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In "Jonah Hex" the eponymous character is a man driven by vengeance and thus brought back into the fold of government service to thwart the plot of one Quentin Turnbull who is determined to tear apart the newly formed United States. The two have history together and must sort it out on the eve of the country's centennial.
This movie was destined to fail. It featured a character that, outside of the most rabid of comic book fans, very few would recognize, it had a trailer that made the whole affair look horrendous, it featured the dubious acting talents of one Mrs. Megan Fox, and it was a western which has been a gamble for decades. Worse of all, the movie had a notoriously troubled production as the filmmaker's battled with the studio for what would ultimately become the final product and, make no mistake, it's pretty clear that what we get was compromised heavily. And yet, the fact that this thing existed tugged at me.
You see, I'm a Jonah Hex fan and the sheer idea that anyone even thought about bringing that ol' rugged bastard to the screen stuns me. It was a matter of eventuality with this movie and I. I bought a copy when I found one dirt cheap and, even then, it sat there on my shelf for months, pregnant with dreadful expectation. Well, it couldn't wait forever. I finally saw it and what was my take away? Honestly, I had no business enjoying it as much as I did.
That is not to say that Hex is a movie without glaring flaws. Oh, on the contrary, they are multitude but it is a movie so fast paced and entertaining that it allows you to overlook those flaws or take them in stride by sheer nature of its strong points and its lead. Josh Brolin as Hex is perfection. It makes you wish they would have pushed the boundaries into a hard R rating just to see him growl and pontificate (rare though it may be) as only he can and, of course, to give us some of that hard edge gritty violence that he's prone to involve himself in. Had Brolin not been hitched to this wagon the film would of suffered greatly but, alas, he was and so it was towed along mostly by him.
It's not a one man job, however, as other positives keep the movie from drowning. Malkovich chews scenery left and right with such conviction and unrepentant malice that he sells his characters ridiculous and nonsensical plot, the action, though tempered for a PG-13 rating, is fun to watch, costuming and effects are not the nightmare the trailers suggested, nods to Hex fans abound, and the hyper-kinetic pace keeps you going and be damned all the questions and doubts you may have.
Indeed, the fact that I like Hex in the comics may have buoyed the experience for me because this movie's approach rests comfortably between Joe R. Landsdale's take on the character and the subsequent Gray and Palmiotti series. It is neither one or the other but has elements of both that make it very recognizably Hex. Honestly, i find it hard to believer that a Hex fan wouldn't find something to like in this movie, flaws or not.
Ah yes, the flaws. They had to come up some time. Hex is a remarkably short film and it's very evident that it was not intended to be. Cuts were definitely the soup of the day. Truncated characters and a cop out introduction really rob you of the fuller experience you could of had. Most pressing is the animated/narrated intro which wedges tons of backstory into a few minutes. If they'd just actually filmed a full fledged version of the events alluded to the characters would of had a lot more heft and credibility and the events in the film wouldn't feel like they were coming at you at a ridiculous speed (though that ultimately helps you digest the product you get). The film ultimately does address these topics but a more linear approach would of been far better. Being a fan of the character allows you to fill in details that someone else might not be privy to guess at.
Then there's Megan Fox...she's something, ain't she? Boy, she's so pretty but so much a charisma wasteland. It's like washing wood float on a river. The real shame is that she's a very unnecessary character. She's rarely onscreen (a positive) but she is there (a big negative). I understand that they ultimately put her there to throw an assisting hand and, more importantly, to soften Hex's too gruff demeanor and character but that changes nothing about her utter uselessness.
The film could of also benefited from looking a bit less polished. Despite great costumes and set design, everything does look a bit too spotless for a western. As aforementioned, a hard R rating would of also done wonders for it. The score is give or take. At times the anachronistic rock bombast comes off as cool and at others it sticks out like a sore thumb. Additionally, though the effects are mostly good there are some very notable uses of bad green screen that are quite puzzling, to say the least.
All that aside, it's most glaring fault remains that it was not allowed to breath by being longer. Yes, the breakneck pace does help what ends up being a fun b-movie but one wonders where a more methodically paced and dark affair would of led. However, I still enjoyed Hex, warts and all. It certainly doesn't deserve the bad reputation it got. It almost seems destined to become a cult favorite if people ever give it a shot instead of avoiding it. Surprisingly fun despite it's faults, I give "Jonah Hex" a 6/10
