“A Shakespeare-meet-Tarantino
family saga/crime drama.”
In times of crisis, to whom do we turn to? For most, it will
be to some kind of god. But in Antonia Bogdanovich’s directorial debut film
called Phantom Halo, a boy channels
his favorite comic book action hero’s superpowers to protect his family.
Two brothers frequent Santa’s Monica’s Third Street
Promenade every day. While younger brother Samuel Emerson (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) adeptly delivers Shakespearean soliloquies to passers-by,
handsome Beckett (Luke Kleintank) is quite busy picking the pockets of
mesmerized audience. That is the brothers' daily routine; all in order to pay
off the rent and eat for the day. Bad dad Warren (Sebastian Roche) is an
ex-actor whose delusions he has passed on to his sons. Abusive drunk and
gambler, he has piled up his debts, particularly to casino owner Roman (Gbenga Akinnagbe) who has then turned his attention to Warren’s two sons.
An opportunity to amass large sum of money presents itself
to Beckett in the person of Little Larry (Jordan Dunn). A dolt but sleazy geek,
Larry has mastered the craft of creating counterfeit bills. Together, the two
produce folds of money, purchase a custom-made Bentley and scam the scammer and
crime boss Smashmouth (Tobin Bell). Beckett also falls for Larry’s mother Ms.
Rose (Rebecca Romjin). But when Larry makes a stupid mistake of secretly
keeping the fake bills inside the Emerson’s house, a violent and
blood-spattered culmination will take place that shall change the lives of the
two brothers.
Phantom Halo is
fast-paced with plenty of surprises and sensitive moments. The brothers’ care
for each other, how they look after one another, is sweet and infectious.
Unlike other crime dramas, the film’s caper is less elaborate and crooked. Anyone
can easily follow the plot, whether one has Sherlock Holmes’ mind or not. Analysis
of story is quite simple, as the film is more geared toward developing its
characters.
However, the film is lost in many respects. Wanting to be a
lot of things, it strives hard to be clever but ends up looking messy and
theatrical. It aims to be a
Shakespearean tragedy but its crime elements are weak and conventional. Its
Shakespearean voice-overs also sound showy and out of place. On the other hand,
some aspects of the film are deficient resonant of Tarantino. For one, its
Tarantino-styled musical score is quite overkill and pompous, such as that
in Ms. Rose’s temptation of Beckett. Another is its brutal and witty
conclusion where everyone dies except for a few handfuls. However, it lacks the
integrity and wow factor that Tarantino gives.
The film also has plenty of inconsistent details. If Beckett
has already fleeced the people’s pockets, where do they get the money they pay
Samuel after his performance? How does a dolt like Larry create perfect
counterfeits? Has he read some kind of “How to Make Fake Bills for Dummy”?
After cutting his finger, why would the Korean girl suddenly get warm and
friendly to Samuel? And why would she give him an original 1961 publication of
Phantom Halo comic book that is worth a treasure?
Thomas Brodie-Sangster stands out the most in the film as
the sweet and loyal Samuel. With his boyish doll face, he gives such a powerful
and sensitive performance. He delivers money-worthy street Shakespearean
declamations, as well as go-go mighty Phantom Halo dialogues. Romjin as the
seductive Ms. Rose is also a refreshing sight in the male-dominated movie.
While Kleintank and Dunn are just average, Roche is quite funny and suffering.
With its cluttered plot and sub-stories, Phantom Halo manages to merge them into
an exhilarating fusion towards the end. It is in fact sweet, touching and
satisfying. Yet, its Tarantino-style elements are obvious and unsettling, and
its Shakespearean vibe is pretentious.
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