Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content
Starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox
Directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who)
Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a stoic, battle-hardened gunslinger who can track down anyone…and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” A man fated to wander alone, his sole human connection is with Lilah (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own.
Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the sinister terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), the man who killed Hex's family and mutilated his face with a branding iron. Turnbull is gathering an army and preparing to unleash a weapon of mass destruction.
It’s true that expectations can play a huge role in your movie going experience. And I for one love when my expectations can’t get any lower. I see a trailer and immediately think, “Nope, no thank you”. But then Jonathan will ask me to review it for The Source and the DVD will sit by my TV until I can’t put it off any longer. So tonight I begrudgingly put in Jonah Hex and was all set to rip it apart. But truthfully I thought it was pretty good.
Josh Brolin and John Malkovich are so good as two really bad dudes. Yes you read that right; although Jonah Hex is the “hero” he is still not a “good guy”. And Quentin Turnbull is really really bad. Megan Fox is on the cover box/poster so I assumed she would have a bigger role (one of the reasons I wanted to skip this one) but that’s not the case. In fact I think every scene she is in was included in the trailer.
Jimmy Hayward does a great job of keeping the action moving and the story on track. And speaking of the story there was a lot of it than I expected. Sure there are tons of special effects and stuff blowing up, but there is a pretty cool story line woven through all the action.
It’s not Worth Buying, but it was far better than I expected…I’m going with a rental.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action. There are also a few disturbing images including Jonah’s face. With Megan Fox in the cast I expected the sexual content to a lot more that what it was. It should be fine for most teenagers.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: Revenge is the driving force of the main character.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Romans 12:17-19 says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: One thing we do can this week is offer forgiveness to someone who has hurt us. In the film Jonah bares a hideous scar on his face as a reminder of the pain in his life. For most of us, we do not have physical scars, but our emotional ones are very real. If we chose to hold on to a “wrong” done to us, we really only hurt ourselves. So use this as a reminder to forgive others quickly and often.
