Running time: 100 minutes
Rating 6 out of 10
George Clooney's purple patch shows no sign of abating. Ever since he hooked up with Steven Soderbergh on Out Of Sight, the duo have reaped commercial and artistic rewards with high profile ventures such as Ocean's Eleven and even managed to examine their esoteric urges (the somewhat baffling recent remake of Solaris). This is not to imply the relationship has been exclusive: Clooney has picked wisely in recent times working with such edgy directors as Spike Jonze and The Coen Brothers.
Now comes his inevitable directorial debut, without Soderbergh producing, but when you're George Clooney you can call on the best in the business for help. X-Men and Casino cinematographer Tom Sigel is on board for the look, and Being John Malkovich and Adaptation screenwriter Charlie Kaufman provides the words. As for the content, it's about as unlikely a choice as you could imagine.
If anyone remembers the early days of Channel 4, The Gong Show might ring a bell. Shown in what has now become the Countdown slot, it was an American import in which ordinary members of the public came on stage to display their talent - or more often than not, their lack of talent. It was hosted by a shambolic, curly-haired figure called Chuck Barris. And this film is his life story.
Barris was already a successful gameshow producer before The Gong Show, with 60s shows such as The Dating Game and the subsequent Newlyweds Game indicating that he knew what audiences wanted. But according to his autobiography, written during a depressed period during the late 80s, Barris had an extraordinary double life.
According to our host, he was co-opted into the CIA by a shadowy figure called Byrd (Clooney), trained in weapons and then sent overseas to kill enemies of the state. This, therefore, is the double life that the film explores: wacky TV guy by day and discreet killer by night. To add gravitas, Clooney includes footage from real friends of Barris who confirm that he was indeed away for lengthy undisclosed periods. But the truth will of course never be known - the CIA blankly refuses to acknowledge the existence of any of its covert members.
Quite why the agency would choose such an unlikely hitman is never really answered. Barris could have made the whole thing up and been away sunning himself with one of his many girlfriends during his so-called missions. While credit can be given to Rockwell's impersonation, this is a film which is overshadowed by another recent film about the double life of an American pop culture figure: Paul Schrader's AutoFocus, which gives much more depth to its central character. So while Clooney's film hits the mark for looks and runs along with a nice energy, the end verdict is that it is interesting, but not that interesting.
Now comes his inevitable directorial debut, without Soderbergh producing, but when you're George Clooney you can call on the best in the business for help. X-Men and Casino cinematographer Tom Sigel is on board for the look, and Being John Malkovich and Adaptation screenwriter Charlie Kaufman provides the words. As for the content, it's about as unlikely a choice as you could imagine.
If anyone remembers the early days of Channel 4, The Gong Show might ring a bell. Shown in what has now become the Countdown slot, it was an American import in which ordinary members of the public came on stage to display their talent - or more often than not, their lack of talent. It was hosted by a shambolic, curly-haired figure called Chuck Barris. And this film is his life story.
Barris was already a successful gameshow producer before The Gong Show, with 60s shows such as The Dating Game and the subsequent Newlyweds Game indicating that he knew what audiences wanted. But according to his autobiography, written during a depressed period during the late 80s, Barris had an extraordinary double life.
According to our host, he was co-opted into the CIA by a shadowy figure called Byrd (Clooney), trained in weapons and then sent overseas to kill enemies of the state. This, therefore, is the double life that the film explores: wacky TV guy by day and discreet killer by night. To add gravitas, Clooney includes footage from real friends of Barris who confirm that he was indeed away for lengthy undisclosed periods. But the truth will of course never be known - the CIA blankly refuses to acknowledge the existence of any of its covert members.
Quite why the agency would choose such an unlikely hitman is never really answered. Barris could have made the whole thing up and been away sunning himself with one of his many girlfriends during his so-called missions. While credit can be given to Rockwell's impersonation, this is a film which is overshadowed by another recent film about the double life of an American pop culture figure: Paul Schrader's AutoFocus, which gives much more depth to its central character. So while Clooney's film hits the mark for looks and runs along with a nice energy, the end verdict is that it is interesting, but not that interesting.
