The Green Hornet
Director: Michel Gondry
Actors: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos

The Green Hornet made his debut in a 1930s radio program, followed by comic book series in the 1940s, and a television show in the 1960s. The TV series was the international breakthrough for Bruce Lee who portrayed the role of The Green Hornet's sidekick Kato.
And now, The Green Hornet is back on the big screen with Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express) as the masked hero.

The production's got a bumpy start though. Stephen Chow was set to direct and star as Kato but left due to creative differences. Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) stepped up to take over the film, which got me a bit worried, because I wasn't sure if the art house director was familiar with the action genre. And I also wondered if comedian Seth Rogen was the right guy for the job?
But Seth Rogen was driven, he wrote the script, got on a diet for his role as The Green Hornet, a.k.a. Britt Reid, son of a rich media magnate, who plans to give his life a new direction when his father dies. Reid uses the expertise of his father's driver (and martial arts expert) Kato, played by the Taiwanese actor/singer Jay Chou. After a rigorous training program, a few clumsy try-outs, the duo sets out to find the biggest criminal of them all, Chudnofsky (wonderfully played by Inglourious Basterds' Christoph Waltz).

Gondry proves that he's got the skills to direct an action-comedy, but also doesn't turn his back on his unique style, which works surprisingly well in the film.
Seth Rogen also uses his humor throughout the movie, but doesn't cross the line so the characters become a caricature or the film turns into an over the top comedy. Jay Chou is perfect as Kato, his little accent is cute, and more important, the chemistry between Chou and Rogen is amazing.

Rogen and Gondry understand that it isn't all about the action and comedy, they also focus on the characters, pushing the relationship of Reid and Kato to the limit.
The Green Hornet is a surprise, it's an unusual superhero movie, in which the hero, his sidekick, the villain and love interest is being delivered with a very cool twist.



Written by Reggy
January 12, 2011

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