LIGHTNING JACK (1994) **1/2 The wild west is full of stories that are no longer known, so it's good that we're getting around to telling them, but...listless script reworking every cliche' that's been done a million times...coulda been a dog. Instead, it's very funny. How come? You expect Paul Hogan to be effective as the self-possessed outlaw with a heart of gold. It's him. You just don't expect him to be this brilliant. He has that uncanny ability to be absolutely full of himself and intererested in virtually nothing else, but in a way that's appealing rather than irritating. Gotta be born with that. Cuba Gooding, Jr....you couldn't expect anyone to project this well as a mute sidekick. I bet when he hoops he's one of those guys who move well without the ball. He has the ability to affect profound effect when the spotlight is somewhere else. On Hogan, for example, where Paul wants it. Cuba has by far the more technically demanding role, and he pulls it off without letting you know about it. Beverly D'Angelo has been more compelling in better roles elsewhere, but because of all that elsewhere she manages to generate audience enthusiasm for her dreams to be vindicated. Great casting, all around. Any time, when things start to lag they just have Hogan make a short speech about himself. His enthusiasm for the subject matter couldn't more clearly be sincere, and is thereby contagious. Perfectly placed recording of Johnny Cash singing Dylan's "Wanted Man" reminds us all that legends aren't just the stuff of ancient history.
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