'Domino' is an action flick on speed

In the vein of Uma Thurman's character "The Bride" from "Kill Bill," Domino Harvey, played by Keira Knightley, is the story of a pretty woman who kicks ass, masterfully handles nunchuks and other assorted weaponry and lets nothing short of death get in the way of completing her mission as a bounty hunter. The only difference between the two characters: Domino is based on a true story. Well, sort of. \nBorn into a rich and pampered family with a stuck-up mother and abandoned by her father (real-life British actor Laurence Harvey), Domino never really fit in with her inherited lifestyle. Growing up she solves her problems with violence. After her mother moves the two of them to LA, Domino breaks a sorority sister's nose, attacks a fellow runway model and she even pops "Beverly Hills, 90210"'s Brian Austin-Green in the face (one of many humorous "90210" references). Realizing college and modeling are not for her, Domino attends a one-day seminar on bounty hunting, where she meets the notorious Ed Moseby (Rourke) and Choco (Edgar Ramirez) after they try to steal her registration money. \nDomino proves herself to Ed and is added to the now three-person bounty hunter team employed primarily by bail bondsman Claremont Williams (Lindo). The plot really gets going when Claremont needs money quick and sends his team on a mission gone awry, and a chain of double crossing and murder ensues. This mission takes up a majority of the movie and is told through alternating scenes of flashbacks and Domino's present day confession to a criminal psychologist (Lucy Liu), a method Tony Scott used in "Spy Game." \nThe film becomes satirical with the introduction of reality television producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken, in another brilliant minor role), who follows and films the bounty hunters on their missions. The hosts of his show: "Beverly Hills, 90210" vets Ian Ziering and Brian Austin-Green. These characters serve little purpose other than to add humor and highlight the absurdity of what we know as reality TV. \nApparently Scott chose to sacrifice character and story in preference for visuals in his film. It is visually appealing, with jarring and constant camera movements, fast cuts and sporadic bursts of grainy overtones (see: "Enemy of the State") similar to a music video, but there is little backbone to the plot. Spice is favored over substance, though the script is co-penned by Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko"). \nThose who have seen Scott's "True Romance" and "Enemy" will recognize some of the more notable shoot-em-up scenes, complete with hero vs. villain and a whole lot of cops, gangsters and the SWAT team. A fun film though it is, I bet the real life story of Domino Harvey would be at least more interesting, and at most involve fewer plot twists.