Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Wild Wild West (1999)
Wild Wild West
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Wild Wild West (1999) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 111 | slideshow) Videos
Wild Wild West (1999) -- hv post

Overview

User Rating:
4.2/10   47,362 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Barry Sonnenfeld
Writers (WGA):
Jim Thomas (story) &
John Thomas (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Wild Wild West on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 June 1999 (USA) more
Tagline:
It's a whole new west. July '99. more
Plot:
The two best hired guns in the West must save President Grant from the clutches of a 19th century inventor-villain. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
10 wins & 11 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(39 articles)
T.J. Hooker gets promoted to the movies
 (From Corona's Coming Attractions. 6 July 2009, 12:54 PM, PDT)

Get Ready for "T.J. Hooker" the Movie!
 (From Manny the Movie Guy. 6 July 2009, 10:55 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
It just isn't good more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for action violence, sex references and innuendo.
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Will Smith turned down the lead role in The Matrix (1999) to star in this movie, being a fan of the television series. He later said this was the worst decision he made in his career. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Grant's fake beard glue is obvious in a close up at the spike driving ceremony. more
Quotes:
[chased by flying, magnetic buzz-saw disks]
Artemus Gordon: The collars around our necks! They contain powerful magnets! As long as we can outrun the blades, we'll be fine!
Capt. James West: Gordon! How long does it take for a magnet to lose its power?
Artemus Gordon: About four hundred years!
Capt. James West: Damn!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple (#25.13)" (2000) more
Soundtrack:
Bailamos more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
44 out of 82 people found the following comment useful:-
It just isn't good, 8 July 1999
Author: Brian Orndorf from Minneapolis

It's that time of year. The time when Hollywood trots out it's worst of the summer. You know the drill. There's a "Godzilla" every year, somebody has to be it. "Wild Wild West" clenches the title hands down this summer, and we still have eight weeks to go!

The Will Smith phenomenon has now entered it's third phase: overwhelming ego project. Teaming with his "Men In Black" director Barry Sonnenfeld, Smith has finally teetered over the edge and released an outright mess. A film that will hang in the halls of all time bad event flicks. Should we blame Smith? I think so. "Men In Black" and "Independence Day" were gigantic hits, they even call the 4th of July "Big Willie Weekend" due to these successes. I submit that these films were hits due to the films themselves, the writing, acting, directing, and not just because of Smith. "West" is finally the film that rests on Smith's comedic shoulders alone. The truth shines through clearly. Not everything Will Smith does is funny.

Based in the television show running from 1965-1970, the simple plot tells the tale of a Civil War era federal marshal James West (Smith), who must team up with a weapons expert (Kevin Kline, at his most painfully unfunny) to thwart the evil plans of the villain, and legless, Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Along for the ride is a giant mechanical tarantula, President Grant, and the stunning, gorgeous, lovely, and just plain old hot Salma Hayek. The plot is just a simple excuse to push the characters through endless scenes that give birth to no laughs at all. Scenes that make the audience gringe with fear, as if something wrong is with them. Fear not my good people, these are professionals up on screen, and they blew it.

The screenplay, credited to FOUR writers, has the damnedest time to make any of the jokes funny. You would not believe just how far the cast goes to make this limp material work. It's embarrassing to watch, and even more embarrassing for the actors. There is not one funny moment in the film, not even a courtesy laugh for the attempt. Dead silence. I also disapprove of the attempt to squeeze racial jokes into the mix. Yes, Will Smith is African-American, but do we need to call attention to it every five minutes? The movie would've been better served had it left the race issue alone and just played up the potential fun of the concept.

Will Smith is simply miscast as the hero. He's an amiable actor who's proven himself with stronger material. This film clearly shows just how paper thin the Smith charm can be. While Kevin Kline tries but fails as well, it's really Hayek's role that's a mystery. She's barely in the film, and when her character is explained, you come to realize that she's not apart of the story at all. Hayek has always been a fun performer with winning personality. All this movie asks of her is to be the butt (literally) of a few jokes and keep the cleavage coming. A shameful waste of talent.

Director Sonnenfeld has also been at the helm of better pictures ("Get Shorty"), but for some reason I have yet to see a truly great film directed by him. There always seems to be a spark missing from the action, like a better, funnier film was in there somewhere but he can't find it. Relying in great amounts on special effects and the considerable use of easy-to-spot green screen shots, the typical Sonnenfeld camera work is either buried under all the mayhem or just not inventive when the attempt is actually made. This is a very top-heavy production with little chance to breathe. But Sonnenfeld made this choice, he must be held accountable for it.

The movie has been through many edits, and this shows with wildly out of tune continuity and many unexplained plot twists. Also grating on the brain is Elmer Bernstein's annoying and featherweight musical score. While we have Warner Brothers shamefully trotting out it's "We pray it's as big as the 'Men In Black'" Will Smith rap tune, Bernstein provides a flat score that serves no purpose to enliven the film. The cinematography is also without color, and the catering probably sucked too.

"Wild Wild West" is the product of zero imagination. A lifeless summer film that seems to stick out even more in this unusually good movie season. I am always wary of comic westerns, and this film seals that envelope. If this is what 160 million buys you? I'll take the 3 million "South Park" any day.------------ 0

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Wild Wild West (1999)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Racist/Bigoted against Southerners GeorgiaDixie
Will Smiths Penis SupermanEarth1
STEAMFUNK? mega_DAD
Racist Goof? mahditoohottie
Question about Loveless... hannibal89
Both Kevin Kline And Will Smith At Oscars goldenbuddha84
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
GoldenEye The Spider Returns The Black Widow Watchmen Dick Tracy Returns
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Action section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.