Domino: [UMD Mini for PSP] by Keira Knightley

Loosely based on the real life story of the late bounty hunter Domino Harvey, Keira Knightley quickly sheds her softer image here with an unflinching performance in the title role. As Domino, she brandishes guns, reacts against anyone who crosses her, and isn?t above a lapdance to get her out of a tight spot. Yet it?s the partnership she forms with Mickey Rourke?s Ed Mosbey, her leader and effectively surrogate father, that sits at the core of this good-but-uneven movie, and allows both actors to excel in their roles. The story is told in flashback, as Domino is interrogated by Lucy Liu?s police detective. From there, it follows the story of Domino?s life, from her tragic early days, through to meeting Mosbey and her subsequent life as a bounty hunter. And, laced with strong performances and some nicely-constructed sequences, for long periods the film works well. Working against it at times though is director Tony Scott?s (Man On Fire, Crimson Tide, True Romance) over-fussy directorial style, which is very much take it or leave it, but does at times get in the way of the storytelling. At the point where you want him to focus on what?s happening, there?s just one too many flashy shots or quick edits. Still, Domino works, and is suitably removed from the glossy, vacuous action movie you may be expecting. It?s very stylised, but the script from Donnie Darko?s Richard Kelly covers its bases well. And while the film itself isn?t without a couple of problems, the end result is still well worth watching.--Simon Brew