Enjoyable Mess

Hollywood Homicide (called a notorious failure) is a mishmash of a movie, which shifts gears constantly and winds up a crazy quilt of an expensive (obviously) film. Hartnett comes off very well - showing a range I had no idea he possessed; Ford, looking more than a little haggard, gains comedic acceleration as the film moves along. It almost seems as though the film started as a murder mystery with just a tad of humor...but it converts, midway, into a goofy mix of subplots aplenty,some really funny scenes, and a lot of hokum that leaves one wondering who did what to who and why. (A modern day version of The Big Sleep?) The whole things zigzags along until it erupts into 'It's a Mad MAd MAd Mad World'. But as convoluted as the plot is...and as crazy as it is to follow...it is still kind of giddy fun. Most of the cast members are right in there with solid work e.g. Lena Olin. If the direction were less patchwork and the writing less of a hodgepodge of 'what can we make these guys do next?', it would have been a winner rather than a loose cannon exploding all over the place.