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Once Upon a Time in Venice

Once Upon a Time in Venice: Forgetful Action-Comedy Wastes its Talented Cast

  • Bruce WillisJason Momoa...
  • Action & AdventureComedy...
  • Mark Cullen
reviewed by
Marija Djurovic
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Once Upon a Time in Venice: Forgetful Action-Comedy Wastes its Talented Cast

Adding yet another meaningless B-movie role to his long list of misses, veteran action star, Bruce Willis, returns to the big screen – for the first time since Red 2 – as a wisecracking and luckless private eye on the hunt for his stolen dog, in action-comedy Once Upon a Time in Venice.

Meet Steve Ford (Willis); a disgraced former police officer-turned-private eye, who is working on the colorful streets of Venice Beach in California, alongside his ungainly protégé, John (Middleditch), who also serves as the narrator. Taking his position in the community seriously, Steve likes to spend his days warning local kids against drug and alcohol use, whilst also devoting a certain portion of his time tending to his best-pal, Dave (the terribly wasted Goodman), who is going through a tough divorce, making sure that his sister-in-law Katey (Janssen) and his niece are taken care of.

Things take a downturn, however, when Steve’s beloved dog, Buddy, is stolen during a robbery at his sister-in-law’s house.  Setting out to find his most cherished pal, Steve soon runs into a local drug leader, Spyder (played by the entertaining Jason Momoa), who is looking to use the detective for a job of his own, as well as Lou the Jew (Goldberg); an infuriated real estate manager who is offering to return Steve his childhood home in exchange of locating the street artist who has been painting obscene wall paintings on an apartment building he is trying to sell.

Trying its best to find its own voice through the use of its sunny and colorful setting, the film has a visual flair which, in return, adds somemuch-needed character to the picture.  However, as eye-pleasing and engaging as it may seem on the outside, there is just something off about the script, which often comes across as scattered and uneven.

One of its main problems comes with the plot itself, which, truth be told, is fairly non-existent with the writers struggling to draw out one single plot line worth sticking to, from the many side stories. Involving a lot of characters that are never fully explored, each of these stories, when they unfold, create very little excitement, comedy or action in the process.

Once Upon a Time in Venice is not entirely terrible; it offers a relatively engaging platform for the once-unstoppable action star to cut loose and enjoy himself. However, as entertaining as it may be to watch the 62-year-old star skateboard in the nude through the streets of L.A, there’s no real bite to the story, which in return, struggles to land a proper joke and find its footing in the midst of one too many subplots and silly characters.

Like This? Try

Cop Out (2010), The Bad Batch (2016), The Big Lebowski (1998)

360 Tip

Bruce Willis is rumored to return as the infamous John McClane in Len Wiseman’s Die Hard Year One. Release date is not yet announced.

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