The Big Bang (2010)

A private detective is hired to find a missing stripper. A simple job turns complicated when everyone he questions ends up dead.

Director:

Tony Krantz

Writer:

Erik Jendresen

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Thomas Kretschmann, William Fichtner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Ned Cruz
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Frizer
William Fichtner	...	Poley
Sienna Guillory	...	Julie Kestral / Lexie Persimmon
Delroy Lindo	...	Skeres
Autumn Reeser	...	Fay Neman
James Van Der Beek	...	Adam Nova
Sam Elliott	...	Simon Kestral
Jimmi Simpson	...	Niels Geck
Bill Duke	...	Drummer
Rebecca Mader	...	Zooey Wigner
Robert Maillet	...	Anton 'The Pro' Protopov
Snoop Dogg	...	Puss
Robert Ernie Lee	...	Russell
Rachel Handler	...	Minkowski's Stripper

Storyline

A private detective is hired to find a missing stripper, but the job turns complicated when everyone he questions ends up dead. From the mean streets of Los Angeles to the desolate desert of New Mexico, Cruz must contend with a brutal Russian boxer, three brash LAPD detectives, an aged billionaire looking for the Big Bang, and the billionaire's stunningly gorgeous wife. The solution to the mystery will cost ten lives, net thirty million dollars and just might explain everything.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | bare breasts | striptease | private investigator | woman on top | 

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Taglines:

Their search for the ultimate missing person.

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexual content, nudity, violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Krantz asked Johnny Marr to do the music score after listening to his solo record "Boomslang" (2003).

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Goofs

The Thunderbird Antonio is driving in most of the movie has no back seat, just half moon headrests that go into the back deck. In the last scene as they are driving away, the waitress and the gecko/lizard are in a backseat.

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Quotes

Detective Skeres: You're an asshole, Frizer. Roll-it-down asshole. If we've a contest, the world's biggest asshole, you coming second.
Detective Frizer: Yeah? Why not first?
Detective Skeres: 'Cause you're an asshole.

User Reviews

Decent Film, Worth A View or Two

A private detective (Antonio Banderas) is hired to find a missing stripper. A simple job turns complicated when everyone he questions ends up dead.

I can imagine Antonio Banderas looking at this script and weighing in his mind if he wants it or not. Then he gets to the sex scene, and he says, "I'm in." (And I have been told he helped in casting Autumn Reeser, so this makes it even more likely.) The script is interesting, sometimes a bit bizarre, but for Banderas that is the clincher, for sure. Other than that, despite being the main character, he is actually the least interesting part of the movie.

The press release compares the film to "Sin City" and "Big Lebowski". I can see "Lebowski" somewhat, but agree completely with the "Sin City" comparison. That was actually the first thing I thought of after a few minutes of analyzing the style. The film uses odd angles (sometimes to a dangerous extreme) and saturated colors. I thought in many scenes the backgrounds were even more beautiful than the foregrounds or the people in them.

What to say about the physics angle? I have seen many complaints online from people who say the plot was not about physics and that the same story could be told with a different topic. I raised this to director Tony Krantz and he made a clear argument that physics is not just central to the plot, but the very plot itself. If you did not get this, I recommend giving the film a second view.

The Snoop Dogg claim was deeply philosophical, but I feel it was not properly explored. Is sex with men just one after another with no real difference? And whether yes or no, how does this fit into the film's overall message? I do not know, but for whatever reason -- perhaps my background in philosophy and women's studies -- this line jumped out at me.

The supporting cast is also impressive. I mean, Sam Elliott and James VanDerBeek? Incredible. Autumn Reeser truly a joy. Elliott was actually a bit weaker than usual (I think he works best when his role is minimized) but I can never say no to him or his mustache.

I do have to call out Banderas' accent. As one reviewer wrote, "Antonio Banderas's mumbling was mostly unintelligible." I would not be so harsh, but the fact remains that I missed many of his lines because he could no deliver them. I can understand Puss in Boots from "Shrek", so I know he is capable of speaking clearly... this is my only real complaint.

Pick this one up. Great film, very good twists and turns, with a blend of intrigue and sex that will grab your attention. The DVD and Blu-Ray has a few features on it, and if you are the type who loves audio commentaries (I do), director Krantz will provide you with more than a fair share of background...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2011 (Bahrain)

Also Known As:

The Big Bang

Filming Locations:

Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,991

Company Credits

Production Co:

Big Bang Production, Flame Ventures, Hannibal Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1