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The Green Hornet (film): Difference between revisions
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{{work|wppage=The Green Hornet (2011 film)}}
[[File:the-green-hornet-movie-poster1_3602.jpg|frame|Starring [[Seth Rogen]] as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and [[Jay Chou]] as [[Department of Redundancy Department|Kato/Kato.]]]]
The film version of ''[[The Green Hornet]]'' had been in [[Development Hell]] since the mid-1990s. One rumor circa 1996 had George Clooney (who ultimately passed in order to do ''[[Batman and Robin (film)|Batman and Robin]]'') and Jason Scott Lee (''Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'') cast as the Green Hornet and Kato. The most solid adaptation rumors after this had Kevin Smith writing and directing before bowing out due to personal doubts about handling so big a project.
The eventual creative team was director [[Michel Gondry]] and starring [[Knocked Up|Seth Rogen]] (who also co-wrote the script) and Taiwanese singer Jay Chou. As for its [[Super-Hero Origin]], Britt Reid is the spoiled and lazy son of a newspaper tycoon and he is given a wake-up call when his dad dies and the responsibility is passed on to him. Now completely lost without the opportunity to piss off his dad, he strikes up a friendship with [[Gadgeteer Genius]] and martial arts master Kato. This leads to a night of drunken vandalism when they [[Badass Bystander|end up foiling]] a late-night robbery/rape attempt.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment for the first time in their lives, they set out as vigilantes to track down the criminal underworld, with their particular angle being that they are acting as rival criminals. Britt uses the resources of his
{{tropelist|page=The Green Hornet}}
* [[Actor Allusion]]: Kato singing along to "
▲* [[Actor Allusion]]: Kato singing along to "Gangstas' Paradise"; Jay Chou is primarily a hip-hop/R&B artiste. Then there's him playing the piano {{spoiler|when he sees Lenore behind Britt's back.}} As for the mention of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHrq3Ew0T-I nunchucks...]
** More of irony than allusion, but Jay's breakout role in his native Taiwan also involved hard-and-fast driving in a [[Live Action Adaptation]], as Takumi in ''[[Initial D]]''. The scene with Kato playing with a basketball also alludes to Jay's earlier movie, ''[[Kung Fu Dunk]]''. And the massacre of {{spoiler|several gangsters just for wearing green}} parallels a plot point from ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]''. This is basically ''Meet Jay Chou: The Movie.''
** James Franco as a meth dealer. What was his last movie with Seth Rogen? ''[[Pineapple Express]].''
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* [[Almighty Janitor]]: Kato, the car mechanic and coffee guy who could kick your ass five ways at once.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: Britt starts off as a [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type I]], but eventually develops into a Type III.
* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: Many of Kato's more dangerous skills in lines of work outside of vigilantism which are thus hard to put on a resume. He doesn't have a formal degree to back any of them up to boot.
* [[Apparently Powerless Puppetmaster]]: Anyone who hears Britt Reid speak for five minutes realizes he is a buffoonish [[Adult Child]]. His father left him the Sentinel, but obviously Britt is a [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]] who cannot do anything for himself. Then you realize he doesn’t need to do anything for himself: he continuously and successfully manipulates people much more intelligent than him ([[Hypercompetent Sidekick|Kato]], [[The Strategist|Casey]] and [[Da Editor|Mike Axford]]) into doing exactly what Britt wants them to do.▼
▲* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: Many of Kato's more dangerous skills in lines of work outside of vigilantism which are thus hard to put on a resume. He doesn't have a formal degree to back any of them up to boot.
* [[Bad Boss]]: Britt is a rare comedic example of this trope; Chudnofski plays this chillingly straight.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Britt getting a bad cup of coffee.
** Kato in light of the following: Being called a sidekick, Being poked, getting cheapshoted in a fight, and being asked to make coffee
** You also do not want to tell Chudnofsky that he's not scary.
* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: Kato actually says "I spent three months" in Mandarin before correcting himself ''and'' switching to English. "I spent three weeks..." And for the record, he's ranting "that idiot will be the death of me" after his argument with Britt leads to Lenore hitting him as well.
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* [[Black Dude Dies First]]: The dead Mook as detailed in [[What Measure Is a Mook?]] below.
* [[Blown Across the Room]]: {{spoiler|Kato manages to One-Inch Punch a guy through the air and a window.}}
* [[Brick Joke]]: Kato, are you a pervert?
** {{spoiler|"Nunchuks? That was my idea!"}}
*** {{spoiler|Ejector seats.}}
* [[Bullet Time]]: Kato's combat perspective (and subsequent ass-kicking) is rendered like this. Ironically, one of the more realistic elements of the film, as seasoned fighters' advanced reaction time (plus adrenaline) ''does'' make time seem to slow down and space to distort. (The best part is that Kato is ''drunk'' when he's doing this.) Parodied when {{spoiler|Britt even tries it toward the end, though he has a hard time controlling his momentum and using an [[Improvised Weapon]]}}.
* [[Byronic Hero]]: Britt is this trope personified: Ungrateful, deluded, ungrateful, egomaniacal, self-centered, ungrateful, immature, stupid and did we mention '''ungrateful.''' He is not shown to have one decent or redeeming quality about him - even after he {{spoiler|manages to drive away Kato}}, until {{spoiler|his extravagant efforts to promote the Hornet as a menace resulted in the deaths of seven innocents who just happened to be wearing green. His horror at the consequences of his selfishness is the first time we get to see a decent and heroic side to him, and he gets better from there.}}
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: Chudnofsky. Cares a lot about people being scared of him. Takes great pride in his double barreled handgun. Later gives himself a supervillain name and comes up with a very bad [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]].
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** In the T.V show the district attorney was called Scanlon, although he worked with the Green Hornet. {{spoiler|In the film, he's the bad guy.}}
* [[Cool Car]]: The Black Beauty has never looked so good.
{{quote|
'''Britt:''' [[Shaped Like Itself|It's beautiful! ...And black!]]" }}
** Also, the suicide doors contain [[More Dakka|machine guns]]. Pretty much every inch of the car contains machine guns. Or [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|rockets]].
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* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Kato is much more of a smart-ass this time around, and with good reason, being saddled with an idiot like Britt.
* [[Dead Person Conversation]]: {{spoiler|Invoked and parodied when Britt spends five minutes, with a dumb look on his face, piecing the facts together in his head with his father after Scanlon practically spelled it out.}}
* [[Deconstruction]]/[[Reconstruction]]: Arguably of the Hero/Sidekick dynamic. Two people with strong enough personalities to dress up in costumes, fill multiple cars with enough guns to take out a small country, and spend their nights kicking criminals' asses without a care to the police are ''not'' going to work effectively in that kind of partnership. Since the movie is a ''bit'' more optimistic than, say, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', Britt and Kato eventually learn how to work together.
* [[Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life]]: Kato. How desperate? After a series of failed, if educational, careers (stuntman, chemist, engineer) he immediately jumps at the chance to go crimefighting with his dead boss' deviant of a son.
* [[Did Not Get the Girl]]: Given that both of the main characters compete for the same girl, this is a given. {{spoiler|Neither one gets her.}}
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: James. He was physically present only when it was time to say how much of a disappointment to him Brit was. Otherwise, he had 750 employees to take care of and too bad about Brit missing his [[Missing Mom|departed mother]].
* [[Disney Villain Death]]: Played with. {{spoiler|Scanlon falls to his death out of a window of the Sentinel building, but only because Kato ''rams'' him with the Black Beauty. And then the Black Beauty ''lands on him''.}}
* [[Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Kato. Doesn't help that Britt keeps hogging it all.
* [[Dump Them All]]: {{spoiler|In the end, Lenore is only interested in a working relationship with Britt and Kato, though both of them have been pursuing her romantically.}}
* [[Dyeing for Your Art]]: Seth Rogen trimmed down noticeably for this role, even looking a bit gaunt after his 11-day coma (though that's probably down to lighting).
* [[Engineered Public Confession]]: Britt manages to
* [[Epic Tracking Shot]]: Taken [[Up to Eleven]] literally.
* [[Establishing Character Moment]]: We already know what Chudnovsky is like and what he wants to do after the first ten minutes of the movie, as he kills one of his competitors.
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* [[Funny Background Event]]: When Kato {{spoiler|"carries out" the hit on Britt in the Japanese restaurant, one of the dozens of panicky yells from around them is actually "it's the Green Hornet's [[Running Gag|sidekick!]]"}}
* [[Gadgeteer Genius]]: Kato. Amazingly so.
* [[The Garfunkel]]: Britt Reid is basically useless in the first few fights, gets himself in situations he can't handle all the time (he's a pretty competent one-on-one fighter, but he tends to get entire gangs after him at once), he's a glory-hogging egotist and his major contribution to the Black Beauty is suggesting ejector seats. In contrast, Kato builds all of their toys and is an expert martial artist who can take out entire gangs at once. Eventually [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] when Britt [[Hypocritical Humor|accuses Kato of being this instead]] during their big fight. [[Took a Level
* [[Gas Mask Mooks]]: Lampshaded. {{spoiler|Chudnofsky starts wearing one as part of his new persona. When he and his minions end up in a situation where gas masks are actually ''useful'', Scanlon demands to know why no one else was issued one.}}
* [[Genre Savvy]]: When Britt thinks of spinning the Green Hornet as a villain to avoid common superhero pitfalls.
* [[Goggles Do Nothing]]: An odd example. {{spoiler|The gas mask worn by Chud... '''BLOODNOFSKY''' is useful when the heroes throw knockout gas around. Then it hinders him when the lenses get fogged up. Both situations were completely unexpected, though he was only wearing it to look scary. He never thought of an actual ''function'' for it to have.}}
{{quote|
* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: The protagonists. Britt and Kato's initial motivation for becoming vigilantes was boredom, and Britt still acts like a jerk as he gets more into the act. They also have few scruples when it comes to taking the lives of criminals {{spoiler|(They outright ''murder'' DA Scanlon)}} or wounding the police if the situation calls for it. They're not mean or cynical though, they just don't care because they (in their minds) really have nothing at stake and nothing to lose.
* [[Groin Attack]]: There's a lot of them in the film, mostly by Kato.
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* [[Heroic BSOD]] / [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: Britt's reaction after the {{spoiler|massacre of innocent guys wearing green}}.
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Britt and Kato. Two orphans together on an adventure. Naturally, the writers play up the [[Ho Yay]] as much as possible.
{{quote|
'''Kato:''' I'm not your ''man''.
'''Britt:''' He's not my "man" man, he's my... we're platon- it's platon- we're just platonic male friends...
[''looks at Kato, who nods'']
'''Britt:''' YES. }}
* [[Hidden Depths]]: Averted with Britt, aside from [[Made of Iron|his being able to take some punishment]] and his 5-minute jaunt into truth-o-vision<ref>
* [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]]: Kato
** And somewhat deconstructed as it more or less becomes the basis to the film's conflicts.
* [[I Am Not Left-Handed]]: {{spoiler|The Black Beauty has one final gimmick for slipping away from the cops - color changing.}}
* [[Ice Cream Koan]]:
{{quote|
'''Kato''': What does that even mean?!
'''Britt:''' I don't know! I thought it would sound cool!
'''Kato:''' It's stupid! }}
* [[I Just Shot Marvin in the Face]]: Chudnofsky kills one of his minions when he pounds his gun on a table for emphasis.
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** Britt swings around an office chair's five-point wheels in the final fight... just before tripping.
* [[Indy Ploy]]: invoked by Britt, thinking he's gotten it down after the first time. Kato's luck is just a little better.
{{quote|
* [[Inner Monologue]]: Britt has one when {{spoiler|he finally pieces everything together in the Hibachi restaurant. This is lampshaded immediately afterward when he's told he had been sitting in his chair with the same dumb look on his face for the last 5 minutes.}}
* [[Innocent Innuendo]]: Britt says quite a few lines that have homosexual tones all throughout the whole film, but he's very clearly unaware of what he's saying. Kato is, on the other hand.
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* [[It's All About Me]]: Britt.
* [[Jerkass]]: Britt still.
** His father in the opening scene of the movie, he scolds his son for being sent home ''just because he was trying to protect someone at school'' then popping the head of the poor kid's action figure off.
*** Hell, even Kato admits that Reid Sr. was "a bit of a dick."
* [[Just Between You and Me]]: {{spoiler|Scanlon's confession to Britt. In a crowded restaurant, no less, but only because he expected him to either cave in or die soon.}}
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** Chudnofsky's first scene involves him asking someone if he knew how hard it was for him to get his double-barreled gun made.
* [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]]:
{{quote|
* [[Man Behind the Man]]: Lenore, a hilarious subversion as even she doesn't know that she's effectively masterminding Britt and Kato's activities.
* [[Miles Gloriosus]]: Britt is essentially this type of hero for most of the film until the very end where he [[Let's Get Dangerous|starts to gain some competence]].
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** The bad guys also bring a heavy machinegun when they attempt to destroy it later.
* [[Mugging the Monster]]: Crystal Clear to Chudnofsky. He pays for it.
* [[Must Have Caffeine]]: Kato is a Master Barista, engineering his own espresso machine, and having an artistic flair for pouring lattes.
* [[Mythology Gag]]: One of Kato's sketches is of [[Bruce Lee]], Jay Chou's predecessor of the role. Jay Chou even replicates Bruce Lee's best known moves, like the one-inch punch and pushing side kick. The entire subplot of Kato being annoyed at being treated as Britt's sidekick is that basically before Bruce Lee had the role, Kato was literally just the Hornet's driver.
** The original show theme (and graphic) play at the end of the film.
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* [[Only One Name]]: The name on that resume Kato's filling out just says "Kato".
* [[Passive-Aggressive Kombat]]:
** Britt never directly confronted his dad, but he never missed a chance to disappoint him. When Britt talks to you, you cannot be sure if he is praising you or insulting you (he bluntly tells Kato he had no life and called Casey “old”). The obvious example is when Kato is hitting on Casey, Britt doesn’t like that and, instead of confronting his feelings, he humiliates Kato by asking for a coffee. When Kato confronted Britt (by punching a hole in the wall) , [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|he manipulated Kato with guilt and convinced him that Kato misunderstood the situation and that it was all part of their cover]].
** Kato takes this attitude with Britt when the direct approach doesn’t work: He goes on a date with Casey and lies to Britt about visiting his friend Tony. Does it not seem suspicious that the [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]] risks letting his [[Adult Child]] employer [[Reckless Gun Usage|near a gas gun]]?
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Britt hiring Lenore comes off like this, despite any motives he had at the time.
* [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse]]: Kato.
* [[Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure]]: The falling out between Britt and Kato over who gets the girl and who the real hero is. It culminates with an argument over whether they're a boss and employee, or friends. They make up in time to face off with the [[Big Bad]].
* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: At the sushi bar.
{{quote|
* [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]]: Chudnofsky makes one when he decides to become '''Bloodnofsky''', but he never has a chance to use it AND kill his target.
{{quote|
** Chudnofsky had a flair for these even before that (and far better luck):
{{quote|
{{spoiler|after trapping the Black Beauty and burying our heroes alive}}: "And so, thunder strikes lightning." }}
▲* [[
* [[Properly Paranoid]]: Kato mentions that Britt's father ordered him to cover many of his cars in gadgets and gizmos for the last few years... and not without reason. Granted, those seem to have been cosmetic or defensive in nature - the ''machine guns and missiles'' were put in after he died.
* [[Reckless Gun Usage]]: Britt is too dumb to ask Kato how to handle his new gas gun properly and promptly knocks himself out for eleven days.
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** Bloodnofsky's getup with a gas mask, coat, and gun is quite reminiscent of [[The Sandman]].
** The Black Beauty gets [[Spiked Wheels]], which Britt keeps referring to as "that [[Ben-Hur]] shit".
** When Kato is trying to sneak out to go on a date with Lenore behind Britt's back, he says he's going to be visiting his friend "Tony." Now what other [[Gadgeteer Genius]] superheroes who've had their [[Iron Man|own film series over the past few years]] have that name?
** The first time Britt and Kato get in a fight Kato is weaing a cheffuer's cap and goggles in a [[Shout-Out]] to [[Jet Li|Jet Li's]] [[Black Mask]], who in turn was inspired by Kato.
** After a news story fails to mention that another guy was involved in taking the statue's head, Kato responds by saying he's "too fast for TV". They told Bruce Lee the same thing when he was attacking faster than the cameras could shoot.
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* [[Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty]]: When Britt and Kato have their big argument and fight, Kato dismisses Britt as incapable of even touching him. While Kato was certainly the superior fighter, Britt was unafraid of using cheap tactics such as playing [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit|hurt]] or a surprise [[Groin Attack]].
* [[Two Guys and a Girl]]: this movie essentially sets up our heroes as this for future sequels. Only time will tell if they can solidify into a [[Power Trio]].
* [[Unflinching Walk]]: Chudnofsky and his mooks after blowing up the nightclub at the beginning of the film.
* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: Britt. Good lord, Britt. {{spoiler|Kato eventually quits due to this. He gets better, of course.}}
* [[Unspoken Plan Guarantee]]: Kato doesn't even tell Britt what's going on {{spoiler|before showing up to ostensibly assassinate him. And then there's the bit at the end.}}
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[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Films Based on TV Series]]
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