A Spirited Defense

Is all the hatred of Frank Miller's The Spirit due to high expectations? I admit that it isn't Sin City or 300 (in queue), although it uses the same stylistic tricks. It isn't Will Eisner, either, so lovers of the original Spirit might have a legitimate beef. But without that baggage? A pretty nifty pic.

For me, part of the problem is Gabriel Macht as the Spirit. He has an earnest doofiness, like a Kyle MacLachlan or Val Kilmer that doesn't quite work for the character. The Spirit should be a little breezier - he's the kind of guy who leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets and one foot up on its toe. I'm not looking for Pierce Brosnan suave, just less of a boy scout.

Another problem is that Miller gives Spirit a superpower - he can't be killed, he always heals. This has some precedent - Spirit did take a lot of bullets, and came back from the "dead" a number of times (it was his origin, actually). But there was nothing supernatural, just a lucky guy with a strong constitution.

He has another superpower in the movie that is even better attested in the original - he is catnip to the ladies. He gets a number of beauties, including Police Commisioner Dolan's daughter Ellen, Sand Serif (Eva Mendez), Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega) ... Blame Eisner for the silly names. They all fall for him and most of them try to kill him. That's the Spirit I know!

The villian, the Octopus, is played by Samuel L. Jackson at his hammiest (which might explain his obsession with eggs). The best gag in the movie is his gang of henchmen, all played by by a Joe Besser-esque Louis Lombardi. These cheerfully mindless clones all wear sweatshirts with their names: Logos, Ethos, Pathos, Huevos, etc.

Miller gets a very stylish look, but rarely gets the stylized noir feel that Eisner stole from Hitchcock and Wells and made his own. We see very few toppling perspectives, looming shadows, shots through the skylight. Still, the Miller look goes down pretty smooth, so I won't complain. He adds his own touches, like races across the rooftops and the ubiquitous alleycats.

I won't complain about the liberties taken with the Spirit's character, either. I can't complain about the women. In fact, I enjoyed this movie a lot.

P.S. I take it back, I have another complaint. Ellen Dolan comes across as a bit of an old maid, when she should be more of a schoolgirl type. Oh heck, just go with it.