Search - Double Whammy on DVD

UNDISCOVERED GEM!

movielover | 01/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally a hip, funny film that's about something. Although the comedy drives the film it is ultimately the strong emotional story that resonates at the film's end. Watch it carefully; it is a deceptively simple film exploring fame, violence, guilt and (again) a certain idiocy in today's "in yo face" filmmaking. You have to buy it just to see how DiCillo's script weaves the above phrase into a classic, utterly original turnaround involving a Bowie knife stuck in a ceiling.
The film simply requires your most basic attention; give it and you'll be powerfully rewarded. DOUBLE WHAMMY is a funny twist on the cop/crime genre. The real crime is that the film was abandoned by its distributors and never released theatrically. Word on the street is that a new studio head simply smothered it to get back at his outgoing predecessor. Ironically the film just won Best Screenplay at the DVD Premiere Awards and it deserved it. As usual, DiCillo's script takes you on a rollercoaster of unexpected turns and delights.
Again, I'm amazed at how every single one of his actors delivers an incredible performance. This is constistent with all of DiCillo's films, even down to the smallest characters. Liz Hurley is a sexy revelation and Leary reveals a weathered, world-weary charm that suggests a young Steve McQueen. Paired with Steve Buscemi as a Homicide Detective going through a sexual identity crisis, the two of them make the most inspired pair of neo-noir cops I've seen to date.
Do NOT rent this movie if you expect to turn your brain off and veg out in front of the tube. Do NOT rent this movie if you think Kevin Smith and Quarantino are geniuses. RENT it if you want to experience something. RENT it if you want to see a skillfull, utterly genuine original."

One confused movie

sezna2000 | NYC | 07/02/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This movie does not know what it wants to be. A comedy? Love story? Crime drama? It has multiple storylines that we expect to somehow come together (and they do), but they are so different, it simply does not work. The beginning is very funny and entertaining, so you expect to be in for 90 minutes of great movie fun, but right there, the sad urban drama line kicks in and ruins the whole thing. In the end, the sad and the funny parts cancel each other out, bringing the whole experience to NEUTRAL. The only positives are charming Liz Hurley and the cuddly New York setting. But even that is not worth paying for in this case."