An utter mess of a movie which is nonetheless oddly likeable – there’s so many good things in it. One of the main problem is that the script is structured like the book for a musical – characters come and go, only loosely connect. Movies tend to do better when focused around one or two protagonists. An ensemble piece might have been okay had it centered around say the one location and all the characters had something in common, but they don’t here, really. Sure there’s the Cotton Club, but we keep cutting away to other night clubs – Richard Gere plays trumpet at another club, Diane Lane sets up at another club (it’s as though these characters needed to be black or something).
The frustrating thing is all the stories have plenty of meat on them – Gere in love with a gangster’s moll (though she should have been established as a moll before the film began – having her meet Gere and Dutch Schultz at the same time makes her seem like a real whore); Nicolas Cage as Gere’s brother who becomes a vile gangster; the lovely relationship between Fred Gwynne and Bob Hoskins; Gregory Hines having professional fights with his brother (never quite clear); Hines romancing a black girl who can pass for white; the emergence of black gangsters.
Richard Gere is a bit weak, especially when called upon to do something emotional. Diane Lane doesn’t have the nicest character but she manages to be quite sweet and has some enjoyable love scenes with Gere, helped by a memorable John Barry theme song. (NB the music is great).
The film has a lovely texture (as David Shipman pointed out); the dialogue has this tang, the production design is great. It just has this unique feel about it – especially when it goes non-naturalistic (eg introduction of creepy Saul, the final music number). A mess but a glorious one.
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