Double Whammy (www.the-usher.com)

Detective Ray Pluto (Leary) became the laughing stock of the New York Police Department and the whipping boy of the press after his back went out while a gunman opened fire in a fast food restaurant. Unable to move, a twelve year-old boy had to save the day, much to Ray's embarrassment. Taken off active duty, Ray visits a chiropractor (Hurly) recommended by his partner Jerry (Buscemi), only for her to detract him from a crime been committed in his own apartment building.

Comedy, drama, thriller or action flick, Double Whammy can't decide on what it wants to be.

Mixing together tragedy, grief, low self-esteem and then adding a sprinkling of comedic farce, the movie has trouble fitting into any real genre category. For example, after a brilliantly funny piece of dialogue between Leary and Buscemi, writer-director Tom DiCillo throws in the fact that Ray is a recent widower who escapes from his grief via drugs and female exercise videos. It is like he could decide which way he wanted to take the picture and in the end it becomes a bit of a mess.

The performances from the fine cast compensate for many of these points. Dennis Leary makes an endearing lead, with one of his best performances in years. He plays it straight letting the comedy come from the situation and not from his lines. This is evident in his conversations with the always-excellent Steve Buscemi, who plays his sexually confused partner Jerry. Leary reacts superbly to Buscemi's comedic confessions making these moments the best in the movie. Elizabeth Hurly is employed to look beautiful and for one this is a role that she can manage to great effect. There is good chemistry between Leary and her, which make the romance more appealing. The rest of the support is also good, with Luis Guzmán's over protective building superintendent been the highlight.

The good points do outweigh the aforementioned bad ones however making the movie more watchable than it could have been. The characters are appealing and the finale is exciting, touching and funny making Double Whammy worth watching.

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2003