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Briggs' firm is looking to modernise and despite his track
record as the No.1 investigator, our guy is looking a bit
susceptible to having his work outsourced. Particularly as
the new efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt)
has a loathing for the "little cockroach".
Things turn from bad to worse for Briggs when he and Fitzgerald
are hypnotised at an office function and at the mention of
the word Constantinople he is under the influence of a bit
of a naughty magician (David Ogden Stiers). Madagascar will
do the same for her.
Unfortunately for our little hero, things get a lot worse
when he receives late night phonecalls telling him to burgle
the places he has just fitted alarm systems to and, in his
trance-like state, he duly does so. This of course leads to
the situation of him investigating the crimes he has just
committed and during the day - when he is not hypnotised -
he works out that it is an "inside" job and starts
blaming Fitzgerald.
There are a good number of laughs in The Curse of the
Jade Scorpion, but it is more an amusing comedy than belly-laugh
material. There are plenty of one-liners, a snappy dialogue
and the overall tale will appeal to people who love the genre,
the 1940s or Woody Allen.
Allen himself is terrific as Briggs and instead of the mass
neuroses I was expecting, he performs as a fiesty little dude
with no tickets on himself. He good at his job, better than
you'd expect with women and comfortable with the way he is
and lives.
Hunt is very fine as the leading lady, although her vinegarish
personality didn't quite ring true. To me she always appears
as the nice neighbourly type, rather than the nasty.
Add into the mix a philandering boss (Dan Ackroyd) and a
gorgeous high-class floozy (Charlize Theron) and the stage
is set for some 1940s'-style intrigue.
As said before The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is an
engaging and entertaining yarn that is boosted by wonderful
music and classy photography.
The video transfer is superb and the colours for the whole
movie are chosen to give a sepia feel to it. Sound-wise you'll
love the music, although it would have been nice to have a
5.1 soundtrack rather than the stereo.
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion will appeal to even
those who are not Allen fans.
Conclusion: Movie 80%, Extras 45%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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