When his newspaper magnate father dies, 28-yearold Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is forced to give up his hardpartying lifestyle, but instead of devoting his time to running The Daily Sentinel, he takes up an altogether more unusual pursuit.
After Britt and his friend - martial arts expert Kato (Jay Chou) - intercept a mugging, they are inspired to fight crime. Mechanic Kato pimps their ride, adding hi-tech gadgets and weaponry, and joins Britt, who adopts the pseudonym The Green Hornet, in bringing down crime boss Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz).
Armed with a script written by Rogen and his regular collaborator Evan Goldberg, innovative director Michel Gondry attempts to bring his own je ne sais quoi to the superhero genre. Leaning more towards the slacker buddy comedy of Be Kind Rewind than his debut Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Green Hornet offers a tonic for those tired of deadly serious crime-fighting sagas.
Rogen and Taiwanese pop star Chou make a likeable pairing, even if the former is firmly in his comfort zone. A talented supporting cast boasts the like of Oscar winner Waltz, an underused Cameron Diaz as Rogen's secretary, and Tom Wilkinson as his father James.
While Gondry struggles to fully mesh his whimsical style with such a conventional idea, his unique creative eye does make for an enjoyably quirky ride.
The Green Hornet is a Film programme that first aired in 2011 and has been classified a 12 certificate.
