SYNOPSIS: In the 3D action-comedy The Green Hornet, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of LA’s most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene – until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father’s more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. To get close to the criminals, they come up with the perfect cover: they’ll pose as criminals themselves.

Protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets. Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, Black Beauty, an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower. Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato’s clever gadgets, The Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt’s new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), they begin hunting down the man who controls LA’s gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all. 

REVIEW: Britt Reid: Let's roll, Kato!

Indeed! And what a ride they have. There is a lot of green to be seen on the big screen by this dynamic team that fights criminal fiends. That came out of me almost naturally. I should probably end the review right now while I’m ahead, no? Well let me just mention a few things about this movie. Yes, well, about the ride . . . what a car, Black Beauty! Isn’t it always about the car? In this case, a good chunk of it yes. It is uber-cool. It’s a classic vehicle with some classic features as well as some modern ones including all kinds of weaponry and defenses. James Bond would be jealous. But it’s not only about the car, it’s about Kato (Jay Chou). He also steals the show. Credit is given where credit is due because it is obvious that the Green Hornet is nothing without Kato. Unfortunately I was looking for the subtitles button on my imaginary remote while watching because he can be a little difficult to understand at times. However, the international language of butt-kicking was clear as a bell when Kato was in action. Speaking of action, the movie is not all about the car, or all about Kato, it’s all about the action too. Excellent fight sequences with some slow-mo incorporated and pretty neat special effects would please any action flick enthusiast. But wait, there’s more. Who better to play the role of the villain than recent Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz? His Oscar win was for masterfully playing a villain in Inglourious Basterds. If you haven’t seen it, trust me, he deserved the Oscar; about as much as Javier Bardem did for his role in No Country for Old Men. It was good to see Christoph doing his thing again, sharp and cold. Another incredible casting job was Tom Wilkinson as James Reid, Britt Reid’s father. Tom is an awesome actor and a little underrated I think. His role was relatively small but still powerful. There’s nothing really to write home about Cameron Diaz’ performance as Britt’s secretary Lenore, but it was good enough. And then there’s Seth Rogen in the title role. Well this movie is labeled as an action comedy so I guess the comedy part is where Seth comes in. But it still seemed a little awkward. Picture something like Billy Madison becoming a crime fighting hero. It just doesn’t fit right. Seth not only stars in the movie, he is a co-executive producer and co-writer so a bulk of the humor is Seth Rogen kind of humor and even though I’m a fan of his, it slightly diminishes the story in this case. It seemed to clash at times with the flow of the movie. Bottom line is, you can’t take this movie too seriously, and I wouldn’t call it a superhero movie either. Just watch it for the fun of it, and it is fun. 

I don’t think it was necessary to make this into a 3D movie, but it is cool though. The movie is quite modern but it maintains a slight retro feel to it. Maybe it’s the car. It’s all about the car, but we’ve been through that already. The storyline is typical and predictable, but it has a little twist to make it more interesting. But it’s really all about the action . . . and Kato. Director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) did a good job of keeping this somewhat light-hearted but intense. It fits well in his repertoire.