Hollywoodland

Starring: Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Robin TunneyDirected By: Allen CoulterWritten By: Paul BernbaumFocus FeaturesRated R

In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959, Hollywood actor George Reeves was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. The police ruled it a suicide. The papers suggested it was out of depression at being typecast in his most famous role, but circumstances surrounding the death suggest that he might have been murdered. Nearly half a century later, television director Allen Coulter centers his first feature film, Hollywoodland, on the mystery surrounding Reeve’s death.

Coulter and television screenwriter Paul Bernbaum deliver a story that competently mixes earthbound reality with celluloid fantasy. Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong) plays Louis Simo, a private detective hired by Reeves’ mother to find out the true reason for the actor’s death. Brody plays Simo somewhere between a loveable, tough-as-nails Sam Spade and every alcoholic asshole you’ve ever met. It’s a very nuanced performance. The romantic Hollywood notion of an impoverished mid-century private detective in California fades in and out of a story that flows like anything Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett would’ve come up with.

The story of Simo’s detective work alternates with the story of scattered events surrounding Reeve’s life and death. Ben Affleck (Daredevil, Reindeer Games) plays the actor made famous for his starring role in the ‘50s Adventures of Superman TV show. Known more for his charisma than his acting ability, Affleck puts in one of the best performances of his career as a complex actor with a tragic exit. Affleck’s Reeves impression is extremely grating at times. He’s rarely been able to break free from his own personality and mannerisms in any role he’s played, but this role requires him to show much more emotional range than much of what he’s tackled thus far. With enough roles like this, Affleck could really grow as an actor in a way Reeves never managed.

Early on in the film, we see Reeves meet a woman at a party with whom he’s quite taken. It turns out that she’s Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), wife of MGM executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins). Things get complicated for Reeves as he and Toni begin an affair. Toni’s husband doesn’t feature very prominently in the film, so Hoskins only shows up in a couple of key scenes. Lane is much more prominently featured here, but she is given little to do here other than fuss over Reeves and be angry with him when he drifts away from her. Robin Tunney (The Craft, Paparazzi) plays the source of that drift, a woman named Leonore Lemmon who Reeves meets on a trip to New York and instantly falls for. Tunney’s performance makes for an attractive, mysterious addition to the story. Leonore and Reeves were engaged when Reeves died, making her a suspect in the eyes of Simo. Tunney has no trouble doing double duty as femme fatale for both Brody and Affleck. Reeves and Simo are played as alternating protagonists in what proves to be a very interesting narrative. The two are different versions of a flawed American hero archetype in the heart of a murder mystery that remains a mystery.

There are no easy answers here. The film cycles through a number of possible Reeves death scenarios. We see Affleck as Reeves die several times over the course of the film, the Luger that killed him being wielded by a different person every time. Lacking in any clear, definitive story from history, Hollywoodland does not offer a single, clear vision for who really killed Reeves.  VS

Russ Bickerstaff is a local poet and writer. His poems can be heard regularly at Linneman's Monday Poetry Night.