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This is a fantastic movie in every sense of the word. Brad Bird, part of the original Pixar brain trust that contributed to one of the later golden ages of American feature animation, is back with his work: a labor of love. Incredibles, WALL-E, consolation! and Ratatouille. What makes Hardboiled’s retro-futuristic noir adventure so refreshing? ray gunIt’s not so much the movie that Byrd wants as it is the movie that Byrd wants. It doesn’t pander to any audience demographic, doesn’t soften some of the hard edges, and isn’t even a post-modern pop culture satire that only serves to age the film like too many sodas left out in the sun.
The film steals its tone and narrative cues from Raymond Chandler and drops him from the top of an art deco steampunk skyscraper in a city called Metropia. ‘50S-style finned cars speed through the sky and sharp holographic advertisements accompanied by mid-20th century jingles are seen in every home. It’s a world where humans and aliens mix unhappily, and the only common language they share is that of the market. Shy and charming Ray Gunn (voiced perfectly by Sam Rockwell) is a classic dick who’s behind on rent, has an ill-fitting suit and quit the police force for entirely ethical reasons. Tom Waits voices Eyera, a shy but wise alien assistant who helps Ray remember what he’s filming and access places where humans aren’t welcome (and vice versa).
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In many ways, racism is Metropia’s dirty little secret, but deeper complexities come to the fore when Ray is recruited by the volatile husband of ultra-famous pop singer Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson), who wants photographic evidence to confirm that his wife has been cheating on him and may have engaged in other more nefarious activities. Of course, this standard, quick action is done to keep the wolf at the door, and we see Ray and Ira get drawn into scandals, intrigues, and dark business you’d only see in a Roman Polanski movie. Chinatown.
The first thing to say is that Bird and Matthew Robbins’ screenplay has a clean beauty that reimagines the pop and crackle of classic-era noir patterns, but with a bold, modern edge. It’s exciting to see a feature-length animation where two characters engage in an extended conversation rather than simply a container for necessary exposition or rapid fire, and it’s actually quite disturbing (in a good way!). The relationships between the characters build, evolve, twist and mix until they finally blossom spectacularly. This may all read like nuts and bolts for a delightful genre fare, but it’s very rare to see it in an animated feature, and one that isn’t desperately seeking affection in every jackknife turn.
Although the story is deliberately tweaked into an old-school mode, the piece is positively moving with breathtaking set pieces and dazzling character choreography, whizzing past architectural wonders and throwing neat ideas and future concepts at the screen like it’s no big deal. The film also doesn’t hold back when it comes to criticizing corporate malfeasance, suggesting that there will never be a time in the art industry without villains, gangsters and mustache-twirling bad actors running rampant. They even whisper. At the time of writing, this looks like the animation that will win awards season, but the real question is what will it take to get Rockwell and Johannson on the acting ballot as well?