![]() ![]() Understandably, they’re trying to make the audience believe that these archetypal characters are local legends, but adding random backstories and facts during Middleditch’s introduction, meant to be comical, only distract from the larger plot. Oddly enough, the Cullen brothers spend an inordinate amount of time introducing characters that have little relevance and/or impact on the plot. Perhaps Once Upon A Time In Venice could have flowed a bit better from random scene to random scene if editors, Matthew Diezel and Zach Staenberg’s transitions weren’t as jolting the plethora of freeze-frames don’t help, either. The first getaway scene is entertaining, but, after that, the action and chase scenes become redundant, and the villainous, minority gang archetypes border the line of offensive too often. It doesn’t help maintain a consistent tone throughout Once Upon A Time In Venice. Jeff Cardoni’s music shifts from Hawaiin-infused slack-key guitar and traditional Hawaiian Nose Flute, breezy tunes to a variation of John Barry’s famous Bond theme song, to Mexican gangster music. The film is packed with genre references, from Back To The Future, Forrest Gump, and even Zombeavers (why?), but too few of them are relevant to the plot. Suffice it to say, the Cullen brothers packed a tad too much into the script for any subplot to take hold in the world that they create. Is it a character study, buddy comedy, noir thriller, crime satire, revenge romp, redemption story, gun violence parody, or love story? Once Upon A Time In Venice doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be. His monotonous muttering eventually becomes off-putting. ![]() His character isn’t even in a scene with Steve until almost 30 minutes into the film. However, the material Middleditch is provided with is stale, and he doesn’t seem invested in the story enough, perhaps because his character isn’t fully fleshed out, or the story, for that matter for instance, he occasionally breaks the fourth wall, but not in an interactive or fun way. Middleditch’s narration sets up the story and the film’s main focus, Willis’s Steve. Even with an impressive supporting cast, including John Goodman, Jason Momoa, Thomas Middleditch, Adam Goldberg, Famke Janssen, David Arquette, and Kal Penn, Once Upon A Time In Venice’s narrative fails to come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Washed up and down on his luck, his dog, Buddy is stolen by a local gang, prompting a comedy of errors that don’t add up to anything greater than half-hashed-out, individually crafted scenes. Willis plays the only private detective of Venice Beach, California, Steve Ford. The idea is there, but the execution falters. Writers Mark and Robb Cullen have crafted a Frankenstein’s monster, of sorts. However, over the past decade, he’s starred in several misfires, including the latest, Once Upon A Time In Venice. ![]() He has proven himself to be more than adept as a dramatic actor ( The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Moonrise Kingdom). Fortunately for Bruce Willis, he is more than just brawn. Actors grow older, bodies age, and, subsequently roles diminish. Longevity isn’t easy for a traditional action star in the film industry. ![]()
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