Wild Wild West

Starring: Kevin Kline, Will Smith Director: Barry Sonnenfeld Original UK Premiere: 1999 Dvd Release: 21st February, 2000 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding Subtitled In: Arabic, Bulgarian, English, Romanian

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Wild Wild West was a steampunk film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh & Salma Hayek. It was inspired by a 1960s television program of the same name. In the spirit of the original TV series the film featured many wildly unrealistic mechanical inventions, most famously the giant mechanical spider complete with flamethrower. Wild Wild West was criticized for excessive marketing & poor quality & was generally seen to have gone too far in putting surface appearances & special effects ahead of plot & character, even for a summer blockbuster. Some even saw a problem with Will Smith in the role of Jim West. While a few grumbled at the notion of a black actor playing an established white character, most were simply put off at the anachronistic way West is portrayed in this film. The film was also criticized for having a handicapped wheelchair bound character played by a star who was not handicapped, when various persons associated with the film felt a handicapped individual was qualified for the role.

Wild Wild West, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld , was one of the box-office smashes of the summer of 1999 but was raked by critics & embraced by audiences. Based on the 1960s TV adventure show that starred Robert Conrad, this film re-imagined Secret Service agent James West as Will Smith, adding Oscar-winner Kevin Kline as his sidekick, agent-inventor Artemus Gordon. President Ulysses S. Grant puts West & Gordon on the trail of malign genius Dr. Arliss Loveless in a story about racism, partnership & world domination. The special effects are lavish, even garish, but not all that special; theyre not enough to elevate a mundane & familiar plot. Even Branagh, playing a man who only exists from the waist up, literally, cant find the juice in this lumbering affair. Still, the fast-talking team of Smith & Kline is a nimble one. Smiths affable charm & Klines subversive wit win many points, though not nearly enough.

Kevin Delaney Kline is an American actor. Known for his exuberant acting style, Kline received a B,A. in Speech & Theatre from Indiana University in 1970 & later attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. In 1972, he joined an acting group which took him across the country performing Shakespeare. This in turn led him to Broadway where he won two Tony Awards. When a film version was made of The Pirates of Penzance, he was invited to reprise his role as the Pirate King, a role that had won him a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. This film launched his career forward. He has won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film, A Fish Called Wanda, a Gotham Actor Award, a Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year Award & a St. Louis International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. He is married to actress Phoebe Cates, who is 16 years his junior. He has two childen, Owen, who will appear in the upcoming The Squid & the Whale & Greta. Wild Wild West. US Marshal Artemus Artie Gordon. A Midsummer Nights Dream. Nick Bottom. Posters Of The Emperors Club

Editors Choice: De Lovely, Wild Wild West, Life As A House, The Emperors Club, The Anniversary Party, The Road To El Dorado, William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, In And Out, View DVDology

Barry Sonnenfeld worked as cinematographer for the Coen Brothers, then later he directed & produced big budget films such as Men in Black. Big Trouble. Confused Sports Radio Call in Voice ; Director ; Producer. Men in Black II. Neuralyzed Father ; Director. Wild Wild West. Director ; Producer. Get Shorty. Doorman ; Director ; Executive Producer. Addams Family Values. Mr. Glicker ; Director. When Harry Met Sally.. Cinematography. Throw Momma From the Train. Cinematography. Compromising Positions. Cinematography. Posters Of Big Trouble

Editors Choice: Big Trouble, Men In Black Ii, Wild Wild West, Men In Black 2, Get Shorty, Men In Black, Addams Family Values, View DVDology

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