Mortdecai

An overlong disaster, Mortdecai follows the quirky title character (Johnny Depp) as he embarks on a quest to track down a stolen painting – with Mortdecai’s efforts assisted by his manservant (Paul Bettany’s Jock) and a police officer (Ewan McGregor’s Martland) fixated on his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow’s Johanna). Depp’s relentlessly over-the-top performance is, at the outset, not quite as damaging as one might’ve anticipated, as the actor admittedly does an effective job of compensating for a narrative that is, for the most part, far from propulsive. Filmmaker David Koepp’s decision to heavily emphasize a case that could hardly be less interesting ultimately sinks the proceedings, with the viewer’s ongoing efforts to embrace the protagonist’s sleuth-heavy escapades falling flat on an almost remarkably consistent basis. Mortdecai does, however, possess a watchable feel that’s due primarily to the efforts of a better-than-average supporting cast; though McGregor and Paltrow are quite good here, it’s clear that Bettany’s turn as the fiercely loyal Jock stands out as an obvious highlight within the picture. The film’s progression from basically watchable to flat-out interminable, then, doesn’t come until around the one-hour mark, as Koepp offers up a third act that becomes more and more interminable as needless complications are layered on one after the other – which ultimately (and effectively) confirms Mortdecai‘s place as a just another misfire within Depp’s progressively underwhelming body of work.

*1/2 out of ****