“Paparazzi” (20th Century Fox)
Back in the seventies Charles Bronson re-vitalized his career in a series of movies about vigilante justice. In “Death Wish” and its many sequels the law wouldn’t take care of the crimes in his world so he took care of them himself. Audiences loved living vicariously through Bronson and having him take the actions they would like to take but were too civilized to do. Now along comes “Paparazzi” which also concerns the abusers of society, and once again one man has to take matters into his own hands in dealing with them. Somewhere Charles Bronson is smiling.
Bo Laramie (Cole Hauser) is a rising action star in films. His sudden stardom brings him fame and fortune. It also makes him and his family fodder for the tabloids. Bo is shocked when he finds himself plastered all over the papers in the supermarket and is outraged that the information they give is totally inaccurate.
When the photogs show up at his son’s soccer game and begin taking pictures of his wife (Robin Tunney) and child (Blake Bryan) he asks them to stop. The leader of the group, Rex Harper (Tom Sizemore) agrees but then immediately starts taking pictures again. This pushes Bo over the edge and he hits the man. Bo ends up being arrested and ordered to take anger management classes.
After this incident Harper and his cronies seem determined to see how far Laramie can be pushed. At one point they pursue him while he is driving with his wife and son. Because of their actions the Laramies are involved in an accident which leaves Abby, Bo’s wife, injured and their son Zack in a coma. Now Bo decides it is time to fight back.
This movie appeals to the most primitive elements inside us. Call it the law of the jungle, the caveman attitude, or whatever; this is a story about a man doing everything he can to protect his family. At first the “civilian” tries to rely on the police, personified by Detective Burton (Dennis Farina), to keep them safe. But when he appears inept, Bo decides it is up to him to do whatever is necessary.
Hauser makes a strong hero while Sizemore and Daniel Baldwin are totally repulsive (as they should be) as the photographers. The film is made up of clearly drawn characters. The bad guys are totally bad and the good guys are near perfect.
The film is rated PG-13 for violence and profanity.
“Paparazzi” is a movie that appeals to our most basic feelings. We enjoy this movie with our gut, not our head. All you want are the bad guys to get what’s coming to them and that is what happens in this film. It may not be the legal thing to do but for audiences it will be what we want.
I scored “Paparazzi” a photo finish 5 out of 10.
