This steampunk western action-comedy film by director Barry Sonnefield is a loose adaptation
of the 1960's TV series of the same name. Despite notoriously mixed reviews, the $170-million
dollar picture managed to earn over $50 million in profit when it was released in June of
1999. Will Smith and Kevin Kline star in the 106-minute adventure as two of the best gunslingers
in the old west, who attempt to save the President from a cunning 19th century inventor-villain.
At the height of his popularity, Smith is slick, handsome, charismatic, charming, and
reasonably funny as he effortlessly moves from romancing a fine looking lady to corralling
a runaway stagecoach. Complete opposites in style and approach, the two make a perfect
pair: Kline is the resourceful US Marshall who prefers careful planning, disguises and
mechanical inventions, whereas Smith likes to, as one character puts it, "shoot first,
shoot later, shoot some more and then when everybody's dead try to ask a question or
two." Meanwhile, the remarkably talented Kenneth Branagh is featured as the crackpot bad-guy
with distracting facial hair - and remains one of the more memorable aspects of this
PG-13 rated picture... chewing the scenery with his over-zealous southern accent at every
opportunity. In a dual role, Kline also plays the President of the United States, again
- resulting in some humorous moments where he shares a scene opposite himself. The film
that famously broke Roger Ebert's longstanding "Statnon-Walsh Rule" that stipulated, "No
movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can
be altogether bad." If I may devise something similar, no film featuring the timelessly
beautiful Salma Hayek can be altogether bad either. Her inclusion, helps - pardon the
pun - round out the talented, if underutilized cast. Showcasing plenty of impossible, but
fascinating gadgetry, the movie's visuals and style are both unique and interesting.
A scene where our two intrepid heroes must outrun flying death magnets through a dense
cornfield is practically original, and fun to watch unfold. Blending
the period-accurate costumes and western locations with anachronistic steam-powered contraptions
makes for a less than consistent visual style, but the effects themselves are done well,
look quite good. The musical score from Elmer Bernstein isn't anything special, but remains
suitably low-key and appropriate through out. Although the film could have been about 10
minutes shorter, the adventure is paced well enough to keep you interested in its absurd
premise and larger-than-life characters. Feeling more like a modern-day action movie wrapped
in a post-Civil War setting than a proper western, the movie's tone, which bounces from
serious to goofy is perhaps its biggest flaw. If you're able to overlook the many shortcomings
here though, it's a surprisingly fun and carefree adventure worth watching at least once or
twice, especially for the superbly catchy pop-song by Smith himself that closes out
the picture. "Wild Wild West", "Unconventional heroics in unique situations." Now let's read
the YouTube comments to see what you had to say.
Our scores for "Wild Wild West", a FIVE and a SIX. Some were very critical of the entire
experience, while others were able to find some enjoyment out of this weird western,
your scores averaged to an ALRIGHT. A very 90's action flick, this one might be flawed,
but it's an fun guilty pleasure, I thought it was GOOD.