Lord, Have Mercy

Oh oh Domino (it's all right)
Roll me over, Romeo,
There you go
Lord, have mercy
I said oh-oh, Domino.
-- Van Morrison, "Domino" (1970)

I meant to post this ages ago. Hey, better late than never.
At least, I save everything I think I can use, even if that
use gets pushed further into the future than intended.

So, here's the key portion from Ron Rosenbaum's appreciation
of Domino, one of my favorite films of 2005. It's funny, but I'm
not even a Tony Scott fan, though I liked Déjà Vu well enough.

I prefer his brother, Ridley (Alien, Blade Runner), and can't wait
to see American Gangster, which stars Russell Crowe (Ridley's Gladiator) and Denzel Washington (Tony's Man on Fire).

Not that Domino neglects the racial subtext of everything American. There
is that weird—what degree
of reality is this?—realistic 'episode' of the Jerry Springer Show in which one of the characters [Mo'Nique] goes
on with a 'flow chart' to show her different ways of naming the racial fissures, fractures, and fusions that have destabilized the notion of what’s 'American' in the first place. She wants to bestow official recognition on categories such as 'Blacktino,' 'Chinegro,' 'Japanic' to reflect the fracturing of unofficial identities. As if a 'flow chart' can capture the flow.

I love that scene. Bill, who forwarded the piece, adds, "Quentin Tarantino says that Domino is one of his five favorite films of 2005. His other four were The Devil's Rejects, Wolf Creek, Hustle & Flow, and Sin City." Also, note the similarity between the look of Domino and the look of Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 [above left]. Shocking, isn't it? (Christopher Doyle shot 2046, Daniel Mindel shot Domino.) The two films otherwise have nothing in common.



Domino, which has nothing in common with Morrison either—though I couldn't resist the reference—also features Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Christopher Walken, Lucy Liu, Delroy Lindo, Dabney Coleman, Jacqueline Bisset, Macy Gray, Mena Suvari, and 90210's Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green.
The screenplay was written by Donnie Darko's Richard Kelly.

And that's pretty much all you need to know. Except for the unnecessary limb removal scene—a Tony Scott specialty—
it's an unadulterated blast. Great hip-hop soundtrack, too.



Endnote: Keira Knightley who plays Domino, a character inspired by Laurence Harvey's bounty hunter daughter, stars
in Silk, which is currently playing at Seattle's Seven Gables.

She next appears in Joe Wright's adaptation of Ian McEwan's Atonement, which garnered rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival. Wright previously directed her in Pride & Prejudice.
On my Top 30, Domino and Pride & Prejudice tied for #26.

American Gangster is set to be released on 11/2, Atonement
on 12/7. Images from Google Images, lyrics from Oldie Lyrics.