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All
the chips were in place to have this be a cool action movie.
There was Elvis, Vegas, guns, babes, bank robbers and a classic
Cadillac. If you are making an action movie and you have all
this stuff to work with there should be no excuse for turning
out a crappy movie. Well it looks like the filmmakers of 3000
miles to Graceland have no excuse for this one. From the opening
credits, I knew I was in trouble. They had two animated metal
robot scorpions fighting it out with each other this is supposed
to be symbolic of what happens later in the film but it feels
out of place and wrong for this film. The film starts up and
we see then show five ex-cons getting together a sleazy rundown
hotel outside of Las Vegas. The plan is to rob the Riviera
Casino during Elvis week, and what better disguise to wear
at Elvis week then that of the King. After the obligatory
"get dressed scene" The five guys march right in to the Casino
break out the guns and the heist is on.
At
this point, the film still has half a chance at being a decent
action flick. Unfortunately it quickly becomes real stupid
real fast. After walking through the casino floor, they pick
one door lock and they are in the money room. No vaults, no
cages, no buzzer doors and no armed guards. Nobody bats an
eyelash about them picking the lock to the door in the money
room. They grab the cash and as they are escaping a guard
sees them and pulls a gun. This cues up the obligatory gunfight.
Now forgive me if I am wrong but one would expect a movie
using Elvis as a backdrop would have a kick ass rock-n-roll
soundtrack to push the action scenes along. Sorry. When the
gunfight starts what do we get? A techno hip hop soundtrack
that is right out of the Matrix or the X-men. Yeah, that's
real Elvislike. Add that to the over bloody gunfight scene
with cliché MTV style edits and quirky camera angles and slow
motion effects that are so over used they actually make the
scene boring instead of exciting. What you finally end up
with is a loud dull fight scene that is poorly scored. The
rest of the action sequences are filmed in the same style
as well.
The
plot gets more retarded as the five men Elvis team starts
to cross one another in an attempt to steal the money until
two are left. So what was advertised as a caper flick, has
now become a good Elvis vs a bad Elvis film. Even that wouldn't
be a bad thing but the story is a mess. There are scenes thrown
in to the film that are there just to be hip or cool that
have nothing to do with the story. They are neither hip nor
cool. I was restless for most of this movie waiting for something
to happen. It's an action movie and I was BORED.
The
actors in this film don't help matters much. Kevin Costner
who just started a comeback with 13 days shoots himself in
the foot playing the evil Elvis impersonator. He is so over
the top it's ridiculous. Kurt Russell, who previously played
Elvis, should be ashamed at the disservice that he does to
the King by staring in this film. Kevin Pollack and the guy
who played Lowell from the bad TV show Wings play US marshals
involved at tracking them down. They are ridiculously unbelievable
as cops. Ice T is introduced 2 minutes before the climax of
the film. This allows him to run around the film for about
5 minutes so he can kill 30 police officers. Courtney Cox,
Christian Slater, Jon Lovitz, and David Arquette are all equally
charmless and forgettable in this.
What
it boils down to is this. If you are going to use Elvis as
a central theme for your movie then have the movie reflect
the coolness and hipness that is Elvis. 3000 Miles from Graceland
is like everything opposite of Elvis. Slow, un-hip, unfunny,
overviolent and un cool. It feels as if you are watching a
big loud two hour music video which shouldn't be a surprise
because that's the only thing on the directors resume when
I looked them up. Stay far away from this hunka hunka burning
crap. On a one to ten, it gets a four.
Paul
Ferris
Wheel
Deal Review
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