3000 Miles to Graceland

Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner. Morgan Creek Productions, 2001.

Started off like a Tarantino flick, only done better. The Elvis impersonators casino heist is excellently done. Wonderful story and freaking intense gunfight. Pretty much on the bloody side and leaves you a little dizzy, so be prepared.

Then, the crooks turn on each other, which is an interesting plot twist, but seems to be a vehicle simply to pave the way for the two stars to duke it out for the second half of the flick, which turns from the crime into a road movie. OK - so we're on the road and we have the obligitory clownish cops on their trail, which is fairly decent, with your stereotypical banter.

Howoever, we've got Courtney Cox and the kid befriending Russell and thus humanizing him, pitting him against the insidiously evil Costner. The story tends to get a little weak here, with the "dad figure" that Russell becomes for the kid. But it's interesitng how Cox turns out to be a double-crossing crook in her own right. And the kid offers some comic appeal as well.

Basically, the movie's a little uneven, and the climactic scene is a little over the top. Perhaps should have toned down the Russell-kid to emphasize the Coster "am I really Elvis's son?" bit to heighten the tension. Don't know.

But all in all, it's not a wasted evening. Give it a look-see.

"Thankyuhverahmuch!"

(sorry, couldn't resist it!)

VG