.45: Grade B

B

.45 (2006)

Milla Jovovich, Angus Macfadyen, Sarah Strange, Aisha Tyler. Writer-Director: Gary Lennon

Jovovich looks as good as she did as God in “The Fifth Element,” and shows acting talent too. She is the battered girlfriend of sociopathic hoodlum “Big Al” (Macfadyen). Her social worker (Tyler) tries to convince her to move out, get a restraining order, etc., and Jovovich considers it, not because Al treats her like dirt and beats her senseless, but because he cut her hair. That’s going too far! It’s a revealing moment typical of the insightful script. Although the topic is dark and the scenes gritty, there is enough humor, surprise, and compassion to prevent it being a downer. There is something wrong with the directing though. Maybe it’s when secondary characters talk to the camera. They perform well and say interesting things, but they sound like actors rehearsing lines instead of characters. Even the main characters are often caught standing with hands at sides, at a loss for how to behave. The weak directing and slightly muddled ending detract from an otherwise fine film.