Wild, West West: I’ve somehow managed to dodge for years watching this gigantic misfire of a film based on the TV show of the same name. Will Smith, in what may be the worst miscasting of all time, is Jim West, the hero of the original played by Robert Conrad. He is an Army captain in pursuit of Confederate General “Bloodbath” McGrath (Ted Levine), seeking revenge. In the course of his pursuit, he runs across US marshal and inventor Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline) and soon both men are assigned by Ulysses Grant to look into the disappearance of several prominent scientists, all while traveling in a special train loaded with gadgetry. The villain and McGrath’s boss is revealed to be Dr. Arliss Loveless (played by Kenneth Branagh, slumming here for reasons unknown), an amputee in a steam powered, gizmo-laden wheelchair. West and Gordon swing into action to stop Loveless and his steam punk weaponry, including a giant mechanical spider, from killing Grant at Promontory Summit, during the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Salma Hayek is here in support, though her character is as under-developed as her acting is bad. Thankfully, she’s given very little to do. Smith and Kline have less chemistry than a six-year-old’s science kit. The script is bland and lacks any of the wit or charm of the TV show, as “Men in Black” director Barry Sonnenfeld tries to recapture lightning in a bottle and give Will Smith another excuse to neuter rap one more time. Sonnenfeld apparently forgot how to make a good movie along the way. This film is worthless. Woodchuck sez, “Skip it.”
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