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Jason Maloney reviews
Warner Bros.
- Cert:
- Cat.no: D 021322
- Running time: 96 minutes
- Year: 2001
- Pressing: 2002
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 29
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, German, Romanian, Bulgarian.
- Widescreen: 2.35:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras: Director’s Commentary, HBO “Making Of” Documentary, “The Effects In Focus” behind-the-scenes featurette, 2 Alternate Endings (with optional Commentary by Director), Profiles, Theatrical trailer, Restricted Files (DVD-ROM only).
Director:
- Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds, Kalifornia, Swordfish)
Cast:
- Gabriel Shear: John Travolta
Stanley: Hugh Jackman
Ginger: Halle Berry
Agent Roberts: Don Cheadle
Senator Reisman: Sam Shephard
Marco: Vinnie Jones
Holly: Camryn Grimes
Do not adjust your television sets… there is no introductory foreplay, and precious little in the way of a title sequence. It all begins with a fancifully-coiffured John Travolta waxing lyrical about the merits of “reality incinema” to his colleagues. Dog Day Afternoon, the 1973 Al Pacino hostage/heist classic, is articulately critiqued for its perceived qualities in this particular area… or lack thereof.
For him, a similar scenario – and indeed conclusion – in the very different, technologically advanced Brave New World of today would simply be implausible, impractical and unthinkable. It’s a film which “doesn’t push the envelope”, according to his criteria. The post-modern spin on this apparently Tarantino-esque diatribe is thrown into acute perspective when Travolta and his chums are then revealed, in a whirl of gunfire, explosions and general frenzy, to be in the midst of their own Dog Day Afternoon.
Then, in the immediate aftermath, the narrative backtracks, gradually revealing how the various characters came to cross paths. Jackman’s elite-but-retired computer hacker, terrified of breaking his parole and losing visitation rights to his young daughter Holly, gets sucked into an elaborate plan conceived by the mysterious, elusive Gabriel Shear, who may or may not be working undercover for the Government’s secret military agency. Using the gorgeous but potentially duplicitous Ginger to coax a determinedly-reformed and initially reluctant Stanley, Shear attempts to finalise his covert operation.
Swordfish, brought to you by the man behind The Matrix (Joel Silver) and the director of Gone In 60 Seconds (Dominic Sena), unsurprisingly pulls no punches. It’s loud, flashy and violent. It’s fast and furious. It’s also, despite the fabulously hi-tech nature of its plotline, a real no-brainer. All the standard cliches are respectfully observed, but never mind the originality… feel the execution! This is an all-out assault on the senses, a totally unrestrained action flick with impeccable production values. In fact, it looks like exactly the film that a combination of The Matrix and Gone In 60 Seconds would produce. Gizmos and pounding beats, adrenalin-fuelled camerawork and blistering car chases. Swordfish has it all in spades. But is that really enough?
Travolta and Jackman
The questionable moralities of those in Hollywood has long been the source of debate. Has the box-office dollar really become the ultimate religion, the be-all and end-all of everything which emerges from its bloated orifice? Furthermore, given the type of movies which have graced the silver screened multiplexes around the globe in recent years, need we even ask?
There are those who claim that cinema merely showcases, highlights and/or reacts to society itself. That its role, besides one of pure entertainment, is to present certain ideologies, stimulate thought processes, raise awareness.. Like it or not, the world is now barely recognisable from even a decade ago, just as that era was from its own predecessor. Time marches on, and all that. Swordfish is as much of a product of its time as any contemporary movie could feasibly be, a cocktail of every visceral aspect of 21st Century living, spewed out in the glossiest, slickest manner that current technology can provide.
Cool is epitomised by negative, destructive sensibilities, by recklessness, lawlessness and cynicism. The once-again excellent Hugh Jackman (of X-Men fame) is offered as the emotional conscience, caught between an innate gift and passion for computer hacking and his paternal dilemmas, but for the most part it feels too contrived, jarring as it does spliced inbetween all the rampant amorality. While nowhere near the depths of M:I-2‘s negligible infatuation with violence at the expense of any intellect whatsoever, it’s nonetheless an unsettling view of humanity, although real-life would subsequently eclipse the sick fantasies of any errant film-maker.
Whatever dubious ethics and politics Swordfish glorifies/promotes/sensationalises (delete according to viewpoint), its gung-ho attitude to global terrorism does take on an extra dimension in the wake of world events which happened just a matter of weeks after this movie opened in the UK. Yet, as Travolta’s character wryly notes early on, reality is often stranger than fiction.Who for instance could ever have envisaged the horrific scenes of September 11th? In such context, a wayward bus hoisted over downtown L.A. and then smashing into the side of a building is strangely less remarkable or fantastical (a revelation elsewhere on the disc that most of it was NOT created via CGI only serves to underline the bizarre – some would say indulgent – world of movie making).
Are these worth $500,000 a pair?
Swordfish has inadvertently acquired a direct topicality, and what might have been *enjoyed* as a slice of testosterone-pleasing hokum becomes indelibly tainted by the knowledge that this isn’t just the stuff of movies anymore. The level of “reality” which the likes of Swordfish aspires to is a cinematic mixed blessing. Double-edged indeed.
Although loaded with a decent range of bonus features and grandly-monikered hidden DVD-ROM extras, the likes of Sena and Silver are not the best examples of incisive anecdotal raconteurs. Comments on the level of “We wanted to do such-and-such because it was, like, really cool…” tend to add very little of substance to proceedings, and for all their enthusiasm it’s fair to say the film itself is the finest expression of their respective goals in creating the ultimate hi-octane ride.
SFX crews, on the other hand, often numb the rest of us mere mortals with their extraordinarily technical breakdowns of how various things were eventually pulled off, and here it is no different. Sure, it’s impressive and mind-boggling (not to mention apparently exhaustive for all involved), but most major discs seem to have these kind of documentaries now and… well, once you’ve seen a few there isn’t anything fresh to glean from them. Unless you’re a film student, perhaps, in which case there is probably something valuable or inspirational.
The glossy HBO behind-the-scenes look is typically split between interview soundbites from all the main players and selected snippets from the movie. Professional, reasonably informative (watch out for a couple of plot spoliers though!), and glimpses of a much-welcome irreverence from Jackman and Cheadle. The overhyped (and only partial) nudity in a couple of scenes apparently “scared the life outta me”, Halle Berry confides. Hmmmmm. Thankfully, she’s a lot better at the acting lark than giving original quotes to interviewers.
As for the Profiles, they aren’t accessible from the DVD remote, so obviously they – like the hidden “hackable” bonus material – can only work through a DVD-ROM drive, which is fine for anyone who watches their films through a computer, but… well, given Swordfish‘s subject matter, it’s a fair enough stunt. Specially designed around the film’s visual style and using a system of text message clues and required passwords, the hints given aren’t that taxing and shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. The usual webtastic guff is all that awaits, however, plus various interview footage and a Paul Oakenfold music video. An active internet connection is needed at all times for this section.
Much like its main feature, the Swordfish DVD looks great, sounds terrific, and promises something spectacular… but while coming mighty close, doesn’t quite deliver. Travolta is basically operating somewhere between Pulp Fiction and Broken Arrow mode, Berry is wonderful eye-candy either clothed or unclothed, Jackman is the new star in town, Cheadle continues to catch the eye even with this little to work upon, and Vinnie Jones isn’t asked to do anything that might embarrass or unduly stretch his limited thespian talents.
Swordfish will provide instant, thrilling gratification for those seeking such rewards.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL Check out Jason’s homepage: The Slipstream.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.