Hollywood Homicide (2003) Reviews

• I finished a painting while writing this review

  BrandtSponseller2005-02-12

  Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) is a seasoned detective. K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett) is his still wet behind the ears partner. Hollywood Homicide has them trying to balance the investigation of murders involving members of LA's rap industry with unusual extracurricular activities and concerns. The most obvious aspects that make the film work so well are the extracurriculars. Without them, this might be seen as just another buddy-cop action/crime/drama--a good one at that, but nothing spectacular. But Hollywood Homicide is a comedy at heart. Gavilan's first concern upon arriving at any crime scene is that he gets some food, just the way he likes it. He's also a real estate agent. While conducting investigations, calls from buyers and sellers of homes always take precedence. Calden is also an aspiring actor, and he's quite a ladies' man. He even makes extra income by running a yoga class--with only women students--at $20 a head. Most of the students want to sleep with him, as do most other women he meets. They get away with it because Gavilan, at least, is also a great detective. All of this material is very funny, but never in an over-the-top way. In fact, a lot of viewers might have difficulty "getting" the humor in the film, as much of it arrives by way of the action/crime/drama material that is only slightly exaggerated. That's a genre that often borders on the absurd even when it's played seriously. So the tendency may be for people to take this film seriously at times, and miss the gist of the humor. The real joke, of course, is that this is Hollywood--a fact made all too clear by director Ron Shelton's title montage of "Hollywood" on various signs. In Hollywood, as in LA in general, it seems that everyone has something else that they'd rather be doing than their actual job, so they're all really focusing on that instead, while the day job pays the bills. Everyone is trying to make connections, and they're willing to do all kinds of unusual things to make them. Everyone is constantly on their cell phones. Run-ins with people who have various connections to the entertainment industry are commonplace, and it's not unusual to casually compliment them on their talent or some facet of their career before you, say, run after their offspring with a gun. Criminal activity and other unpleasant facts of daily existence are mostly taken in stride because no one can let such things get in the way of achieving success in what they really want to do. That Shelton was able to make a film about "the real joke", and still keep a capable "serious" action/crime/drama running in the background is the real secret to the film's success. Without looking the broader themes, one might wonder why Harrison Ford would pick a seemingly pedestrian script at this stage of his career. From a deeper perspective, this is a very funny film with a more serious, almost self-deprecating subtext (for Hollywood, or the entertainment industry in general), and with an even more generalized "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" theme. Hollywood Homicide is well worth a watch or reassessment with this in mind.

• Harrison Homicide

  DarthBill2004-04-09

  I've always been a fan of Harrison Ford and odds are I always will be, regardless of what comes out of his personal life now. Considering how Hollywood can screw a man up, Harrison still ranks as one of the few to have successfully held his head together. That and I usually find something entertaining his films. It's hard not to be entertained by him in the old Star Wars films, where he was hilarious as Han Solo, or to root/feel for him in the Indiana Jones trilogy and films like "Blade Runner", "Witness", the Jack Ryan films, "The Fugitive" and "Air Force One". Thing is, "Witness" marked the turning point of Harrison's career in which he would mature into the modern day quiet, reluctant hero. Understandably, after playing this role again and again for about 20 years Ford would naturally want to go back to playing things a little funnier than he had previously been allowed. It's a bit of a shame that he picked such a weak script for a return to comedy. All in all, it's just an excuse to let Harrison reprise his Han Solo persona as an older man. But in the opinions of some, his age dried him out, preventing him from being as funny as he used to be. This one tries very hard to be both apart OF the mismatched buddy cop genre AND to make fun of it. As a result, it never quite realizes it's potentially funny premise or even serve as usual time filler. Ford plays Joe Gavilan, a cop working real estate on the side and Josh Hartnett is his younger partner KC Calden, who works a yoga class on the side, sleeps with his customers and is also an aspiring actor. They get assigned to solve the murder of an up and coming rap group and are repeatedly dogged by Bruce Greenwood as Ford's nemesis. The cliche of Josh's dad being a cop who got killed by way of his partner could have been left on the cutting room floor. Ford and Josh do the young cop/old cop bit as well as anyone else, but Ford deserves a better than this, and after "Black Hawk Down" Josh should be more picky about his vehicles. The only real comic highlight is when they're being interrogated and are either mouthing off or playing quiet. This is the only gem in an otherwise dull film. Here's hoping they both make better decisions in the future.

• A breezy, colourful and very underrated comedy

  a_mcness2008-09-18

  Maybe it needed to be more pointed in its satire to win over a wider audience and the majority of critics...but then again 'Hollywood Homicide' might have lost its very appealing breeziness and silliness in the process. From the beautifully conceived opening credits, director Ron Shelton has perfectly evoked the sunniness, colour and darkness (at the edges) of Hollywood. The film recognises the pretensions and superficialities associated with Hollywood, but it's not mean-spirited in its send-up. You come away from the film feeling that director Ron Shelton truly loves Hollywood and the wider Los Angeles community. However, this love has not prevented him recognising the accompanying excesses and darker impulses. HH is not an uproariously funny comedy - although Harrison Ford's punchline in the elevator sequence is sublime. However, the humour is wonderfully dry and silly, and the film as a whole is terrific fun, punctuated by a lively soundtrack and lashings of local colour (Hollywood Boulevard, its subway stations and the Hollywood & Highland complex are particularly well utilised). On first glance, the film may seem too much a piece of fluff for a star of Ford's magnitude and esteem. However, there is a real pleasure in seeing him perform in such an unpretentious piece. Ford appears to recognise that stylishness and silliness can be very close bedfellows. It's as though he is using the film as a vessel to say to audiences, "Let's not take this film business too seriously, folks." Ford drollness as the close-to-burnout cop/real estate broker is neatly balanced by Josh Hartnett's comparatively innocent and well-meaning cop/Yoga instructor/wannabe actor. The pair, in turn, navigate a supporting cast and cameo list of offbeat characters, and, of course, some bullish, corrupt types. Perhaps contemporary comedies need an underlying cynicism or darkness to be considered truly effective. There is of course a time and place for such concoctions, but films such as 'Hollywood Homicide' shouldn't be discounted in the process. Its breeziness and sense of fun make it the perfect antidote to a hard day at the office! Andrew McNess (2008)

• A very lighthearted action movie

  gazebo2003-06-26

  I'm a Harrison Ford fan so I had to see this movie even though the reviews were not that good. It was a perfect way to spend a hot Tuesday afternoon. As I watched the movie, I also watched the audience to get a sense of their reaction. Everyone laughed from beginning to end of the movie! Everybody was having a great time! To hell with the critics! This is a great summer movie and Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett are a joy to watch! Harrison Ford admirably stretches himself to give a comedic performance as Joe Gavilon, a police detective who also moonlights as a real estate agent. I love the way Harrison Ford switches from cop mode to real estate agent mode at the drop of the hat and he was so funny being a slave to his cell phone. Josh Hartnett plays his rookie partner who has a part time job as a yoga instructor and who thinks of quitting the force to become an actor. Their interactions with each other and with the people around them are very funny. Never mind about the plot of the movie. The plot doesn't really matter. The plot has to do with the mystery of why these up and coming rappers were murdered in a club. There are guest stars galore in this movie and it was fun to spot Smoky Robinson doing a bit part as a cabbie. It's a funny movie! Everyone just sit back and enjoy the movie and forget about the critics! Harrison Ford is very funny and just to watch him is a real treat!

• Oh good lord

  I_actually_am_sam2008-10-22

  Well this movie actually made me feel so strongly that I signed up for an IMDb account just to warn people. It is patently AWFUL!! NOTHING makes sense in this movie. There is way too many subplots for a start. Josh Hartnett's character is an aspiring actor and yoga instructor as well as a cop who seems to be living way beyond his means and only teaches yoga to hot girls (Some of whom wait naked in his jacuzzi for when he comes back from work). Add to that the fact that his dad was killed by a crooked cop who just so happens to be in on the current crime being investigated by the hapless duo. Harrison Ford's character is trying to sell real estate on the side and is sleeping with the Internal Affairs investigator's ex-wife who happens to run a psychic radio show which Ford's character calls from time to time. NONSENSE!! I can't remember the characters names (that's how forgettable this is) so I'll refer to them as Ford and Hartnett. Then there's the dialogue which is brutal. I mean cringe-inducing stuff here. Throw in every cliché in the book (having a heart-to-heart in a dark bar during the day over a drink where the bartender knows his name; the duo being investigated by internal affairs (why??); hartnett confronting his dad's killer) and you've got one hell of a mess. As I mentioned the plot is preposterous and continuity is non-existent: 1) When Ford's car is being repossessed, how the hell did the repo guys know where it would be parked? Were they following him?? 2) When Hartnett goes to the morgue and it just so happens that the only clue from the crime scene (an earring) is replicated on of the charred bodies there (that was lucky!) 3) When the two are arrested and taken in for questioning - Ford keeps answering his phone and Hartnett "centers himself" with a yoga pose on the table. Instead of taking the phone from Ford the IA guy waits for it to ring each time and then tries to grab it off the table before Ford does. Meanwhile the female IA officer in with Hartnett is rubbing herself all over him. Then, inexplicably, the two are released without answering any questions. 4) During the car chase Hartnett's car is crashing and smashing its way around Hollywood but then suddenly the car is perfect again. Not a scratch! 5) When Ford chases the bad guy into the building and he gets in the elevator how the hell does he know which floor the bad guy got off at?? 6) When the two are chasing the bad guy around in hartnett's car, Ford is trying to close a real estate deal. Come on! 7) The bad guy is the most unconvincing record exec ever. His motivation for killing an aspiring group of rappers on his label? They might leave his label and it's a warning to keep his other groups loyal. But hang on, how is he ever going to sign anyone new with that business plan?? 8) Why is the IA guy who is investigating Ford arrested in the end? There is no explication!! 9) And Hartnett gets to use his "acting" to capture the bad guy in the end. I could go on, I really could. Anyone who is looking deeper into this movie than a straight up action comedy needs their head examined because that's all it is. There's nothing else to it! It's not supposed to be satirical or ironic. It's just crap.