The Spirit

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Directed by: Frank Miller

The Skinny: Rookie cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) gets gunned down but returns from the dead as his grungy city's mysteriously unkillable, fedora-and-trenchcoat bedecked guardian angel, The Spirit. He battles night after night against arch-nemesis The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) and a collection of hot women that would give Hugh Hefner pause.

The Good: Surprisingly, Macht (who was greeted with cries of "Who?" when casting was announced) delivers as the squared-jawed man-slut superhero who solves problems with his fists and compulsively hits on with every woman who crosses his path. At times, he seems lifted straight out of the original Will Eisner comics. A couple of moments hit the mark—like the Spirit taking out a purse-snatcher without so much as interrupting his stride—and the sheer insanity of the story keeps you watching.

The Bad: Unfortunately, Miller's attempts at "borrowing" Robert Rodriquez's Sin City visual template doens't work because, well, we've seen this done and done better already. In fact, Miller's decision to direct his own work is a mistake—he can't handle the shifts from campiness to stilted seriousness to parody, and following the movie is like trying to make sense of eight ADD-children telling you different stories at the same time. And Sam? We love you, man, but seriously…take a breather. You've shouted enough to fill this lifetime (good thing all that noise doesn't keep Scarlett Johansson from nodding off for most of the film, though). And people unfamiliar with Miller's work will find some of his, um, personal kinks (misogyny, Nazis) off-putting. In fact, even if you are familiar…

Deliver Us From Eva: Keep an eye on Seychelle Gabriel, who plays the younger version of Eva Mendes' character in flashbacks. This is only her second role after playing "Very Attractive Girl" on an episode of the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. Get ready to be typecast.

Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? There's not enough here to warrant a trip out. Wait for DVD, it'll mildly satiate you until Rodriquez makes Sin City 2.

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