On 13 April 2023, my movie watch was the comedy/drama super-hero film Hancock, directed by Peter Berg, released in 2008 by Sony Pictures, and starring Will Smith as its title character.
Hancock (full name John Hancock, but mostly addressed only by his surname) is an alcoholic washed-up super-hero who spends much of his time slumped on public benches in Los Angeles sleeping off his latest hangover. And when he does attempt to fight crime, he does so in such a rambunctious manner amid his perpetual drunken stupor that he generally wreaks more havoc than the criminals do!
Not surprisingly, therefore, Hancock is not popular among the populace, or loved by LA's official law upholders. Then one day, albeit more by luck than likelihood, he saves the life of a public relations man named Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman). Profoundly grateful, Ray vows to overhaul Hancock's bad behaviour and exceedingly poor public profile, so that he is loved and valued by everyone for the super-hero he truly is – even if that means Hancock voluntarily surrendering himself for a period of incarceration in jail to atone for his anarchic actions and make people appreciate him when during his absence the city crime rate escalates. Does this sound like a winning plan to you when Hancock is involved? No, me neither!
Strangely, however, and irrespective of the decidedly bizarre modus operandi involved, this well-intentioned plan meets with a decidedly unenthusiastic, underwhelming response from Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron), And for good reason – not only does she have super powers too, but which she has steadfastly kept hidden from Ray, their young son Aaron (Jae Head), and everyone else, she also happens to be Hancock's wife too, and for far longer than she has been Ray's. In fact, she has been married to Hancock for more than two millennia, because she and he are 3,000-year-old super-beings who never age.
Of course, Ray knows nothing of this astonishing (not to mention technically bigamous!) situation, but neither does Hancock. For it turns out that after being attacked 80 years earlier while defending Mary from muggers, he woke up in hospital with amnesia and has no memory whatsoever of his life, including anyone in it, prior to that incident. He even assumes (wrongly, obviously) that his super powers are somehow the result of having suffered head injuries during the attack.
And as if this surreal scenario were not complicated enough already, the closer that super-beings like Mary and Hancock become to each other, as they inevitably do when married, the more mortal and therefore vulnerable to physical injury and death they become. This is how Hancock came to be injured by the muggers, and why Mary did not renew their relationship afterwards – she knew that his recovery and ongoing survival depended upon distance between them being maintained.
Moreover, back in the present day but unbeknownst to both of them, vengeful villain Kenneth 'Red' Parker Jr (Eddie Marsan), who holds a serious grudge against Hancock for chopping off one of his hands to prevent him blowing up a large group of hostages during a failed bank robbery attempt, is hot on their trail. Assisted by his team of henchmen, Red intends to destroy Hancock (especially) and Mary, as they are the last two super-beings still alive on Earth, all others having died long ago. This could – and does – get nasty, very nasty...
Hancock is a very enjoyable fantasy movie, especially the first half, which is solid comedy, but its mood becomes increasingly darker in the second half once Mary's true nature and her relationship to Hancock emerge, with the climax being decidedly grim – and not in a fairy tale way either! (Apparently, the original screenplay was even darker, and contained more violence and adult language. but its tone was lightened considerably during subsequent revisions in order for it to be given a cinema rating that would make it accessible to a wider audience; it finally received a PG-13 rating after earlier pre-release showings had twice received an R.)
Throughout it all, however, Smith portrays Hancock very effectively as a likeable if somewhat lost soul pushed by Ray into reluctantly seeking redemption, with the audience willing him to succeed thanks to an empathic performance by Smith that is the key to this movie's success.
Interestingly, during the decade or so that the original script for Hancock (or John Hancock or Tonight, He Comes – to cite this movie's two previously-suggested titles) had been doing the rounds in Hollywood, several other prominent actors had been considered for its title character. They include the likes of Ben Affleck, Dave Chappelle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio, but personally I can't imagine any of them – immensely talented performers though they all are – creating the truly captivating character that Hancock is under the acting auspices of Smith.
Also worth noting is that ever since Hancock was released in 2008 and became a big earner, plans have been floating around for a sequel, to star Smith and Theron reprising their roles (both having announced their willingness to return), and with a third super-being character to be added to the mix. As yet, however, no formal commitment to produce such a film has been made.
If you're interested in watching a very different super-hero movie from the more traditional types, be sure to click here to view an official Hancock trailer to get a feel for what to expect. And speaking of atypical super-heroes – click here to read my Shuker In MovieLand review of Brightburn, here to read my review of Howard the Duck, and both here and here to read my reviews of the Deadpool movies.
Finally: to view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.
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