Shut up, crime!
The H-Bomb: Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson) is a schlubby everyman who lives an utterly unremarkable, and even slightly depressing life. He works as a short order cook in a dingy, disgusting, greasy spoon shit pit of a diner, and is married to Sarah (Liv Tyler), an ex-drug addict who doesn’t seem to be all that interested in him these days. One day he comes home to find that she has moved out. If that’s not bad enough, he then learns that she left him for local drug kingpin Jacques (Kevin Bacon), a walking, talking oil slick with a spine made of jello.
After confronting Sarah and unsuccessfully begging her to come home, Jacques’ men (including Henry himself, Michael Rooker) kick the shit out of Frank and leave him bleeding in the gutter. Later that night, after praying intensely, Frank has a dream (or is it a vision?), in which he’s touched by the “fingertip” of God. Inspired by this, and by an uber-lame Christian Superhero show he’s been watching, Frank realizes what he must do in order to win back his wife… become a real-life costumed vigilante and take on all the city‘s criminals.
So Frank transforms himself into the Crimson Bolt, a masked avenger who stalks the streets looking for crime. His costume is a crude, homemade red suit, his weapon of choice is a pipe wrench, and his credo is simple: You don’t steal! You don’t deal drugs! You don’t molest little children! You don’t butt in line! You break any of his rules, and he’ll break your fuckin’ head, just ask the poor fool who tried to cut in front of him in line at the movie theater. Needless to say, this “hero” is more Travis Bickle than Bruce Wayne.
Along the way, he meets Libby (Ellen Page), a comic store clerk who declares herself his sidekick and christens herself “Boltie.“ Her enthusiasm for crime fighting gives the word “overzealous” a whole new meaning. If anyone so much as keys a car, this rabid little Chihuahua will grab the heaviest bronze horse she can find and beat their bitch ass to death with it. Even Frank is put off by her bloodthirsty vitriol.
Together, they make criminals crap their pants and the public cheer their names, but Frank has not forgotten about his true mission; to rescue his wife from the clutches of Jacques, who has turned her into an addict all over again. Unfortunately, it won’t be that easy, because Jacques has discovered the Crimson Bolt’s true identity, and dispatches his thugs to take him out. Will the Crimson Bolt be able to bring down the drug gang and win back his bride? Or has Frank bitten off more than he can chew by trying to take a bite out of crime?
If some of this sounds familiar to you, don’t fret, you’re not the only one. Yes, “Super” sounds an awful lot like “Kick Ass“ on the cheap, and they do share superficial similarities. Both have “Average Joe” protagonists who become vigilantes without having any real clue what they’re doing. Both attempt to satirize the superhero genre. Both are subversive and audaciously violent. But that’s about where the similarities end, and when all is said and done, I say “Super” flat out kicks the ass of “Kick Ass”’ (and mind you, I liked “Kick Ass“ quite a bit).
So what makes “Super” the superior film in my view? A little thing called heart. “Super” has one, and “Kick Ass” doesn’t really. “Super”, while laced with darkly comic humor that weaves throughout the film, isn’t afraid to turn dramatic and sincere when the time is right. There are many introspective moments with Frank that are sincere and moving. One scene, in which Frank loses someone close to him, and another, in which he passionately espouses his philosophy, show that genuine emotions do exist in the world of “Super”, with the heroes’ motivations coming from a real, human place, where as in “Kick Ass”, with the exception of Big Daddy’s back story and fate, things are pretty much glib from start to finish.
That’s not to imply that “Super” is ever that dramatically weighty. This is, after all, a film from writer/director James Gunn, who got his start writing “Tromeo & Juliet”, for crying out loud. The way he blends the violence and humor in the film is pitch black and almost perversely funny. When Crimson Bolt drops a cinder block on the head of a tranny drug dealer, I was completely in stitches. Many of the laughs found within are of a “Oh my fucking God, I can’t believe they just went there” variety. You may feel guilty, even a tad creepy, for laughing at a lot of what goes on in this flick, but believe you me, you won’t be able to help yourself.
Gunn also takes a few choice swipes at religion, like the cheesy Christian superhero show which, among its many problems, shows what are supposed to be High School kids dressed in very inappropriately provocative clothing. Also, Frank’s own religious views are the catalyst of his many violent actions, things that Jesus most definitely would not do. Some will surely take particular offense to this, but me… I couldn’t fuckin’ get enough of it!
Another aspect I loved was how Gunn played on a number of superhero conventions. Batman won’t kill people, but the Crimson Bolt ultimately comes to believe that killing is the only way to shut crime up. Also, in an amusing running joke, people are always recognizing the Crimson Bolt as Frank, despite him being in mask and costume. I always thought it was a stretch how heroes were never recognized because parts of their faces were covered, so this was definitely a clever touch.
Themes and content aside, a film is only as strong as the actors who populate it, and in this case, Gunn has cast just about every role to perfection. It may be difficult to imagine Dwight Schrute as a head busting vigilante, but Wilson pulls it off marvelously. He especially impressed me with his handling of the more dramatic material, which I had never seen him do before. There’s a charm, sadness, and clumsiness mixed in with the darker, violent aspects of Frank/Crimson Bolt, and Wilson fuses them all flawlessly, making Frank one of the more interesting characters, not to mention superheroes, to come along in a while.
Page as Libby/Boltie… what is there to be said? She almost steals the whole fucking show. Think Juno dropped in a blender with her sick-as-fuck character from “Hard Candy”, and you only begin to get a picture of her in this. Watching this jacked up, over-caffeinated, pint-sized crime stopper doling out justice is downright disturbing. I have never seen Page like this, and if she and Wilson don’t at least receive Independent Spirit nods for this, then I’ll just as soon say fuck the ISA’s!
Tyler doesn’t really get much to do as Frank’s wife, but truth be told, I’ve never been her biggest fan, so for that I’m grateful. Bacon does a nicely slimy turn as Jacques, the big, bad villain of the picture, who’s neither all that big nor bad, but is enough to give the Crimson Bolt a run for his money. With his sleazy smile and cowardly demeanor, Bacon almost makes the guy likeable, in a weird way.
Gunn gives the movie a gritty, realistic look and does a fine job of handling the film’s various tones. While it’s mainly a black comedy, the serious and heartfelt moments don’t feel out of place. One could argue that things get off to a slow start, but I don’t agree. I think just the right amount of time was taken to establish Frank as a character, as well as his motivations.
In a time when it seems all superhero films must be 100% dark and somber, “Super” is a very welcome break from the pack. It’s an offbeat, eccentric comic book yarn (that’s not based on a comic) that’s brutally violent, shamelessly subversive, and wickedly funny… for those with a wicked sense of humor and a strong stomach. The prudish and squeamish, on the other hand, should probably seek their entertainment elsewhere.
