Domino (review)

You can’t make this stuff up, and they didn’t: this is a true story. Mostly. Domino Harvey was a poor little rich girl who, seeking to escape the deprivations of Beverly Hills and the rough life of a fashion model, turned to — no shit — bounty hunting for adventure and excitement. I say “was” — the real Domino died of a drug overdose in June; before that, she was totally onboard with director Tony Scott (Man on Fire), who has turned her exploits into the kind of hyperkinetic film that makes you understand why a tiny, delicate, bored little china doll like Domino would rebel against the shackles of privilege. Aggressively antisocial and brutally funny, this is Scott’s masterpiece, at least to date, a wild film that is, in fact, assured and tightly controlled. With its twisty, sneaky plot — about a casino heist gone wrong, pissed-off mobsters, sassy black woman who work at the DMV, and a sick baby — and relentless, ultraviolent action, this is not a film that will appeal to all, just to those who see the appeal in being antisocial. Keira Knightly (The Jacket), in a tour-de-force performance, proves her kinship with Domino: she dares you to limit her power to just her pretty face.