C | A 1930's stunt pilot finds a top secret jetpack. Directed by Joe Johnston Starring Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, and Timothy Dalton Review by Jon Kissel |
Campbell’s not necessarily bad, but he’s not bringing much to the character as written. Where The Rocketeer is most memorable is in its villains, featuring a mobbed-up Paul Sorvino, a Frankenstein-esque Tiny Roy Taylor, and Timothy Dalton stealing the movie. An unauthorized biography about Errol Flynn, the inspiration for Dalton’s character, came out around this time, characterizing him as a fascist sympathizer and a Nazi spy. The author couldn’t prove any of this and was discredited, but Johnston takes this accusation and runs with it. Dalton’s Neville Sinclair is shown on a swashbuckling set in a role that Flynn would’ve taken, and has the swagger and charm of a tuxedo-clad mid-century screen icon. He's also a high-ranking Nazi spy with a direct line to Berlin and a battalion of commandos at his disposal. The credibility of powerful people across the Western world being enamored with fascism makes this late reveal a master stroke, and turns The Rocketeer from a film about technology into a film about saving the world. Keeping the Nazis from finding a thing served Spielberg well in two Indiana Jones films, and Johnston knows to borrow from what works.
Johnston’s capabilities as a director are best served in how he maintains the tone of The Rocketeer. He’s not revealing himself as an action maestro, as several scenes have a confusing geography. What he is doing is placing the viewer in a recognizable setting, with dusty airplane hangars and diners and the Hollywood-fed expectation of how people talked and interacted in this period. I was surprised to learn that The Rocketeer source material was created in the early-80’s, not even a decade before the film. Johnston gives the film a timeless quality, such that the story doesn’t get infected by any Gen-X cynicism or irony. At the same time, he finds a way to make Connelly’s Jenny into a relatively updated character beyond damsel-in-distress laziness. There’s a missed opportunity at the center of The Rocketeer, as Johnston should’ve listened to Disney and cast someone else in the title role, but for early 90’s actioners, The Rocketeer is a perfectly acceptable entry. C+