Touchstone Pictures "Double Take" starring Eddie
Griffen and Orlando Jones, is directed by
George Gallo.
“Double Take” Starring Eddie Griffin and
Orlando Jones Directed by George Gallo
“Double Take” explores the age-old maxim
“don’t judge a book by its cover,” making
audiences to look beyond the surface and to reconsider first
impressions . The film stars Eddie Griffin and Orlando Jones as two
people on the run who trade places in order to disguise themselves
and elude authorities. Jones plays Daryl Chase, a successful New
York investment banker who becomes entangled in a murder
investigation after he discovers his personal assistant slain in
her apartment. Framed for her murder, Chase then flees to Mexico to
meet up with a CIA agent that can help Chase prove his innocence.
Following Chase is Freddy Tiffany (Griffin), a con artist who
isn’t who he pretends to be. The two head off to Mexico,
switching places with each other along the way as their pursuers do
a double take. The movie is full of action sequences, ranging from
the standard action movie car chase to the old-fashioned shoot-out,
in which the good guys always end up ahead. These scenes are not
incredibly novel or extremely spectacular, but they serve their
purpose well, providing a break from the otherwise non-stop comedy
of the film. The rapport between Jones and Griffin is one of the
high points of the film; they are both likeable characters and have
great comedic timing, allowing them to play easily off each other.
Despite this, the dialogue seems a fake and clichéd at times
and is reminiscent of other cookie-cutter action-comedy films.
Griffin, from “Malcolm and Eddie,” uses his comedic
talents well as Tiffany. As the character who is always making
jokes, Griffin’s performance is great as he turns Tiffany
into a likeable and entertaining character. The film’s
premise seems easy enough, but the actual story line is more
convoluted and complicated. The plot at times becomes so hard to
follow that the audience gets lost with its twists and turns. Too
occupied with trying to figure out what’s going on, audiences
will not be able to fully enjoy the movie. When every person whom
Chase encounters isn’t whom they seem to be, the film becomes
confusing, causing the audience to rethink who’s who and what
exactly is going on in the film. Full of witty one-liners and
hilarious situational dialogue, “Double Take” is a
great movie when looking for something fun to watch and when you
want to take a load off your mind.
Jacqueline Maar Rating: 6
“Snatch” Starring Benicio Del Toro, Dennis
Farina and Brad Pitt Directed by Guy Ritchie
In his slow-to-start caper comedy, Guy Ritchie, the
director/writer of “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking
Barrels,” revisits the gritty underbelly of London society
through a slew of rollicking characters and subplots. Although a
diagram might be helpful in keeping track of who double-crossed
whom, the “Seinfeld”-esque way in which the different
storylines intersect is a clever and entertaining premise. Trouble
in gangster paradise begins when diamond crook Franky Four Fingers
(Del Toro) must deliver a hefty diamond to his gruff boss, Avi
(Farina), who is waiting in New York. However, a Russian kingpin
entices Frankie to place an illegal bet on a boxing match.
Unfortunately for Franky, it’s all a scam to rob him while
he’s at the bookies. This incident triggers Avi to come to
London. Meanwhile, two naive boxing promoters, Turkish (Statham)
and Tommy (Stephen Graham) stumble upon an Irish gypsy, Mickey
(Pitt), who happens to be a kick-ass bare knuckle boxer. They
enlist Mickey to take a dive in a bout fixed by a menacing mobster
named Brick Top (Alan Ford). While the film’s first half
drags somewhat as each maddening story starts to pick up momentum,
Ritchie has a talented ensemble attempting to carry it all. Farina
sparkles as the coarse and dynamic “businessman.” As an
Irish gypsy, Pitt is almost unrecognizable at first. The Hollywood
golden boy speaks in Pikey, a dialect that is a cross between
British and Irish which comes out sounding like gibberish ““ a
running gag throughout the movie. “Snatch,” which will
inevitably evoke comparisons to films like “Pulp
Fiction,” is certainly not for the squeamish. Several scenes
with stomach-churning violence ooze from the movie’s
portrayal of how the different gangsters slowly kill their prey and
dispose of the bodies. Ritchie tries to inject some of the
film’s tense moments of psychological and physical horror
with MTV-like visuals. For example, Pitt’s character takes a
horrific jab to the head, and it isn’t not clear whether he
will come to. This uncertainty is metaphorically represented by
underwater shots of Pitt. Though sequences like these provide eye
candy, they fail to dramatically do anything. Although some may
hastily blow this movie off as another “Lock, Stock,”
it is still a hilarious romp with characters that are more than
stereotypes. Despite the vicious tumult, these crooks actually rely
on wicked dialogue as much as action.
Terry Tang Rating: 6