'Jonah Hex' review

Megan Fox and Josh Brolin (Credit: Jamie Trueblood/Warner Bros.)

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Bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) strolls the valley between life and death, still shell-shocked by the murder of his wife and child at the hands of his arch-nemesis, terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). Hex’s sole reason for living is Lilah (Megan Fox), a prostitute and the only person capable of looking beyond his disfigured face. When the U.S. army approaches Hex on the eve of America’s 100th birthday, with news that Turnbull is both still alive and equipping himself with a primitive nuclear bomb, Hex saddles up and channels his supernatural powers in a bid for vengeance.

The buzz: In the DC Comics series that inspired this adaptation, Hex is one of those mystical and iconic antiheroes—ruthless, out for blood and with nothing left to lose. But among movie buffs, the initial excitement over Brolin and Malkovich going toe to toe in the haunted wild west was tempered by the unofficial news last December that “Constantine” and “I Am Legend” director Francis Lawrence was being brought in to consult on extensive re-shoots—almost always a sign that things have gone off the rails.

The verdict: You’ve never seen a hero quite like this before—a deformed, deranged bounty hunter racing to make amends for his enlistment in the Confederate army. But maybe there’s a reason for that. Hex is so fearless, so untouchable, so angry that he’s really a dramatic black hole. Instead of digging into Hex’s agonized past, or his cursed future, “Jonah Hex” sets up one over-the-top action sequence after another, straining out any sense of drama or consequence. Scenes blur together; characters float on the breeze. With a total running time that barely hits 80 minutes, it’s hard to believe they even paid Malkovich and Fox to show up. Hex has only a single scene with Lilah before the action-heavy climax, while Hex and Turnbull only stare at one another from afar—their limited dialogue relegated to flashbacks. The result is a surprisingly superficial experience. All the sparkling explosions are dazzling, but this is one hollow thriller.

Did you know? Creating Hex’s facial scar was an intricate three-step process, involving a silk tab to keep Josh Brolin’s facial skin taut, dentures with high gauge metal wire to pull back his lips while pushing his cheek skin inward, and finally a silicone prosthetic that created the scar tissue to blend in with his natural skin color.

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