Review of Jonah Hex (2010) by Walter M — 11 Oct 2011

To the casual observer, it might seem like comic books are only populated by superheroes, self-sacrificing characters with incredible abilities and powers. In reality, not every character fits that narrow description. Case in point, Jonah Hex, a scarred and cynical bounty hunter of the old west who delivers justice for profit after the fact with a bullet. The recent Gray/Palmiotti revival are a series of adventures that could best be termed as western noir in a landscape lacking a moral compass, where he is occasionally aided by a very reluctant group of allies when he goes up against somebody tougher than he is.

On the surface, the unrelentingly nasty and unpleasant movie "Jonah Hex" gets a lot of those details right in a sort of pulpy style. However, the first mistakes come from overexplanation. So, instead of just being a tough guy, in the movie, Jonah Hex(Josh Brolin) has a literal affinity for death, and is able to talk to the dead(Man, do I miss "Pushing Daisies.") and has more gadgets at his disposal than James Bond. And despite his horrific appearance, has Lilah(Megan Fox), a beautiful prostitute, pining after him. That is not to mention an incoherent plot that is kicked off by President Grant(Aidan Quinn) informing him that Quentin Turnbull(John Malkovich), who killed Jonah's family, made him watch, left him for dead and probably did unspeakable things to his dog for the sin of betraying the Confederacy, is not as dead as once thought and has some fiendish plans for the upcoming Centennial.(Just what I need. To be reminded of "The Wild Wild West" movie.) In this mess, there are quite a few talented actors, but only Michael Fassbender, of course, makes any kind of positive impression. Even if it feels like he is auditioning for The Riddler, he gets points for going against type.