Juggling angry Russians, the British Mi5, and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai races to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain a code that leads to lost gold. Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. Do not watch this film. I was expecting British dark somber gallows humor. I did not find any witty Brit-com like material. (ie. John Cleese)….Was expecting more dark humor from Deip… <br/><br/>Mordacai (Deip), is a British Aristocrat who deals in antique art. He is bankrupt and force by his former school rival Mi5 officer to recover a legendary stolen work of art. He uncovers a sinister plot. NOT FUNNY, not witty. Tries to mimic stereotypes of "Modern British" culture. Hipster automobiles, hipster 60's Brit-Invasion rock, tries to duplicate raunchy Brit humor. Deip really needs to salvage his career from the brilliance he once enjoyed before he tried to make "filler" movies. <br/><br/>The only redeeming quality of this film is a cameo for Jeff Goldblum. Hopefully he can slowly rebuild his portfolio again. But Deip perhaps we're witnessing the twilight stage of his career? Goldblum plays a wealthy art collector. Similar to his role in Grand Budapest Hotel..<br/><br/>Morecai showed promise, perhaps a spoof of British spy movies, and the spectacular effects and fan fare make it seem like an epic film… It is not sadly. Sometimes I am wondering what do these actors think, or maybe better said what do their agents think. Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow are two of the most gifted actors of their generation, blessed not only by success and awards, but also by a touch of genius that made some of their previous roles unforgettable. Yet, they seem to have taken in the last ten years or so all the possible bad decisions. They are however still young, beautiful and charismatic and here is in Mortdecai an opportunity to amplify their talent and power. An opportunity they missed.<br/><br/>Mortdecai is a crime comedy that the British film-maker should know how to make enjoyable and successful even when they make the film at Hollywood. The very idea of the aristocratic art expert and dealer traveling the world to recover a stolen painting that heeds the secrets of the Nazi gold is as good as any other incredible pretext. The problem is not in the story but in the lousy story telling style that makes heavy use of off-screen voices to fill in the many gaps, and in the fact that jokes seldom exceed the level of the national or classes stereotypes double by some 'Laurel and Hardy' gags. As we are in the 21st century the effect is minimal.<br/><br/>Quite a pity I would say. The two actors deserve better films, together and separate. So do we, their faithful fans. The story is nonsensical and the action tepid. So if you don’t find the Brit-quips funny, there’s not much for you in Mortdecai, just vintage British motorcars, foppish gibberish and Depp curling and re-curling that mustache, punctuating every line with “Right!” or “Quite!” That makes for a quite watchable mess.
Estohelyc replied
367 weeks ago