Sunset

"This film has a hall of fame elevator pitch and mediocre execution. The pitch is this: Early western movie star Tom Mix and an aged Wyatt Earp (who is working as a movie consultant) get mixed up in a Raymond Chandler-esque murder mystery in 1929 Hollywood. James Garner plays Earp and Bruce Willis plays Mix and you also throw in Malcolm McDowell as the villain, so it’s hard to believe that the movie is not at least entertaining. The problem is the film never really finds its tone. Blake Edwards directs and he is known for broad comedies (The Pink Panther movies). There are parts of the movie that are farcical but it never feels like it’s committed to the comedy. Then there are also traumatic events that would feel at home in Chinatown but they lack any dramatic weight here. The movie isn’t funny enough to be a comedy, exciting enough to be an adventure or clever enough to be a mystery. Garner and Willis didn’t get along on set, so even the buddy cop aspects of the film, which seems like a slam dunk with two super-charismatic actors, feel a little forced. All in all, it’s an interesting misfire. 3 out of 5 Stars"