Men in Black
Agent K TOMMY LEE JONES Agent J WILL SMITH Dr. Laurel Weaver LINDA FIORENTINO Edgar VINCENT D'ONOFRIO Agent Zed RIP TORN Jeebs TONY SHALHOUB Beatrice SIOBHAN FALLON
Directed by BARRY SONNENFELD
Imagine if you will, a few of the more colorful characters you've run across in your lifetime. Have you ever pondered their oddball idiosyncrasies thinking that maybe, just maybe this guy is too weird to be human? (Editorial note: I myself have often been the focus of such inquiry). Now along comes a movie that says such people are in fact, aliens in disguise and are right here, living among us.
`Men in Black' is an hour-and-half movie filled with satire and humor. Its setting in New York city is obviously not a randomly selected city, but the victim of much of the human/alien satire. And appropriately so. Apparently, earth has become refuge for aliens looking for honest work a place to live, and occasionally a planet where political refugees can find some degree of security. These aliens are kept accountable by a top-secret, highly funded, yet little known agency known only as the Men in Black (MiB).
The movie starts off with a man smuggling illegal aliens in a van going across the Mexican border. They're soon stopped and interrogated by the INS when the MiB show up and take over. It seems one of the people is coming from quite a bit farther than Baja. This individual is taken aside and interrogated by MiB agent named K (Tommy Lee Jones). As it turns out this `Mexican," who is wanted for violating seven intergalactic treaties, is really a "Coyame", a Samarium-based life form named Mikey.
At same time NYPD officer James Edwards (played by the amusingly hyperkinetic Will Smith) is hot pursuit of an agile criminal with the rather inhuman ability to leap off tall bridges unscathed, and climb up a building without the aid of a ladder, suction cups, spider-power, etc. Finally running him down, Edwards discovers that this particular criminal may not be all that he seems after seeing the guy blink his eyes the sideways.
The ever-resourceful K discovers Edward's running prowess and recruits him into the top-secret agency. So the fun begins.
MiB entertains most with its deadpan style of humor, aided especially by Jones' stone-faced line delivery. Few things are sacred in this movie, especially New York, the butt of much of the humor in this film. You cannot help but laugh at how casually K describes Earth being a haven for aliens, much like the movie `Casablanca' but without the Nazis. Or how the first alien contact was covered up by holding the World's Fair in New York, and that they are actually real flying saucers. `Why else would we hold it in Queens?' he asks. Even his stoic face is the subject of a couple of funny quips. Against expectations, most of the cab drivers in New York are in fact, human.
Smith chips in with his part as the energetic and impulsive rookie MiB agent with a street- savvy knack for figuring out who is and who isn't what they really seem. It seems living in NY City gave him a sixth sense to be able to pick out the truly weird. His antics dialogue is nothing really new from him, yet his talents and good writing manage to keep his character fresh and new and, most importantly, funny.
The cast is rounded with the always reliable Rip Torn as Zed, the gruff voice of experience who heads up the Men In Black Organization. Linda Fiorentino is the sultry mortician who has the misfortune to come across more than her share of weird corpses. Kudos, however, to Vincent D'Onofrio for playing Edgar the bug. Initially, he starts off as a redneck who gets his innards sucked out by an intergalactic roach that crash landed near his farm. This bug dons his skin as a disguise in an attempt to blend in with his surroundings, which, considering it's New York, how hard could it be? Apparently the Edgar skin is a rather ill-fitting one, not good considering the bug itself hasn't mastered the science of human kinesiology. This causes him to move around with spasms, facial expressions, and twitches that makes Michael Richards of `Seinfeld' fame seem like Lord of the Dance by comparison. D'Onofrio looks to have given his 110% into this role and saying he deserves Oscar consideration is not too far-fetched.
Other unexpected stars of the film are the myriad of aliens ranging from cute (the baby squid-being) to grotesque (the bug minus its Edgar suit) to far-out (the guy with the head that grows back). The equipment used by the MiB is very hi-tech and also not of this Earth, most used being the Neuralizer, which has the ability to selectively erase certain parts of one's memories. The only thing protecting the users are MiB-issue glasses, which evidently block the neuralizer's effects. ( Editorial note: I guess they don't call them "Ray-Bans" for nothing). Even their weapons are visually both stunning and ridiculous at the same time, especially the `Noisy Cricket' which provides yet another brief moment of humor.
The plot itself is workable despite having more holes than a body- piercing artist. The first hour of the movie contains the most amusement. The last forty-five minutes or so feel somewhat hurried; some things are left unexplained. It winds down to what is essentially a creatively done beat-the-clock countdown sequence with a high `I've been slimed factor.'
Then again, you don't go see `Men in Black' for some deep soul- searching plot or to see political propaganda. You see it for what it is, a light sci-fi comedy that ranks high on the laugh scale. You see it because Sonnenfeld is adept at creating a darkly comical, yet almost realistic atmosphere and because Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith fight the bad boys with a quick wit and spirited on-screen chemistry, as well as with attitudes and Series 4 De-Atomizers. Just don't forget to bring the Ray-bans.
(C) Dan-E :)
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