Movie : Hancock (2008)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan, Will Smith, Charlize Theron
Screenplay: Vince Gilligan, Vincent Ngo
Director(s): Peter Berg

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences, sci-fi action and violence and language.

Rating:C+

Reviewed by: El Mayimbe - 05.09.07

TONIGHT HE COMES
By Vincent Ngo and Vincent Gilligan

El Mayimbe here with a look at Sony’s Will Smith superhero movie which comes out next summer. And you all thought I’d be tackling Iron Man this week…for shame.

“Tonight, He Comes”, is one of those movies titles that made me laugh. The title makes you immediately think of a porn film. Unfortunately Sony doesn’t do porn unless you count having to sit in the movie theater for 2 ½ hours as Sam Raimi ass fucks you with his stupid Spider-Man 3 script. [El Guapo here. Sorry, I had to get my two cents in. —Ed.] Speaking of comic book movies, Tonight, He Comes may seem like a comic book hero story but do not be mistaken, this is not your ordinary superhero.

The story takes place in present day Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn NY. The story opens up to three of the several main characters: HORUS (30 something, unhappy man, mild and quiet), MARY (30, married to Horus, vibrant and full of spunk in search of something to liven her life with), she is also the mother to AARON (8 – good kid but very witty). The marriage between Mary & Horus is questionable. Horus is a man who gets up everyday for his nightshift to work as a security guard. He’s a pained man due to his lack of feeling to fulfill his life and those of his family. Mary longs to get close to Horus but he just shuts her out. Aaron on the other hand is smart but not tough. His father Horus hadn’t been much help telling him violence wasn’t the way. But living in Brooklyn as a kid you have to be tough; this is something Aaron lacked. Everyday Aaron would go to school and get bullied…

Next we jump to the crucial character. We’ll call him HANCOCK; like John Hancock. His character at the beginning opens up to showing a man who looks lonely. He goes to differently slimy hotels (the kind where you can hear the ladies of the night doing their thing). He even takes his shot at getting prostitutes but he can’t get his “best friend” below up for that. You see Hancock is not your Superman, with the nice hair, gentleman like. He’s maybe like many guys you see and know except he has exceptional abilities such as super strength, but he’s also ill inside. He’s quick with his words so much he sounds like an adult version of Dr Seuss. Shoot, he can even fly!

The story continues onto Mary. She takes her kid to school. She ends up doing her daily duties which takes her to the bank. However, Mary’s fate is somewhat twisted. While inside, little does Mary know the bank is about to be robbed. Thugs come into the bank and try to take over. However not for long. Hancock comes to the rescue. This superhero is actually checking out the chicks during the bank robbery. One in particular that catches his eye is Mary. Mary is in awe with a real life superhero. Meanwhile the day is passing Aaron is waiting for Mary to pick him up from school. However he runs into his daily problems of bullies. He gets into fights and because he is taught not to fight he gets a nice shiner to match with his passiveness.

We now see scenes of Hancock running around town saving cats, stopping fights, robberies, you name it. He definitely has thing for the ladies or maybe that’s just a cover-up for his real loneliness. I mean it can’t be easy to have a girlfriend if you’re a superhero (chuckle). One night, as one of Hancock’s abilities or flaws for him sometimes is his hearing. It’s impeccable. One night out on the prowl he nears Mary’s building (coincidence we do not know). She is singing a lullaby to her son..This is a start of something interesting. Mary ends up inviting Hancock into her apt. Meanwhile her husband a night security guard for a large store is not there that night. Aaron can’t sleep neither. Instead Mary & Aaron entertain Hancock. They’re in love with this hero. He’s witty…he’s strong. He’s everything her husband isn’t. Flash-forward a few scenes, Hancock, Mary, and Aaron all become close. Even coming over for dinner while her husband is there. Horus can only stand there and watch as his wife has an emotional fling with this man. And as his son looks with admiration to this hero Hancock. Hancock takes it upon himself to teach Aaron about being a man & stepping up to bullies in school. Within time the hero becomes a fixture in the house and all Horus can do as he does every night; go to his job.

Now things get a little interesting. Horus comes off as this passive man and as some may call un “pariguayo”. He has one partner at work named Roheim. Roheim always tries to play it off as this old man that’s always tired. Horus is actually a real sympathetic man and always took Roheim for nothing else but old. Little did Horus know what was about to happen. One night Roheim claims he locked himself out. As he appears at work he looks all beat up. Supposedly the neighborhood gangs caught him outside. What we don’t know till later but I’ll spare you the way too many scenes that Roheim has a son named Scarpo that’s the leader of this alleged gang. On the same day weirdly enough Horus gets a warning from local cops that there has been a string a burglaries to be careful and not too brazen. Well what really happened is Roheim had his son Scarpo beat him up on purpose. Roheim would take the day off and tell Horus that he wouldn’t be able to make it in the next day because of his pains. Little do we know this is a plot by Roheim to have his son rob the department store on the day that Horus is the only one covering.

Meanwhile, back in la-la land… Hancock, although he is superhero, he is not all there. Perhaps it’s the years of being a superhero. All the crimes, the loneliness, but also the abilities he has can be an impairment. But Mary has a thing for Hancock. And why not? Her husband ignores her like’s tomorrow utility bill payment. One night, Hancock flies to her window. He asks her to go with him.. He whisks her to some deserted area in Brooklyn, He has food, lights (well they’re flares) and music (really a boom box; this is NYC you know!) She doesn’t know what to think. She does like him, but inside she loves her husband. She tells Hancock she cannot accept his advances. But he is having a hard time accepting and this is where Mary gets nervous. What they both don’t know. The police have been searching for Hancock. Why? Well we see him as a superhero but you know cops siempre metido en what they don’t need to be. In minutes we now see SWAT team closing in. And Hancock starts to feel anxiety!?

We go back to the large department store. Night of the robbery attempt. Horus is doing his usual surveillance. Just when it seems quiet. BAM! Comes in several thugs including SCARPO. They start taking stuff ransom. Horus doesn’t know what to do. Remember he is the passive type. What we don’t know till later is one of reasons Horus’s issues is that he went to the police academy and failed. This has stood with him since. The thugs start to careen the area. Taking whatever. Horus gets the opportunity to run. He actually leaves. But something inside him builds up. At the very same time Roheim who said he was hurt is waiting in the getaway car. Horus goes back in with all his anger, is it towards Mary and her flirtations with Hancock? His son not respecting him? Or is it the respect he lost in himself? With all that inside he takes on the gang…including taking down Scarpo. Roheim can tell by the clock something is not going right and decides to check it out. He gets in and to find his son Scarpo is dead. At the same time not faraway is Aaron in his house. Aaron realizes his Mom has left with Hancock. But where can his Dad be? Well Aaron decides to get his dad to tell him what’s happened. He makes it to his Dad’s job but before his dad can find him, Roheim does first. Roheim is pissed his son is dead. Roheim takes Aaron hostage. Right then Horus comes and this starts the struggle to save Aaron.

Back to SWAT picnic scene with Hancock & Mary. Mary can tell he’s not all there. Hancock can hear voices from afar which are why he is able to know when people are in distress because of their cries and his innate ability to hear things from far away. The SWAT team moves in and tells Hancock this is it. Mary can only console him and tell him things to make him strong as he had told others he’s saved in the past. With that he tells Mary he can hear a cry. Trying to break through his nervosa, he can tell its Aaron and find the strength to fly off into the night right there an then the cops start their bullet thrash. But bullets are no match for Hancock. Right there in the dead of the night he goes. Mary can only imagine and she follows him.

We arrive to the rooftop to where Horus works. Roheim is holding little Aaron on the roof tying him up and getting him ready to hang and die from the rooftop. Mary arrives to the building. Hancock’s gets to the top. Roheim hangs Aaron off the side of the building with the rope but doesn’t kill Aaron just yet. Horus with all his might fights Roheim. Right there in darkness like a shadow, Hancock SWOOPS Aaron off and puts him into Mary’s arms. What a day!With that, Hancock flies off….

Horus, Mary, and Aaron happy to be home. Sometimes in life it takes a tragedy or something bad to happen to realize what you have as it did in the end for this family. Even when they thought all their love for each other was gone, itcomes back like it never left. Go to the next scene at night on a dark street in Brooklyn… we see Hancock alone again. Right back where he started.

The story is definitely filled with action scenes and never boring. Sure to be interesting, the only thing I hope is they don’t put some corny ass shiny suit on this superhero because he is almost like every other man; human.

So ya’ll think big Willie got a shot at next summer’s crowded superhero slate? You think he got a shot against Batman, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk? As long as Will don’t come out with a rap album to accompany the movie it’s all good!

HASTA EL PROXIMO CAPITULO…

…YO SOY EL MAYIMBE!

Taken From : http://www.latinoreview.com