Time: 127 Minutes
Cast:
Keira Knightley as Domino Harvey
Mickey Rourke as Ed Moseby
Édgar Ramírez as Choco
Delroy Lindo as Claremont Williams
Mena Suvari as Kimmie
Lucy Liu as Taryn Mills
Christopher Walken as Mark Heiss
Director: Tony Scott

Domino Harvey, the daughter of a popular actor, decides to quit her career as a model to become a bounty hunter and lead a life full of excitement and adventure.

Domino was one of the last Tony Scott movies I had left to watch. I knew that it starred Keira Knightley in the lead role and I had heard that it was one of Scott’s most divisive films. Having seen it I can understand why, but I still liked it a lot despite its issues.

The strangest thing about this movie is that it is a biopic, based off the real life story of Domino Harvey, the daughter of an actor who turns towards bounty hunting. While you can probably tell that there was some exaggeration of the story, knowing that it is based off facts does add to the experience somewhat. Getting it out of the way, Domino is a very uneven movie. Its messy and chaotic with how it jumps forward and backward in the story, Richard Kelly’s script has some inconsistences, and it doesn’t always make sense. However, it does somewhat add to the personality and mood of the narrative somewhat. There is a lot of brash originality here, it is also very over the top, full of one liners and dark humour. Though there is more to it than just that, there is some social and political commentary on the US, and a surprisingly humane and emotional core.

The actors are quite good in their parts. Keira Knightley plays the lead role of Domino Harvey and this is far different from anything else she’s been in before. She excels here and this is one of her most memorable performances. The supporting actors are also really good in their parts, especially Mickey Rourke, Édgar Ramirez, and Christopher Walken.

Tony Scott is known for having a very flashy directing style, whether it be for Man on Fire, The Taking of Pelham 123 or Déjà Vu. However, Domino by far is Scott at his most stylishly excessive and his most experimental; the editing alone makes his other movies look normal. The directing choices are overwhelming and much of the frenzied style will be unappealing to many. While it was a bit much, overall I did like it. It helped give this theatrical, high octane and kinetic energy throughout, with never a dull moment. There is an effectively seedy vibe, especially with the offputting camera and high colour saturation. The action scenes are also lively, brutal and full of energy.

Although some of the writing and storytelling can be a little messy and the plot isn’t the most interesting, Domino is otherwise pretty good, with solid performances led by Keira Knightley, and flashy and stylish direction from Tony Scott. It’s certainly not for everyone and the direction and style can be offputting for some, but it was at the very least an interesting ride, and one of Scott’s most experimental and unique films.