The 51st State (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Ronny Yu

Writer (WGA):

Stel Pavlou (written by)

Release Date:

18 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Nice Wheels. Dirty Deals. And One Mean Mother In A Kilt.

Plot:

An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit.

Plot Keywords:

Chemist | Ex Girlfriend | Drugs | Liverpool | Drug Use

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Elmo McElroy
Nigel Whitmey	...	L.A. Highway Patrol
Robert Jezek	...	Priest
Emily Mortimer	...	Dakota Parker
Meat Loaf	...	The Lizard
Jake Abraham	...	Konokko
Mac McDonald	...	Mr. Davidson
Aaron Swartz	...	Mr. Yuri
David Webber	...	Mr. Jones
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Mr. Escobar
Sonny Muslim	...	Boy in Plane
Barbara Barnes	...	Boy's Mother
Junix Inocian	...	Mr. Ho-Fat
Robert Carlyle	...	Felix DeSouza
Paul Barber	...	Frederick

Also Known As:

Formula 51 (USA)
Formule 51 (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, drug content and some sexuality.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Elmo and Felix are driving around Liverpool, they go from Liverpool town center to Old Swan (about 4 miles away), then back to the town center in a matter of seconds.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Elmo: I mean, rules are like, arbitrary, you know. Made up for people who believe in fairy tales like, you know, like Santa Claus. Hey, but not us, right? I mean, we know what's important. There's a war going on, man. A war. Ain't that a bitch?
[cop sucks his teeth]
Elmo: I just graduated today, man. With honors. Got my degree in pharmacology. I'm licensed. Look, if you write me up on this drug charge, I won't be able to practice. So what we're talking about here is, is my life. The rest of it.
[cop lights joint, takes one hit, then discards it]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Formula 51 (#9.16)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Shamrocks and Shenanigans

Comparison's are what kill this film

Formula 51, to me, wanted to badly to mimic the cool characteristics of films like Snatch and in doing so left behind elements which were necessary to get there. The script found the film with it's first fault when it was clear that during the writing process things like a flowing, rich and intelligent script were replaced by excessive overly 'Cool' dialogue, the f word and a narrative which shamelessly places the characters in situations with the sole purpose of them showing how witty (in a dialogue sense) they can be. And yes, I will admit, at times it works and you do enjoy some of this but it is overall tedious and relies far to heavy on this to make this film.

On the acting front I noticed pretty quickly how the actors saw their characters were written and just played with it (with the exception of Sam L Jackson who seemed to kick into auto pilot and let his cool persona shine through on his part). I think in the context this was a good choice by the actors, this movie was not a masterpiece and they treated it appropriately. But still, the characters lacked charisma and charm. Even the always likable Samual L Jackson failed to really strike a chord with me.

I guess I semi enjoyed the film but still felt as though it was trying to be something more and failed. I keep thinking it wanted to be Snatch, but to be, it needed the characters, the pace, the dialogue (subtlety needed) and the overall richness that Snatch possessed. Try to not make comparisons upon viewing, and take it as no more than a piece of entertainment. 5/10