Jokes older than them thar hills
Lightning Jack is a comedy Western co-produced, written by and starring Paul Hogan. As such it is pleasant, amiable and amusing.
Mr. Hogan does his Crocodile Dundee
act of laconic Aussie in America, the eponymous Jack, as he robs banks and
craves publicity. Many of the jokes are older than them thar hills, though. And
the trail between the jokes is often long and winding.
It’s
directed by Simon Wincer, the Lonesome Dove and Quigley guy, and it is
pretty. There is attractive photography of the Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico
locations by David Eggby, who had shot Quigley
and was later to work again with Wincer on two other Tom Selleck Westerns, Crossfire Trail and the 2003 Monte Walsh. Much of it resembles picture postcards.
Lightning’s
sidekick is a black store boy Ben who is mute, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Mr. Gooding
is willing to pantomime his way cheerfully through the movie in a Stepin
Fetchit sort of way that now seems distinctly uncomfortable. This gives rise to
good-natured chuckles as Lightning has difficulty reading Ben’s scribbled
notes. A mute sidekick of course gives Mr. Hogan more lines. Ben accompanies
Jack everywhere, including saloons and bordellos but no one dreams of
commenting on or even noticing his skin color; it’s all very 1990s PC in that
respect and bears no relation whatever to the 1880s South-West.
Gooding didn't have to learn his lines
The
make-up and costume people have tried hard to make the bounty hunters and
outlaws look mean and threatening but the script and action negates their
efforts.
LQ
There
are some good support actors. LQ Jones is an aged sheriff (he and Lightning go
back) and Pat Hingle is a politician marshal aiming to be Governor, like Kirk Douglas in Posse or Amos Calico in Robert
B Parker’s Blue-Eyed Devil.
Marshal Hingle
Roger
Daltrey of The Who is a mean frock-coated gunfighter in a tiny part. I bet he
enjoyed that, though English Bob he ain’t.
Call Me Lightning
Ben can’t
shoot and so gets a cut-down shotgun like James Caan in El Dorado.
Why on
earth the movie is rated PG-13
(Parents strongly cautioned) is a total mystery. The whole thing is mildly entertaining, folksy,
saccharine, unexceptionable and unexceptional.
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