Domino DVD Review:

The blurred lines of reality have made their way into entertainment even more than usual recently with the controversy surrounding James Frey and A Million Little Pieces. What makes Tony Scott’s new acid trip of a film enjoyable is the fact that it makes it clear from the beginning that although Domino Harvey was a real person and many of the situations in the film happened, there are a few liberties taken in order to make the film more enjoyable. This is not uncommon when adaptations are done, even if it is an adaptation of someone’s life. This is why films are, “Based on” or “Inspired by” true stories, instead of claiming to simply be true. The end result of this film is more of an homage to the life of Domino, who died shortly before the release, and only if this is understood will the film be appreciated in all fullness.

Keira Knightley went from the shooting of the romantic period film Pride and Prejudice to the shooting of Domino in a matter of a week. This meant chopping off all of her hair and applying tattoos in order to capture the true essence of the bounty hunter. Domino Harvey was a rich girl who began rebelling when her family moved to Beverly Hills. In an act of rebellion she left her modeling career and socialite family for a life tracking down bail jumpers with one of the most infamous group of bounty hunters Los Angeles has ever seen. Mickey Rourke jumps into another Tony Scott film as the leader of the pack, looking remarkably similar to the television bounty hunter personality, Dog. With a female bounty hunter in the group, suddenly there is a lot of attention on them, and they are approached by a television producer, played by Christopher Walken, with a proposal of making their every day living a reality show hosted by stars of the hit teen soap, Beverly Hills 90210.

With as many as six cameras always ready to shoot, Scott has a style of his own. From one moment to the next it is nearly impossible to anticipate the direction of the film. If it isn’t a flashback or a flash-forward, it is voiceover and experimentation with film stock and speed in order to give the final look a hypnotic and raw energy. Even when Domino isn’t a great or even a good film, it is always somewhat interesting and original.

Knightley may be known from her role in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but her talent reaches far beyond the expectations of that role. Domino is just another example of her range as an actor, but it is also amazing that she is still engaging to watch even when the film doesn’t quite reach expectation. As tough as her demeanor is and as gritty as each scene may be, Knightley still carries herself with grace and elegance that hasn’t been seen since Audrey Hepburn.

The DVD is fitting with the film, with menus that jump all over the place in a bundle of energy that is missing from the plot of the film itself. What is most fitting is the special features, which understand what the film is really about. There are two featurettes, both of which are perfectly fitting. The first featurette, “I am a Bounty Hunter”, takes an in depth look at the life of the real Domino Harvey with interviews, footage and old photographs. While the film is an entertaining look at Domino’s life, the featurette is an accurate examination. The second featurette, “Bounty Hunting on Acid: Evolution of a Visual Style”, examines Tony Scott’s visual style that started with award winning Marlboro ads in London.

There are also a number of deleted and alternate scenes, two audio commentaries, and two trailers for the film. The deleted scenes have a few good moments of dialogue but many of them make no sense out of the context of the film. The first audio commentary is with writer Richard Kelly and director Tony Scott, and the second one features script notes and story development from Tony Scott and assorted cast and crew.

Ryan Izay