, Ray Ritchie,
a corrupt real estate developer in Hawaii. Hooking
up with Ritchie's bombshell mistress, Ryan comes
up with a scheme to rob the big man of a couple
hundred thousand dollars. Ryan is also befriended
by an anti-Ritchie judge named Walter Crewes, for
reasons that make almost no sense at all until the
closing moments.
As in all films of this type, Ryan soon learns
that people are not always what they appear to be
and that the conning game can work both ways.
Actually, if the truth be told, Ryan is remarkably
stupid for a con man.
The pacing of this film is almost shockingly bad.
The story plods along for a good hour or so before
the inevitable plot twists begin to kick in. Then,
when they finally arrive, they are so poorly
worked out and explained that you will probably be
scratching your head wondering what it was that
just happened -- if you still care that is. The
attitude on the part of both the filmmakers and
the actors is so lackadaisical and indifferent
that the film is really an insult to the audience.
In addition to Wilson, the film wastes the
considerable talents of Morgan Freeman, Charlie
Sheen, Willie Nelson, Harry Dean Stanton, Sara
Foster and Gary Sinise, among others, all of whom
at least got a trip to Hawaii out of the deal.
The DVD include three very short featurettes but
not a commentary track. The first featurette is a
twelve-minute promotional piece, the second an
eight-minute collection of stunt surfing outtakes,
and the third is a mere three minutes of surfing.
The theatrical trailer is also included. |
