IT’S the season of super heroes in Hollywood. Close on the heels of Iron Man
, Indiana Jones and The Incredible Hulk comes Hancock , to be followed by Hellboy and Batman . But hey, John Hancock is the most unconventional of them all with his dramatic tale of what it costs the world to have a super hero, a super cop, a super saviour. For, though Hancock may save the struggling whale, men and women held hostage by unreasonable killers, potential victims of an accident, he does leave a trail of destruction behind, causing a lot of super normal people to curse him for his super skills.
It isn’t difficult to read Hancock’s true story. The world bashing of the super hero, who gets criticised for saving the world, is actually a parable for post 9/11 America. Think of the trail of destruction it left behind in Afghanistan, Iraq, even as it claimed to rid the world of terrorists; think of the ungrateful world which hurled abuses at it instead of saying ‘thank you’ and you’ll realise that like super hero Hancock , super power America too simply needs some good PR to set its image right.
Enter Jason Bateman, the benevolent public relations man who wants to change the world. Having been saved by the alcoholic, abusive Hancock , he realises that the hero is just a victim of bad PR. He offers to take him on as his client, gives him a shiny black super hero suit to work in, instead of his grubby overalls, convinces him to shave off his stubble with his nails, enter the scene of action through the door instead of breaking down walls, and more importantly, learn to say ‘Good Job!’ to the beleagured cops who have been trying so hard before him. Hancock tries to give up his brutish ways and become a gentleman superman, but there’s the beautiful and mysterious superwoman (Charlize Theron) who makes excellent meat balls when she’s not taking her son to soccer matches.
It’s completely zany, this 800 year-old love story between the superman and the superwoman, even as Will Smith creates absolute hungama with his anti-hero heroics. Hear him introduce himself to his support group in the prison: “I’m Hancock. I drink and all that stuff!” Great fun.
Producer:Michael Mann, Akiva Goldsman, Will Smith, James Lassiter
Director:Peter Berg
Writer: Vince Gilligan, Vincent Ngo
Cast:Will Smith, Charlize Theron