Quirky sci-fi Western 'Jonah Hex' is a wild ride

If you don't take "Jonah Hex" seriously, which is almost impossible to do, you can have great fun with a quirky, naughty little oddity that has a good chance to become a cult classic.

The film is that rarest of beings, a science-fiction Western. You have to admit, you don't get those every day.

It's set in South in the aftermath of the Civil War. Locations include Virginia; Charleston, S.C.; Georgia; and a New Orleans brothel, where we meet new star Megan Fox.

Up against "Toy Story 3" but aimed at quite a different audience, "Hex" is unlikely to make much of a dent at the box office.

It would be surprising, though, if it doesn't take off big time when it gets to home rentals. The presence of Fox alone is enough to ensure that.

Aside from her, the film has a quirky plot that satirically encompasses most of the myths - or cliches - of American Westerns.

There's the loner who breezes into town with nothing but a fast gun. He is a no-nonsense type who takes no favors and offers none. He kills when he's paid to kill. He's scarred and disfigured, suggesting a kind of "Phantom of the Opera" of Virginia.

The film has gunfights and fisticuffs galore.

In one wonderful scene, the likes of which we haven't seen in a movie for a while, someone is gunned down in a saloon and the body is merely dragged outside while the piano player keeps playing. That's the West we know.

There's a train wreck and, for newness, a nuclear attack on Washington, D.C.

Josh Brolin, on a roll after "No Country for Old Men" and "W.," is suitably taciturn and tough as Jonah. He saw his family destroyed by the evil Confederate Col. Quentin Turnbull, who also put that scar on him.

Turnbull, depicted as America's first domestic terrorist, is played with quiet menace by softspoken John Malkovitch. He's always good for this duty when Christopher Walken is busy elsewhere - especially with the recent passing of Dennis Hopper.

Somewhat in the style of a wacky "Wild, Wild West" treatment, the film's plot goes all over the place. Hex talks to dead people, literally. He takes on 12 gunfighters at once without raising an eyebrow. He is, to put it mildly, ornery and over the top, and so is the movie that houses him.

The supporting cast includes Aidan Quinn as President Ulysses S. Grant, refreshingly presented here as sober.

You'll also see glimpses of Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon, Wes Bentley and a number of surprises. None of the characters is on the screen long enough to be recognized, much less developed.

Fox's contribution as Lilah, the prerequisite prostitute with a heart of gold, is best described as decorative. Make that highly decorative.

She gives no hint that she knows how to act, but she does know how to smolder. She has a don't-give-a-hoot aloofness that is the very essence of an old-time movie star. It will be interesting to see what Hollywood does with her.

Ending with an attack on Washington by little nuclear things shot through the air, the film is totally out there. A true original.

Don't expect "High Noon." Expect "Blazing Saddles" with attitude and actors who keep a straight face throughout.

If you view "Hex" as a campy joke, you'll have a great time.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com