Pull up a barstool next to Fast Charlie, the aging but skillful hitman at the heart of director Phillip Noyce’s latest pulpy crime flick. Played with gritty charm by Pierce Brosnan, Charlie’s looking to get out of the game after 30+ years in the business, but we know the rules – old dogs like Charlie don’t drift gently into the sunset. As he says in the darkly funny opening voiceover, he always figured he’d meet his end from an unseen bullet, he just never reckoned he’d care.
Yet Charlie dreams of chucking it all for a fixer-upper in Italy, showing flickers of humanity behind the ruthlessly capable fixer exterior. When an ambitious young buck named Beggar (Gbenda Akinnagbe) starts knocking off Charlie’s associates in a bloody bid to take over their Biloxi crime outfit, our weary anti-hero gets pulled back in. Teaming up with Beggar’s embittered ex-wife Marcie (Morena Baccarin), a quirky taxidermist, Charlie heads to New Orleans seeking revenge and maybe, just maybe, a fresh start.
Veteran director Noyce brings his slick Hollywood chops to the familiar tale, while scriptwriter Richard Wenk leavens the violence with doses of wry humor. They wring charisma from leading man Brosnan who embraces the hilarious implausibility of his Southern accent. The result is a taut and stylish crime actioner, as entertainingly pulpy as a dime-store paperback. Stick around as Charlie wisecracks his way through mobsters, misadventures, and his last shot at love.
Brosnan Brings the Charisma While Caan Bids Farewell
It’s been over fifteen years since Pierce Brosnan handed back his license to kill, but the former 007 still radiates rugged magnetism as weathered hitman Charlie Swift. With his questionable Southern accent – imagine James Bond by way of Boomhauer – and roguish wisecracks, Brosnan makes for an appealing guide through the Biloxi underworld. We believe this 70-year-old could still shoot the diamond stud from a gangster’s ear at twenty paces. Where other aging assassins (cough, The Killer’s Michael Fassbender) exude only joyless competence, Brosnan brings soulful charm.
Yet behind the hardboiled swagger lies profound weariness. Brosnan lets us glimpse Charlie’s softer side through gentle interactions with Stan (James Caan), his Alzheimer’s-afflicted boss, and hesitant romantic overtures toward Marcie (Morena Baccarin), a quirky taxidermist. Though initially reluctant to connect, Charlie yearns for somebody to share his dreams of an Italian retirement with. Brosnan makes Charlie’s late shot at redemption feel well and truly earned.
Of course, Charlie must wade through rivers of wiseguy blood before he gets there. When ambitious young mobster Beggar (Gbenda Akinnagbe) rubs out Stan’s crew, the slaughter pulls Charlie back in. Beggar’s an appropriately menacing foil with his braided hair and gold fangs, but this is Brosnan’s show all the way. The Irishman is clearly having a ball sending up his former suave screen image with Charlie’s cartoonish accent and blue-streak dialogue. And he generates effortless rapport with Baccarin, herself a dexterous performer who finds Marcie’s mix of brains and vulnerability.
In some ways, though, the film’s most affecting turn comes from James Caan as Charlie’s ill-fated boss, Stan Mullen. His sad-eyed gravitas in final scenes conveys 30 years of rich history between the men. It’s all the more poignant for being Caan’s last role prior to his 2022 passing. Other support delights too – COPS’ Sharon Gless chews scenery with relish as a profane mob matriarch. But make no mistake, this is Brosnan’s movie. He brings soulfulness, humor and ageless charisma to a character archetype that, in the hands of a less confident star, might have faded into the background.
Noyce’s Slick Direction Anchors Stylized Story in Gritty Reality
In the hands of a less confident filmmaker, Fast Charlie’s stylized hitman hijinks might play as hollow pastiche. But director Phillip Noyce brings slick, self-assured vision that sells the pulpy thrills. This is hardly Noyce’s first rodeo – his Hollywood resume includes thoughtful suspense fare like Dead Calm along with glossy studio productions like Patriot Games. That versatility serves him well here. Noyce respects the graphic novel zaniness in Richard Wenk’s script while staging vivid set pieces. Cinematographer Warwick Thornton lenses seedy Biloxi and sultry New Orleans with textured care. And the director keeps things taut, wrapping the whole tale up in a snappy 90 minutes.
Take the hotel laundry chute sequence, a suspenseful standout. With assassins hot on his heels, Charlie slides into the chute to hide, struggling to brace himself as he plunges into the bowels of the building. We attend the entire squirm-inducing descent alongside him before the nameless killer perforates the narrow passageway with wild gunfire. It’s a playful homage to diehard action beats while showcasing Noyce’s grasp of spatial tension.
Moments later, a pair of goombas arrive at Charlie’s safe house, none the wiser that he’s monitoring them through the doorbell cam. Noyce has fun sending up the clueless underlings while slyly fleshing out Charlie’s tactical prowess for the carnage to come. Then, in an exuberant slow-motion massacre scored to Allman Brothers wailing, Charlie unleashes his full deadly arsenal. But Noyce knows just when to pull back, allowing Brosnan’s fatigued glance at the aftermath to temper the stylized filth.
That deft tonal balance carries through the remianing attacks and reprisals. When supporting baddie The Freak meets his maker, there’s almost slapstick appeal in his stunned disbelief at being gut-shot mid-monologue. Yet Noyce still finds time for hushed conversations thick with character shading. Thornton’s rich Native soil photography style lets neon Biloxi nights gleam with postcard sheen. Wenk’s script pushes pulpy caricature, but the skilled direction ensures Fast Charlie feels rooted in a tangible sense of place from start to bloody finish.
Wenk’s Script Translates Pulpy Tale into Stylish Thrills
In his adaptation of Victor Gischler’s novel Gun Monkeys, screenwriter Richard Wenk faced the tricky task of transforming lurid source material into something with genuine entertainment value. But Wenk, known for his work on The Equalizer and The Magnificent Seven, was up for the job. He leans into Gischler’s unapologetic pulpiness while smartly sanding off the roughest edges. Wenk’s script distills the essence of a dime-store crime potboiler into sardonic, stylish thrills.
The plot skeleton hits plenty of well-worn beats. An aging hitman tries getting out, only to get pulled back in! Yet scene by scene, Wenk’s comic rhythms and deadpan dialogue keep things fresh. When assassins storm Marcie’s bayou shack, Charlie dryly asks if he caught her at “a bad time?” Wenk’s script bounces merrily along, anchored by vivid verbal sparring reminiscent of Elmore Leonard’s crime tales.
Make no mistake, Wenk doesn’t shy away from salacious details – the opening double homicide is as gory as anything in Gun Monkeys. But the screenplay focuses more on eccentric personalities than shocking readers. Take Marcie’s gleefully unhinged mother-in-law Mavis, a perfect vehicle for Sharon Gless’ profane scene-stealing. Wenk crafts fun moments while doing just enough to connect the dots of Charlie’s underworld odyssey.
What could play as a sadistic exercise becomes a playful romp, equally stylish, amusing and grim. Wenk knows his way around the genre, deftly aping the contours of a thousand crime stories you’ve seen before. Except his cunning adaptation makes this fast-talking fable feel fresh again. By the bloody climax, only the most jaded audience members will balk at such an artfully rendered pulp parcel. Bring on the bullets, bad guys and questionable accents – Wenk and Noyce have crafted an instant cult classic for the Grindhouse set.
Laundry Chutes, Boobytrapped Donuts and More Creative Carnage
Rest assured, Fast Charlie delivers no shortage of gritty thrills between the wisecracks. Wenk’s script sets up plenty of shootouts, beatdowns and creative kills for Noyce to orchestrate with slick B-movie panache. Take that early double-homicide played for laughs – after his partner accidentally offs himself, Charlie must get creative replacing the mangled corpse. Cue the human taxidermy! It sets the tone for what follows: hoary crime tropes spiced with graphic novelty.
The aforementioned hotel chute sequence provides some of the finer tension, cross-cutting between Charlie’s claustrophobic slide and his pursuer’s blithe ascent up the stairs. We share Charlie’s fearful disbelief when a fusillade of bullets shreds the narrow passage. But not all action beats strain so hard for suspense. Sometimes the appeal lies in audacious execution, like Charlie strutting up to an enemy lair while casualty humming “Midnight Rider.” Then with some doorbell camera trickery, he unleashes the pain.
Charlie’s backstory partner, saddled with the ironic moniker “Blade,” meets a more ignoble end courtesy of some explosives stashed in a box of Krispy Kreme donuts. Even by crime flick standards, it’s a ludicrous demise – and Noyce knows just how long to milk the black humor. Wenk’s script sets ‘em up, Noyce gleefully knocks ‘em down.
Marcie’s reveal as a stealth home defender offers another fist-pumping scene. And Christopher Matthew Cook leaves an impression as Beggar’s eyepatched hench-freak The Freak, though he too meets his end mid-threat. By the climax, both Wenk’s script and Noyce’s explosive direction have more than earned the mano-a-mano showdown between weathered Charlie and cocky nemesis Beggar. Sparks fly satisfyingly.
Some hits land harder than others, but it’s a blast watching Noyce wring pulpy poetry from Wenk’s gristly scenarios. For fans of brute genre fare like Crank or Shoot ‘Em Up, Fast Charlie delivers the crude goods while finding room for some soul. It may not bear up under heavy thematic scrutiny, but judged by body count and smiles per minute, this crime lark hits the mark.
World-Weary Soulfulness Anchors Enjoyable Pulp Romp
Boil away Fast Charlie’s hip violence, and you’re left with the surprisingly soulful story of a lonely guy seeking companionship after years facing death. Screenwriter Wenk and director Noyce bedazzle the familiar framework with plenty of pulp flash. But Brosnan, simmering with world-weary charisma in the midst of B-movie mayhem, gives this hitman mythos an emotional core. We understand intrinsically why Charlie dreams of chucking contract killing for a Tuscan fixer-upper with that special someone who makes it feel like home. Bills must be paid, sure – but wiseguys need love too.
That longing resonates through Brosnan’s tender caretaking of boss-turned-father figure Stan Mullen, Charlie functioning as his caretaker during Stan’s harrowing descent into dementia. When cold-eyed villain Beggar executes Stan and his crew, it’s personal for Charlie. Similarly, in offering gruff protection to Marcie and her oddball taxidermy business, he glimpses a shot at the connection that’s eluded him. Their unlikely yet genuine rapport provides the real narrative stakes. Will Charlie battle his way free to find peace – either alone overseas, or domestically through romance?
Of course it helps tremendously that Charlie’s so damn charismatic, whether trading quips mid-firefight or wooing Marcie over reheated lasagna. Credit Brosnan, whose questionable accent embodies Charlie’s give-a-hoot swagger. One imagines the role floundering in hands less able. Watching this seasoned pro steer hardboiled archetypes toward vulnerability proves its own rugged thrill – one ultimately more satisfying than any shotgun blast or back-alley brawl Wenk dreams up along the way.
Not that the creative carnage hurts, mind you. Noyce clearly takes gleeful pleasure unleashing his pulp instincts – a hotel assassination attempt evolves into a laundry chute setpiece so breathless it’d make Brian DePalma grin. From explosive opening double-homicide to fiery final showdown, the violence arrives fast, novel and fun. Wenk’s fusion of crime drama soul with graphic novel zaniness makes for a zippy brew.
Indeed, Noyce’s slick and sturdy direction proves essential to balancing humanity with pulp. His camera forces us to witness the genuine affection between Charlie and Stan, the seeds of romance during stilted conversations with Marcie. And the director’s judicious use of southern atmospherics prevents Charlie’s quest from drifting off into ironic posture. There’s always steady footing here in the humid reality of waterfront Biloxi’s neon and Spanish moss.
Some will write off Fast Charlie quicker than its charming anti-hero can gut a comeuppance-craving mook. Fair enough. But approach this pulp parcel with an open mind, and you’ll discover an oasis of soulfulness amid Wenk’s grimy scenarios. Ninety minutes zip by stylishly, Brosnan and Noyce elevating B-movie tropes through world-class talent and seasoned perspective. For the uninitiated, here’s a flavorful first foray into mob cinema. And for Tarantino apostles hankering for a touch of humanity with their headshots, Fast Charlie hits harder than it has any right to.
The Review
Fast Charlie
At just 90 minutes, Fast Charlie packs more stylish thrills and soul than films twice its length. Director Phillip Noyce and star Pierce Brosnan apply world-weary wisdom to refresh a familiar crime fable, earning every moment of hardboiled humanity between explosions. Brosnan remains an effortlessly commanding presence while Noyce steers the pulpy potboiler tones with brisk panache. For audiences craving efficient B-movie kicks laced with unlikely pathos, Fast Charlie is an absolute riot.
PROS
- Pierce Brosnan delivers gritty, magnetic performance as Charlie
- Strong chemistry between Brosnan and Morena Baccarin
- James Caan's poignant final performance
- Fast-paced direction by veteran Phillip Noyce
- Sharply written script weds grit and dark wit
- Creative, graphic action sequences
- Strong thematic core about aging assassin seeking belonging
CONS
- Could use more character development/backstory
- Crooks like Beggar come across a bit too caricatured
- Plot careens through mechanics without clear stakes at times
- Weak/cringe-worthy ADR in some heavy-dialogue scenes
- Some poor editing intercuts undermine tension
- Sharon Gless' scene-chewing could turn off some viewers
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