2004

Director:
Guillermo del Toro

Cast
Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien),
John Hurt (Professor Trevor Bruttenholm), Rupert Evans (Agent John T. Myers),
Jeffrey Tambor (Director Manning), Karel Rodin (Grigori Rasputin)

A Review by Helen R. Chavez

What a complete and utter rollercoaster of a ride this film is.

'Way back in the nineties, acclaimed 'Indie' writer/director Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone, Blade II) took Mike Mignola's cult comic-book hero 'Hellboy' and wrote a film script - and now in 2004, Hellboy hits the screens with a punch that would do justice to the big red guy's famed Right Hand of Doom.

In case you haven't heard by now, Hellboy is a demon summoned from Hell by a bunch of no-good Nazis in the 1940's. Rescued by American G.I.s and aided by a young academic, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced 'Broom'), Hellboy is raised by Bruttenholm as a force for good, becoming an agent in the mysterious Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence.Along with his partner, the amphibious telepath Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), he spends a lot of his time whuppin' the butt of any paranormal beastie that dares to raise its head or tentacle.

Comics are big business in Hollywood, but it was a struggle to bring this one to the screen - del Toro wanted Ron Perlman as his lead, for a start. No-go, said the studios - he's not a big name. We want Vin Diesel, or maybe The Rock. Del Toro, however, wouldn't take no for an answer. No Perlman - no movie, he said, and stubbornly forged onward. But when Revolution Studios came onto the scene, it was a go - although del Toro had to take a $30 million drop in budget to get his star.

The other problem, apart from the fact the comic books were relatively unknown to the general public, was the subject matter - Hellboy is not your everyday, spandex-suited, handsome superhero. Oh no, sir, he ain't. Hellboy is a big red demon with a tail, shaved-down horns, hooves and a right hand that appears to be made of stone. On top of that he's a bad-ass, wise-cracking cynic with a passion for cats, cigars, beer and pamcakes (and no, I haven't mis-spelt it). His room is a hovel, littered with comic books, pizza boxes, old TVs showing classic movies, and a bed made from the back of a pickup truck.

He's also as gauche and as naïve as a teenager when it comes to the love of his life, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair).See what I mean about being a tough sell?

Well, despite the limited budget, the initial lack of interest by the powers-that-be and the weird subject matter, Guillermo del Toro has pulled it off with absolute, rip-roaring style. Hellboy is 132 minutes of whompin' bad guys, wisecracking good guys, angsty but sparky heroines, ghoulish, Lovecraftian critters and hilarious one-liners. Not only that, but many of the scenes could be right out of Mignola's comics … shadowed blues and ambers, darkness and light rippling starkly against the protagonists in this surreal story. The only brightness is Hellboy himself … a rich, vibrant red, the warmth of his character echoing his body colour. Guillermo Navarro's gorgeous camerawork is a joy - he could have been created to film Hellboy.

But Ron Perlman is the guy who really sets this movie alight. Del Toro wanted him … Mignola wanted him … and when you see the movie you'll know why. Ron Perlman IS Hellboy. Through a pile of prosthetics Perlman as Hellboy shines through, every nuance, every scowl, growl, grumble and wisecrack is done with such finesse that you are drawn into loving the big lug despite his faults. He's so goldarned human. He brawls and whomps his way through the film, only stopping long enough to woo the beautiful Liz Sherman with such clumsy charm that it breaks your heart.

His deep-seated love for his adoptive father, Bruttenholm (a perfectly-cast John Hurt) doesn't stop Hellboy from being a sullen, petulant teenager of a demon, despite being six decades old - and the father-son relationship is portrayed with such deftness that any parent worth his or her salt, watching Hellboy sulk moodily in his hovel of a room will nod and say 'yep - been there …done that', and promptly want to ground him for staying out past midnight.

Perlman's perfection is garlanded beautifully by the supporting cast. Selma Blair glows - often quite literally - as the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, a troubled young woman who is trying to cope with the tragedies in her life, all of which have been caused by her uncanny ability to spontaneously burst into flames. Confused by her desire to be normal and her love for Hellboy, she retreats both from the BPRD and the love the demon offers her. Blair as Liz is fragile and vulnerable, but she has hidden strengths that serve Hellboy well as the film progresses, and it is a neat and wonderfully genuine performance.

Hellboy's partner in the BPRD is Abe Sapien, a telepathic 'mer-man', portrayed with uncanny, balletic grace and remarkable fluidity by the extremely talented Doug Jones, another performer known for his experience 'under make-up'. Although voiced by Frasier's David Hyde Pierce - who is excellent, by the way, and sounds little like Niles Crane - it is Jones' poise and balance that brings Abe alive - every movement is a joy … measured and gauged to perfection.

British actors Rupert Evans (Agent John T. Myers) and John Hurt (Professor Trevor Bruttenholm) add gravitas, and Evans brings just the right amount of ingenuousness and pure, unadulterated grit to a thankless role - and pulls it off. A character that could have turned into a whiny, uninteresting addendum is turned in Evan's more than capable hands into a very likeable, charming and able young agent. John Hurt, as always, is glorious to watch. His Bruttenholm is Mignola's creation down to the wild hair and baggy sweaters, his love for his 'son' over-ruling all else.

Jeffrey Tambor (Director Tom Manning) is a hoot, as is Santiago Segura's cameo as an antsy train conductor who lays about Hellboy with a fire extinguisher.

Bad guys Rasputin (Karel Rodin) and Kroenen spend most of the film knocking the unholy crap out of just about everybody, and the creatures are gleefully Lovecraftian - all tentacles, goop and crunching, toothy jaws. Lovely stuff.

And everywhere you look there are in-jokes and homage to other films, evidence of fan-boy del Toro's love of the medium. A little nod here, a tiny hint there … any film buff with an ounce of nous will have a great time spotting the nods to movie classics. But don't get me wrong - Hellboy is wildly, magnificently, weirdly original - and I thank God it is. If the Powers That Be don't turn this one into a franchise then I'll believe there really wasn't a gunman on the grassy knoll.

Grab your granny, nobble your nieces, and arm-wrestle your friends, family, co-workers and distant acquaintances into seeing the film - get bums on seats and go see it. It may not be Citizen Kane - but it sure is one Hell of a lot of fun!