Colin Farrell has made some interesting acting choices, to say the least, between "Alexander" and "Daredevil." His latest cinematic endeavor, "Ask the Dust," is no exception.
Set in Los Angeles during the 1930s, director Robert Towne has adapted the John Fante novel of the same name. This picture has an overall gloomy feel, but at its core, "Ask the Dust" is a love story.
Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) is "a lover of beasts and men alike." He comes to Los Angeles in 1933 with $150 in his pocket, hoping to live the American dream and write a great love story. He expects to find fame, fortune, beautiful women and a glamorous lifestyle.
Unfortunately, all he manages to do is exhaust his financial resources. When he has reached the end of his rope he finds Camilla Lopez (Salma Hayek).
Camilla is a waitress at a local restaurant who serves Arturo poorly. He insults her and they engage in what becomes routine banter comprised of a mix of colorful language and racial slurs that runs throughout the flick.
Arturo is filled with new ambition as he begins to frequent the restaurant. He even writes a love letter to Camilla. Despite their argumentative introduction, the two characters are drawn to one another.
There is a strong chemistry between the leads, Farrell and Hayek. Their love scene is steamy, erotic, and leaves little to the imagination.
However, because Arturo is white and Camilla is Hispanic, the prejudices of the 1930s make the relationship difficult for them.
Camilla expresses her desire to make better opportunities for herself. She feels that her Mexican heritage and the racial tension inherent in that period is holding her back. With Arturo's Italian background, he doesn't have to overcome the same obstacles that Camilla faces.
Additional characters in the film include Helfrick, Arturo's neighbor played by a raggedy and wild-eyed Donald Sutherland. Helfrick provides comic relief as Arturo's buddy, and enables Arturo to vent his frustrations about his floundering career and rocky love life.
Director Robert Towne spends time with these three characters, but their roles are underdeveloped at best.
Aside from the poor character development and sleep-inducing plot, the movie does have excellent cinematography. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel's work is simply exquisite and his near-perfect framing of every shot makes for a buffet for the eyes. The recreation of the Long Beach earthquake from 1933 is realistic. There is even skinny-dipping that is tastefully filmed.
There was a contradictory effect between the colorful tone of the lighting and the dark content of the plot, which made the film more enjoyable by giving it an element of unpredictability.
