Welcome back to CraveOnline’s Trolling, my dearest contrarians, the series devoted to tearing apart all that is beloved, and vaunting and protecting all that is despised. This week, it is time to dive to the rescue of the largely hated and critically panned 2010 comic book film Jonah Hex.
When Jimmy Hayward’s supernatural western Jonah Hex was released in theaters in the summer of 2010, it was immediately and passionately rejected by mainstream audiences. Based on an edgy cult comic book, Jonah Hex starred Josh Brolin as a drifting bounty hunter with a scar on his face who is enlisted by the military to stop an evil bad guy with dark plans involving super-weapons. According to fans of the character, Jonah Hex was frustratingly inaccurate to the comics. According to critics, it was stiff, sloppy, and dumb; it enjoys a unenviable 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Anything that is that unpopular has to be – in the eyes of Trolling – worth something. That which is hated gets out sympathy gland active. And after a special look over, we have come to a new conclusion. Let us posit the following: Jonah Hex RULES! Let’s look at a few reasons why.
The plot is all over the place, the general tone never finds a foothold, and I cannot come up with any sort of cogent defense of the dreamscape fistfights (is that what they were?) between Brolin and Malkovich. Plus, at a mere 81 minutes, the stakes never get a chance to be raised to truly exciting levels – and this is coming from a critic who typically prefers brief films to longer ones. But what we do have is an earnest, tough, metal-edged fantasy western that is – at the end of the day – pretty entertaining.
Until next week, let the hate mail flow.
Witney Seibold is a commentator at Nerdist, a contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly Trolling articles here on Crave, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
Jonah Hex RULES!
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Jonah is a Badass
No matter what story he occupies, or the general quality of the film around him, you cannot deny that Jonah Hex is an an awesome character. He's a cross between a superhero, The Man With No Name, and a new, modern, self-aware Western badass. In the role, Josh Brolin growls, aloof, able to command attention. Jonah Hex is an appealing screen presence, one that's fun to watch and full of action potential. He's big and tough and interesting in an old-fashioned sort of way. If there are any faults with the film, they do not lie with the hero.
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Rocking Score
Rather than relying on a typical orchestral score, composer Marco Beltrami worked with hard-edged heavy metal band Mastodon to create one of the most unique, loud, and thrillingly dark musical scores heard in a movie in a long time. Most superheroes these days are treated like rock stars anyway, so it's totally tonally appropriate to have a death-themed hero like Jonah Hex be accompanied by quivering, loud guitars.
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Great Cast
Jonah Hex is full of awesome actors, and not one of them half-asses it. In addition to Josh Brolin, we have a villain played with a steely, opportunistic, warmongering glee by John Malkovich. Even more thrilling is Malkovich's Irish thug, played by Michael Fassbender, who sneers with a palpable (and palpably fun) evil. It's always a delight to see Michael Shannon in a film, even if his role is small. And even the oft-maligned Megan Fox is steely and tough as the cliché hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold. Oh yes, and Aidan Quinn is a good choice for president Grant.
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Westerns Are Rare
The Western, as it has been often repeated by critics of all stripes, is something of a moribund genre. No genre ever truly dies, but they do come and go in waves, often enjoying a heyday before withering and staying at a low ebb for the rest of their lives. The Western has been at a low ebb for a while, but that doesn't mean there aren't the occasional stabs at its return. Some are stinkers (The Lone Ranger) and some are thrilling (the remake of 3:10 to Yuma). Jonah Hex isn't a clarion call to the Western's return, but it was an honest and intriguing attempt to keep the genre alive. That's not nothing.
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The Superpower is Genre Appropriate
Westerns tend to be about greedy criminals exploiting the weak, and the heroes to come to their aid. There are also common themes of murder and revenge. Death is a casual thing in Westerns. Murder happens with frightening frequency, and the enforcement of the law is shaky. It then makes sense that Jonah Hex should be given a death-related superpower. He can touch people and resurrect them for a short period. This allows him to converse with his victims, look death in the eye, and either apologize or reflect on how little has changed. Regret, revenge, and death, all summed up in a superhero gimmick. That's kinda neat.
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The War
Jonah Hex takes place in 1876, after the end of the Civil War, and during a delicate time of reconstruction for the country. The villain may have a McGuffin superweapon, a plan of revenge, and connections to the hero, but the theme of the movie is most certainly about war and the prevention thereof. Indeed, Jonah Hex is less about its badassery and more about its longing for peace, preventing another war, avoiding the teetering conflict. It's a hawk vs. dove movie. And how nice to have a badass hero who – at least partly – is working to keep the peace.
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Neat Weapons
Jonah Hex is tricked out with some pretty cool weapons. I like the horse gun, and the semi-automatic crossbow. That's all. Those things were neat, and made the film more fun to watch.
