amazon Once Upon A Time in Venice reviews
The film opens with Steve (Bruce Willis), a detective educating a group of children in a surfing area. With the motto of “living with women, violence against men,” Steve bad luck was stolen by a gang lost dog. After a series of events took place, the film wrapped into a journey to save the lost Steve’s dog Buddy.
Actually when I looked at the loss of the dog, I was thinking of John Wick. But who ever thought Venice Once Upon A Time is nothing like John Wick. Even when the dog was caught, I thought about Taken, but it was not cool either. Once Upon A Time in Venice offers funny episodes in the style of Western culture.
The content in Once Upon a Time in Venice is not new. You may even have seen a few other movies with similar content. The character Steve is not a “good martial arts” or “super” ability as John Wick, but just a normal detective. Along with his associate John, Steve is entangled in two big missions to investigate. These ideas are easy to solve, but many unexpected incidents do not happen. From that incident, the character continues to find a solution in other places, despite the ability to “avoid coconut shell meets coconut shell” very high. That is why the main character is almost the victim of harmful actions for themselves.
In fact, I quite like the story in Once Upon a Time in Venice. If you ignore obscene or excessive humor, the message that the movie brings is good. It’s family affection, forgetting for family as character Dave (John Goodman) has said. It is also dog love and friendship. In some respects, the characters in the movie are quite interesting, including “bad character”. Actually, there is no character totally bad in the movie, and of course no one is good at all. The characters are very ordinary life, no one perfect, just like this life.
where can you get a Once Upon A Time in Venice online
Once upon a Time in Venice: Buy it now
Once Upon a Time in Venice [Blu-ray]: Buy it now
Take, for example, the Spyder (Jason Momoa), a trader “heroin” in the film. This hand is quite standard but declared because the story is so emotional that he decided to return the dog to Steve. I came here laughing even though I did not really say so. But Spyder’s feelings made him feel he was telling the truth, even though the look on his face was dumb. Other characters are similar. Viewers are always watching the silly and serious moments of the characters. Somewhere in every person, there are personal views about life and family. They are different, but there are always people who acknowledge their differences and respect that, rather than disparaging, ridiculing.
But Once Upon a Time in Venice is a comedy action movie … nonsense. The same type of nonsense funny that is similar to the RED film series also has Bruce Willis in the lead role. The way the character is introduced, I feel it is a bit pale and intentional to make it look imposing. But in fact, no character “cranky”, all are just ordinary people with different personalities. The character that made me laugh most probably Yuri (Ken Davitian), a lender specializing in usury. He impressed me with a bikini suit that looked just wanted to vomit. Even the narrator has implications for him. And the move that surprised me the most was to advise him not to borrow his money, after he tried to pay old debt.
Plot Summary
The narrative concentrates on Steve Ford (Bruce Willis), a private eye in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Steve is an ex-policeman living a generally aimless existence solving small cases by the hour in the sunny climes of Venice Beach. What was once the smooth course of life for Steve was interrupted violently when a gang headed by a fearsome drug dealer named Spyder (Jason Momoa) took his beloved dog, Daisy.
In a bidding to get back his dog, Steve is embroiled in a fast-paced series of incidents featuring colorful characters like his ex-partner Dave (John Goodman), and a bunch of hapless criminals. While Frank plunges into the criminal underbelly to take back Daisy, he finds himself in a comical mishmash of high-stakes confrontations and revelations about himself.
Plot Analysis
Once Upon A Time in Venice’s entire plot is handled in a rather simple and predictable way, depending on that classic narrative premise of a man on a mission to get back something precious. But the way the film is executed is quite different from the traditional formula. The action sequences are mixed with comedic touch, providing a hybrid genre experience.
As for the location of the film, Venice Beach serves as the perfect hinterland, creating an atmosphere that resonates with the tides of emotion in the narrative. Choosing Venice Beach for the setting creates a juxtaposition of Steve’s leisurely lifestyle against the turmoil and dangerous instances he finds himself embroiled in, with the sky and scenic landscape of Venice Beach serving as a contrasting backdrop to the dark issues explored in the film.
The pacing of the plot is uneven. Beginning with comedy, it is soon brought into an apparent action territory with a vision of serious undertones drawn as interrogations on the efficacy of Steve’s quest for Daisy escalate. This shift could feel abrupt, with comedy and drama interwoven, with not all moments blended seamlessly. A huge part of the plot provides much assistance and opportunities for action and comic interludes but at times fails to reconcile these aspects properly.
Character Development
Steve Ford (Bruce Willis)
The role of Steve Ford, the lead character in the film, is, of course, fulfilled by Bruce Willis. Steve is characterized as a tough yet tender-hearted private investigator supremely attached to his dog, Daisy. Willis is casting his inherent charm and ruggedness into the character, thereby giving the film its grounding. The relatable characteristic of Steve is in his determination to retrieve his dog, and Willis draws from his own experiences to lend an air of authenticity to that pursuit.
However, character-wise, Steve Ford has somewhat of a flat trajectory. His goals are perfectly clear, and they do not quite lead to any personal development as far as Steve is concerned. The character remains unwavering throughout, concentrating only on getting back Daisy and dealing with the ensuing chaos. Because of this slight flaw, Steve sometimes seems one-dimensional, more concerned about physical movement and mirth as opposed to real growth along the way.
Spyder (Jason Momoa)
As the principal antagonist of the film, Jason Momoa takes on the character of the Spyder, leader of the gang responsible for stealing Daisy. Spyder is an unpredictable menace and brings a lot of tension to the film. Jason Momoa portrays the character with intensity, and charisma, and handles the dangerous and tempestuous aspect of the character with great skill.
Spyder’s motivations and background are barely touched upon, which explains why the character is somewhat shallow. Notwithstanding this, Jason Momoa gives the character sense in bringing menace, whereas unpredictability turns Spyder into a formidable opponent against Steve Ford. The larger-than-life persona of his character carries weight within the dynamics of the film and the nature of danger it composes for the character of Steve.
Dave (John Goodman)
Dave was Steve’s ex-business partner and friend. Dave serves to add comic relief but also supports Steve’s quest for Daisy. Goodman delivers the role with all of his usual comedic timing and presence, bringing warmth and humor to the role. While Dave served as Steve’s comic relief in a balance to the action, his character development, like many of the film’s characters, remained underdeveloped.
Dave ranks a little higher than many in development because some focus on how he and Steve share some long-standing history and bond. However, like almost all the characters in the film, Dave is somewhat underdeveloped, mostly just fitting into the lexicon of story development rather than advancing it.
Supporting Characters
Many supporting characters appear throughout the film: various criminals, law enforcement agents, or oddball locals. While they add color and humor to the film, they are one-dimensional beings whose main function is to create some plot momentum or charm by comic relief. Famke Janssen and Adam Goldberg are among the supporting cast that comes together to create a very colorful and eclectic ensemble.
Direction and Writing
Direction
As Once Upon a Time in Venice is being directed by Mark Cullen, he aims at a balance between action and comedy in order to give the spectators a light and thrilling ride. Cullen introduces a style of direction where humor and action are prime considerations, with the intention of holding the audience’s attention with dynamic set pieces and comic beats.
While the direction has succeeded in capturing the energetic tone of the film punctuated with quirkiness, its faults include an uneven pace and inconsistent transitions between the comedic and dramatic moments. At times this induces a clumsy experience for the audience. Cullen has gone for a great round of entertainment with mind-blowing visuals; Venice Beach came off as anything but lifeless under his direction.
Writing
Once Upon a Time in Venice, authored by Mark and Robb Cullen, includes a mix of cynical and comic dialogue with somewhat ludicrous situations and action-set pieces. The writing was effective in embodying the comical essence of the movie with many good one-liners and funny situations adding to the entertainment value.
Unfortunately, it has some shortcomings. The plot is somewhat predictable, and character development can be sporadic. At times witty, the dialogue can tend toward being stale or cheesy. The film is usually limited in originality and depth due to its overuse of familiar tropes and formulaic plot devices.
Action and Comedy Elements
The action sequences display excellent choreography and flair. The film is filled with such intensity-a-sateau des tandan-tinged action scenes from furious face-offs to fast-paced chases. But the incredible unadulterated bragging right keep the show flowing.
On the other hand, the comedic tones are a plus for the film. From slapstick into witty banter, there’s a very large spectrum of humor keeping the light mood afloat. Between Willis’ good comic timing and Goodman, they each provide plenty of hilarious moments. And sometimes that mix comes off as raw, where goofy moments conflict with grim sequences.
Art and Design
Visual Style
Once Upon a Time in Venice develops its own visual scheme from being located in the very vibrant and hotchpotch Venice Beach neighborhood. The cinematography takes in the colors and life of the area while trying to create its special character with the locale.
Bright lively color schemes, mixed with an exciting camera angle, bring the sense of energy and excitement to life. Contrasting picturesque scenery of Venice Beach in much of the film from its chaotic streets and darker moments creates a beauty in the movie. The art direction and the production design therefore set the tone for the film and convey all of this.
Costume and Set Design
The costume and set design in Once Upon a Time in Venice embody an odd and colorful nature, thereby delivering a rather quirky undertone. The costumes represent the characters and combine seamlessly with the various locations where the film is shot, lending an engaging visual narrative.
Each particular set in Venice features representational locations, from Steve’s office to different criminal hideouts. Such design choices further add to the visual energy that enhances the atmosphere of the film.
Sound and Music
Sound Design
For once upon a time in Venice, sound plays an integral role towards creating moods about the same. The effects of sound contribute greatly to making the action, or whatever may be termed as comedy, come alive in the movie. Gunfire effects and car chases are obviously practical, but the sound design goes much further down the line into more phenomenal forms of sound.
It adds entertainment value by successfully complementing every aspect of the film-visual as well as narrative.
Music
Once Upon a Time in Venice has a clipped collection of lively and upbeat tracks that should go well with the action segments and comic parts of the movie. The music itself adds up to the tone of the general show together with the pacing. Some of these tracks come from rock to everything else, thus contributing to the lively atmosphere of the film.
Critical Reception
The critics’ cast-off results did not do justice to the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Venice.’ Most of the critics stated the good things about the movie like its humor, energetic performances, and action sequences while some criticized for pacing and a predictable plot retort. The films turned out to be accepting Bruce Willis.
Most reviews would actually focus on the strong point, which is that it is selling itself as an entertaining action-comedy flick but also, it would mention the thing that falls short in the aspect of originality: characterization. It really has the potential to attract the genre crowd because of the humor and action, but its predictability and uneven execution keep it from making a mark.
Legacy and Impact
Once Upon a Time in Venice has failed to create a significant cultural impact or lasting legacy in the action-comedy genre. While the combination of action and humor certainly entertains, this makes it quite a small film in the portfolio of Bruce Willis. Mainly it caters to those who enjoy viewing light humorous action comedies set in colorful eye candy locales.
Whatever be the success of a work, a lot hinges on that. Bruce Willis is the star on one side, and the comic element will entice further fans of an action-comedy hybrid. At the same time, it has become somewhat predictable in instances of uneven tone and could limit wider appeal to audiences. And while Jason Momoa’s Spyder gives a unique touch, the villain was too much of a one-dimensional antagonist for even his arc to fill in the underdevelopment of the film’s antagonist.
A comparison will be made to other movies.
Relative to other films in the genre of action-comedy, Once Upon a Time in Venice occupies a middle ground. Similar to movies like The Nice Guys or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which are action comedies that have a highly developed sense of place, it also excels in this regard. But it does not equally have that quality, nor those sharpness and originality that the above films proudly brands–these are famous for their unique approach to the genre and their quotable dialogues.
It certainly would not rank in the list of “Top Ten Bruce Willis Movies,” or anything like that. Although most know him for his roles in great action movies such as Die Hard or even Pulp Fiction, the audience will find that this movie also lets Willis demonstrate the more amusing side of his acting charisma. Die-hard Willis fans would not like it because it is very distance from the popular image of a hard-action star.
Viewer Experience
Once Upon a Time in Venice is the amalgamation of humor, action, and beautiful locations for those casual audiences looking for a light-hearted enjoyable action-comedy. The comedic bit and fast-sequence action may offer some good entertainment to people who enjoy Bruce Willis’s rough and fun-tacular mix.
The visually interesting film has a lovely Venice Beach setting to offer, along with the Bruce Willis and John Goodman performances. The story, although, will disappoint anyone looking for a deeper or convoluted tale and really brilliant storytelling. The beaten-down plot elements and themes would not be remembered by one looking for really heavy or novel cinema.
Final Thoughts
Once Upon a Time in Venice is an entertaining action comedy, one full of merriment, action, and quite picturesque settings, proffering to the viewer an easy path to viewing pleasure. Bruce Willis does a pretty typical job of balancing action with some comedy, whereas it is placed in a fun, bright Venice Beach backdrop.
Indeed predictable, and with some character development that borders on missing, the film, however, is successful to such an extent as to be fun and engrossing for the audience that enjoys the genre. Action and comedy mixed in a lively visual style, just right for a casual movie night.
Overall, Once Upon a Time in Venice may not be one of the great names in the action-comedy genre, but it gives a bright, cheerful ride to those who enjoy this kind of Bruce Willis humor and action. Its place is small in the landscape of action comedies, but by virtue of its energetic performances and colorful setting, it is a light-hearted diversion.