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FORMULA 51
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Sean Pertwee,
Ricky Tomlinson, Rhys Ifans, Meat Loaf
Director: Ronny Yu
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1, Full Screen 1.33:1
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: See Review
Length: 93 Minutes
Release Date: February 4, 2003
“POS
51—It’s like getting a personal visit from God.”
Film
***
Formula
51 delivers a similar dosage of both action and comedy that is big enough
for two movies. It’s full throttle, high energy entertainment that seems to
blend in elements from the worlds of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. From the
Tarantino world, we have the presence of Mr. Bad Ass himself, Samuel L. Jackson,
sporting the unlikely sight of a kilt for the entire movie. And from the Guy
Ritchie world, we have the setting, which is in England, filled left and right
with lowlife characters much like the ones depicted in Snatch
and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. It adds up to 90 minutes worth
of violence and laughs that’s downright perfect for a late Friday night
viewing.
Jackson, who also
co-produced the pic, stars as Elmo McElroy, a master chemist who was robbed of
his future twenty years ago when he was pulled over by a cop and busted for drug
possession, right on the day of his college graduation, nonetheless. Now, Elmo
is a drug chemist working under a sinister crime lord known as The Lizard (Meat
Loaf), but he is about to bail on his boss, looking to make the score of a
lifetime across the Atlantic.
Traveling to
Liverpool, England, Elmo plans to make the deal of a lifetime, for $20 million,
that is. He has devised the most eccentric drug on the market, which he calls
POS 51. It is 51 times stronger than cocaine, 51 times more explosive than
ecstasy, and 51 times more hallucinogenic than acid, and it comes in the form of
a blue pill that doesn’t look all that different from a sweet tart. The most
intriguing fact about Elmo’s product is that it doesn’t contain any illegal
ingredients. Once arrived in England, he is soon partnered up with Felix DeSouza
(Robert Carlyle), the man who has set up the deal for Elmo, and who is also
making a cool million from his participation.
Although Elmo is
ready to get paid nice and fast, it won’t be easy for him. The Lizard, having
survived an explosion that Elmo devised to wipe him out, is hot on his trail,
employing a hired gun named Dakota (Emily Mortimer) to take out anyone and
everyone that gets near his chemist, in order to guarantee his name on the
purchase. Things get even more complicated when Dakota turns out to be a former
flame of Felix’s.
Like just about any
movie he’s in, Samuel L. Jackson holds every minute of the piece together with
his bad-as-a-mother-can-be performance. Elmo is equipped with a dangerous
ability for use of chemicals, but an arsenal of golf clubs as well. In one
scene, he puts a club to good use on a group of skinheads with the same
masterful force of the lightsaber he commanded in Attack of the Clones. As a sidekick, Robert Carlyle, known for
playing insane very well in Trainspotting
and The World is Not Enough, shows his
lighter side, as he is given many of the movie’s funny one-liners. And one
thing’s for sure, you’ll never look at Meat Loaf the same way again,
especially by the end of the movie.
To sum it up, if
you’re an admirer of Pulp Fiction
and Snatch, like myself, then you’ll
have no problem whatsoever enjoying Formula
51, which I find to be a respected combination of both films. Think of it
more as Dr. Jules Winnfield Goes to England.
Video
***1/2
Columbia Tri Star
strikes with a marvelous looking disc for Formula
51. The movie, which was released in England before hitting the states, is
clearly shot in a non-traditional form of film stock. In fact, it bares much
resemblance to the look of Snatch. The
anamorphic presentation does this rare look much justice, with a picture that is
kicking thoroughly with both crispness and clarity. Colors appear as good as
they can, since the film is shot with what appears to be a light grayish form,
but it still looks good nonetheless.
Audio
***1/2
There’s quite a
lot of action in Formula 51, and
Columbia Tri Star has supplied a lively 5.1 track to go along with the fast
paced movie. All action scenes dominate the presentation, with a midtown car
chase sequence taking top honors in the furious department. Music is frequent a
lot in the movie, as well, which is comprised of techno beats with a little rap
and hard rock on the side. A bloody good hearing, indeed.
Features
**
Included is a 15
minute behind the scenes featurette from Cinemax, and trailers for this movie,
as well as Bad Boys, Half Past Dead,
Snatch and XXX.
Summary: