We've seen Jude Law in movies like The Holiday, Alfie and Side Effects but never before has he been as great as he is in Dom Hemingway. Here he plays the egotistical British gangster with a dangerous temper who thinks he's indestructible. Within the first 10 minutes we hear Dom describe his penis at great length, get released from prison and brutally beat a guy up for being with his wife while he was in jail. Within that short amount of time we know what we're in for and Dom's adventure only gets more outrageous from there. He's boisterous, vulgar and over the top but there's just something so engaging about his character. Dom is a safecracker who winds up doing a 12 year stint in prison for taking the fall and not ratting out his boss. When he gets out, he meets up with his dedicated best friend Dickie (Richard E. Grant) who plays perfectly off of the raucous Dom. They travel to the south of France to visit crime boss Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir) so that Dom can collect his reward for keeping his mouth shut. Once he's there, the drinking and partying begins but after a hapless accident he's left with nothing. It's then we find out that the one sweet spot Dom has is for his estranged daughter (Emilia Clarke) who he hasn't talked to since he went to prison. The movie is broken up with title cards as we follow Dom's path to recovery and self-discovery and we see a softer side to him as he tries to repair his relationship with his daughter. The more compassionate side of Dom is a welcomed surprise from the wild and belligerent one we got to know in the beginning of the film and we see he really regrets having left his daughter behind while he was in prison. Writer and Director Richard Shepard has created a livewire of a character in Dom and has him spitting out countless noteworthy lines like his response when Mr. Fontaine asks him if he hunts; "I only use a gun to hold up a place, or threaten someone or rob'em or pistol whip 'em or scare 'em but no, no hunting." This is Shepard's third feature film; his first is the outstanding, The Matador and his second, the criminally underrated, The Hunting Party. Shepard has a great knack for writing insane, over the top characters with a heart and has a great eye for the camera, creating an original visual style that breathes new life into whatever genre he is tackling. The real standout here is Law; he is a force to be reckoned with and a real firecracker as Dom Hemingway and brings Dom to life in a way that makes it impossible to picture another actor in the role. He is surrounded by a great supporting cast, Grant, Clarke and Belchir and the writing from Shepard is top notch, creating a wildly disparate character with his trademark witty dialogue. This is one hilarious, rollicking good time and I undeniably enjoyed spending 90 minutes with Dom Hemingway.
Review of Dom Hemingway
