Wretched excess doesn't require a huge budget—only a director with a large ego and a willingness to throw everything but the kitchen sink onto the screen, as evidenced by Lee Daniels' Shadowboxer, a weird modern film noir gussied up with so many cinematic tricks and flourishes that it's notable not for its plot (or even its oddly impressive cast), but rather for its garish look and pointlessly fractured narrative. The film centers on an unlikely pair of assassins/lovers: a gaunt woman with terminal cancer (Helen Mirren) and her young partner (Cuba Gooding Jr.). Hired by a drug kingpin to kill some of his crew and his supposedly unfaithful wife, the duo dispose of most of their targets but not the spouse, who turns out to be pregnant and whose water breaks just as she's about to be shot—after which she and her newborn son go into hiding with the killers. Of course, the crime boss inevitably discovers their whereabouts and comes calling. While the lurid plot (which is made all the more so thanks to the film's wildly flamboyant style—brash colors, woozy compositions, and chronologically-challenged construction) bobs and weaves, Shadowboxer ultimately fails to deliver much of a narrative punch. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)
Shadowboxer
Visual, 93 min., R, DVD: $26.99, Nov. 7 Volume 21, Issue 5
Shadowboxer
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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