Star charisma and actors who don’t take themselves too seriously can compensate for eye-rolling material, which is why last year’s Minecraft Movie was so popular, with its fan-favorite pairing of Jason Momoa and Jack Black.
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| James (Dave Bautista, left) and Jonny (Jason Momoa) ponder a document that suggests a link between a local developer and a shady company dubbed Hayashi Imports. |
That “mostly” is warranted, though, because at times Jonathan Tropper’s original screenplay veers into appallingly graphic violence. Director Angel Manuel Soto obviously tries to keep such carnage in a darkly humorous vein, but severed limbs and split heads — as just two examples — go a bit too far.
Hawaiian-born half-brothers James (Bautista) and Jonny Hale (Momoa) haven’t seen or spoken to each other for a decade: an estrangement that hearkens back to childhood grievances and traumas. James, a U.S. Navy SEAL commander, trains cadets at Pearl Harbor; Jonny, who relocated to Oklahoma, is a trouble-prone cop, currently suspended.
Their equally estranged father, Walter (Brian L. Keaulana), works as a low-rent private investigator in the islands. The film opens as he’s killed by what local police assume is a hit-and-run driver … although we viewers know better, having watched the ominous blue van approach its planned target during the title credits.
Before dying, though, Walter pops a small parcel into a post office box.
In Oklahoma, Jonny’s typical day goes south when he’s dumped by girlfriend Valentina (Morena Baccarin), who packs all her stuff and displays impressive stunt-driving skills during her departure. (Take note of that.)
Shortly thereafter, Jonny is attacked by three Yakuza thugs who demand the parcel; he has no idea what they’re talking about. The subsequent melee is way over the top, pretty much trashes Jonny’s home, and certainly signals the film’s tone to come.
This assault and Walter’s subsequent ceremonial funeral — a lovely touch — bring Jonny to Hawaii, and a prickly reunion with James. They couldn’t be more of a contrast: James is a calm, methodical and responsible family man, whereas Jonny is a vulgar, boorish, profanity-spewing slob.
Soto and Tropper overplay this mutual antipathy, which continues far too long into this film. The fault lies primarily with the way Momoa has been directed to handle the role; his relentless, horse’s ass behavior threaten to derail what clearly needs to become a “buddy picture.” Thankfully, all concerned get there … just not quickly enough.
Meanwhile, both half-brothers aren’t satisfied by the “random hit-and-run” verdict embraced by the local police, in the form of Detective Sgt. Karl Rennert (Stephen Root). They begin investigating: at first independently, then as reluctant allies.
We’ve no idea where this is going for awhile, particularly when Jonny runs afoul of local crime lord Mr. K (Branscombe Richmond), who isn’t pleased by his return to the islands. (This initially seems little more than a sidebar distraction … but keep it in mind.)
Matters become more clear when James and Jonny meet filthy rich Marcus Robichaux (Claes Bang), a developer with clandestine plans to build a resort and casino on Hawaiian “home lands” currently occupied by “Aha Moku” residents. They practice the Hawaiian system of natural resource management handed down via oral tradition for more than 10 centuries.
And there it is: the increasingly nasty modern clash — where Hawaii is concerned — between a greedy, rapacious Haole who thinks nothing of ripping people from their ancestral lands.
Bang plays this role to the hilt; he’s terrific as a feral, smooth-talking villain, with a gaze that Jonny correctly tags as vampiric. Robichaux’s initial “chat” with the half-brothers is a stand-out moment of seething testosterone.
En route to the inevitably bombastic finale, though, James and Jonny are attacked repeatedly by Yakuza thugs, during roadway skirmishes that involve a deplorable number of collateral civilian injuries and deaths: again, not the slightest bit amusing.
On a happier note, Root has fun as the increasingly exasperated Rennert, who soon seems on the verge of stroking out, over the carnage being wrought.
Key supporting characters include Pika (Jacob Batalon), inserted for comic relief, as the late Walter’s former assistant. Batalon is a hoot as this nimble but frequently put-upon fellow. Roimata Fox is solid as James’ wife, Leila, who does her best to pour oil on troubled waters; she’s assisted, in this endeavor, by Jonny and James’ cousin Nani, played equally well by Frankie Adams.
Josua Tuivavalagi and Maia Kealoha have some nice scenes as James and Leila’s children, Kai and Lani; Kealoha is immediately recognized from her starring performance in last year’s live-action version of Lilo & Stitch.
Nani works as the primary assistant to Governor Peter Mahoe (Temuera Morrison), a longtime family friend who does his best to keep James and Jonny from facing the consequences of their increasingly out-of-control behavior.
At 124 minutes, Soto’s film is a mite too long, particularly during the expository, slow-to-build first act.
That said, there’s no denying the guilty pleasure of watching two capable good guys open so many satisfying cans of whip-ass. Once James and Jonny are allowed to be on the same page, Bautista and Moma are a lot of fun together.
Which, for some viewers, may be all that matters.
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