Hollywood Homicide

What’s the Story?

In HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE, Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) is a seen-it-all cop with three ex-wives and a sideline in real estate. His financial position is so precarious that he will stop in the middle of an interrogation to pitch a deal. His partner K.C. (Josh Hartnett) literally can't shoot straight. Another thing he can't keep straight is the names of the girls in the yoga class he teaches, who are constantly either sighing over him or making passes at him. But what K.C. really wants to do is act. When a rap group is gunned down at a nightclub, Joe and K.C. have to find the killers despite constant distractions from their other careers and from a pending internal affairs investigation by Macko (Bruce Greenwood), a cop who is very eager to pin something on Joe.

Is It Any Good?

A lot of talented people tried very hard to make this movie work, but it just doesn't make it. It has an appealing premise, top starring talent, and guest appearances by quite a few music stars. There is some sharp dialogue, some sly satire about Tinseltown and a couple of gags work well. But mostly, it is a mess. Ford's loose, ego-free, and witty performance is almost worth the price of admission. And there are some shrewd takes on the city where everyone, even suspects and witnesses, has headshots or a script proposal on hand at all times.

But most of the action is muddled and most of the comedy is tired. There is an interminable chase scene near the end, the murders and bad guys are not compelling, and there are way too many coincidences. Even though the story is supposed to take place in Los Angeles, quite a large city by any measure, everyone keeps running into everyone else and it turns out that the same characters are all connected to every major event in each other's lives.