Comic Book Movies 101: Jonah Hex

• 18th Feb 2011

Having first came into contact with the original 1970’s Jonah Hex comic books, about 3 or 4 years ago. I found them a little dated but also a great take on a western anti-hero, his scarred visage lodging itself into my subconscious. Here was a character which was both brooding and mysterious, while bubbling underneath his persona was a darkly comic humour. Above all it was unapologetically violent; the ingredients of what a good western anti-hero should be (just look at Clint’s Man with no name character).

When his popularity ran out in the early 80s (after a long run) he was given a late 90s overhaul by (cult/pulp author) Joe R.Lansdale , who wrote a few one off issues. These re-imagined comics included a more mystical mythology to the once stale character.

With all of these elements in place Hex was ripe for film translation, but unfortunately what got released last year was far from what made the source material so enjoyable. Even at its ridiculously short running time this is still a confusing and muddled mess of a studio film, as it seems quite clear that there was a substantial amount of material snipped by interfering studio bosses.

Admittedly it is quite hard to know how to categorize this film. Not only is it one of the worst comic book movies from a DC property in quite a while, but it is also one of the worst comic films I had seen for a very long time

It is a real shame that such an interesting character from the DC back catalogue was so mistreated. After more then a decade of worthwhile comic adaptations being translated to the screen, it seemed that it had gone back to the mid 90s where films based around comics became consistently disappointing.

After a second viewing I noticed there are at least a few moments which really help to make it partially watchable. For instance the comical moment after the first shootout, where Hex shoots a man who pops out of an upright coffin only to have the lid snap shut on the now deceased gunman. Whereas the intercutting of Michael Fassbender’s character Burke whistling ‘When Johnny comes marching home’ (as he prepares an explosive on a train track) with army soldiers on a train being hijacked, adds a cheery almost campy tone to the sequence. While the visual look of a crow erupting from the mouth of a partially dead Jonah Hex is striking, being one of the sole images that will be remembered when (if at all) mentioned in the years to come.

There also seems to be no equal balance between the two varying styles and if feels a little uneven when it seesaws between camp and a darker brooding tone. I can see this becoming a guilty pleasure for those who aren’t comic book purists. I want to avoid comparing this to another western with a fantastical element (such as Wild Wild West) but it does seem that westerns very rarely work as a genre hybrids.

On the minor plus side Josh Brolin gives a great performance as Hex and his portrayal is pretty much spot on to how I imagined this character would be realised. Giving his all to re-create the most worthwhile, and only redeeming, character within the film

Particularly when compared to the supporting cast such as John Malkovich’s well worn and restrained bad guy routine. While Megan Fox’s lifeless portrayal of a hooker, uttering her lines in the same monosyllabic Texan drawl in all of her brief scenes is frighteningly bad.

There is criminally underused Michael Fassbender (as a stereotypical rent-a-goon), Michael Shannon and the incredibly misplaced Will Arnett in thankless roles. All of which amounts to bouts of frustrated viewing at the misused potential for character development.

Therein lies one of the many problems for Jonah Hex because tonally it really can not decided whether it is gritty modern take on a western or a tongue in cheek action film. While for a film which has underlying tones of the supernatural about it, it never felt fully explored or even fully explained as to why.

Although it is peppered with a few interesting moments, there is nothing which really stays with you long after you leave. It becomes forgotten quite easily not to mention it has very few things that standout and make you want to revisit it with its lacklustre action sequences and cut-out characters. Which is a shame, because it could have been an interesting, brutal and brooding film instead of the hacked up mess it has become. While no amount of misplaced thumping guitar chords, injected into most of the exhausted action sequences, can make it any less exciting.

Chalk this one up to a failed western and a massive step back for recent comic book films, in particular decent adaptations of cult DC characters.

 Dominic O’Brien