I Saw That!

One woman's opinions about popular entertainment.

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Amateur boxing coach, Christian (but not so heavenly-minded that I'm no earthly good) singer, writer, self-defense advocate, childfree. feminist www.smartwomenboxingtraining.org

Saturday, December 31, 2005

3000 Miles To Graceland (2003)

I like both Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner. Unfortunately, this movie was not a good idea for either of them.

Costner can play a great bad guy, however. In this movie, he's the leader of a gang of criminals who pull off a daring robbery of a casino in Las Vegas. There's an Elvis Presley convention going on, and the gang dons jump suits and capes as part of their caper. Things go wrong from the moment they step inside the casino. A violent shootout takes place, and one of the thieves (Bokeem Woodbine) is mortally wounded.

It isn't long before there is a disagreement over how the spoils are to be divided. Costner ends up putting bullet holes in the other guys, but Russell escapes death, and ends up with the lion's share of the loot. During his quest to get as far away as possible, he comes across a larcenous woman (Courtney Cox) and her bratty son. Meanwhile, Costner is on the move, looking for him, and woe to whoever gets in his way.

Not much that is redeeming about this story, which comes off as a Quentin Tarrantino rip-off. There are a couple of interesting moments. The gang (including David Arquette and Christian Slater) debate about who would win in a fight between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley while on the way to rob the casino. When Sinatra is declared the winner, Costner's character pulls over the car and gets a major attitude. His character believes he is a child of the King of Rock N' Roll, and he doesn't appreciate their opinions. In another scene, Cox's son, kicks Russell's character in the shin and runs. This was a nod to a scene that Russell had with Elvis Presley in an earlier film called It Happened At The World's Fair. Russell had kicked Presley in the shins in that one.

Singer/songwriter Paul Anka ("Put Your Head On My Shoulder") has a small role. Thomas Haden Church and Kevin Pollack are cynical cops. Jon Lovitz also appears as a store owner who has an unpleasant encounter with Costner's character.

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