PLOT: Those crazy Danish filmmakers Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier are back! The Dogme '95 duo take a look at America's fascination with guns through the eyes of a mining town outcast played by Jamie Bell with a brilliant soundtrack provided by '60s British band The Zombies.
Lars Von Trier, the America-phobic Danish director, has never been known for his subtlety in such acclaimed films as Breaking The Waves and Dancer In The Dark.
So his script about gun culture in America in Dear Wendy, directed by his Dogme '95 brother Thomas Vinterberg, making his second English-language film, should be taken with a major grain of salt and an entire suspension of belief.
That way you'll actually enjoy yourself instead of getting bogged down in the movie's unbelievable plot and heavy-handed anti-gun message.
British actor Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott, King Kong) stars as Dick Dandelion, a gun-toting pacifist who leads a group of like-minded "losers" who call themselves The Dandies in a small American mining town.
While there's never been a better time to look at gun culture among youths, the film doesn't do itself any favours by having the lone black characters as the catalysts for disaster.
On the positive side, Von Trier gets major props for shining the spotlight on the music of underappreciated '60s British outfit The Zombies, best known for such hits as She's Not There and Time Of The Season, both of which are included in all their stunning glory here.
Apparently, he was inspired by the pop group, who made music from 1962-1967, to pen Dear Wendy and the idea is a clever one even if the execution often doesn't work.
Von Trier's script does benefit from the lighter touch of Vinterberg, who proved his talent for dark, dark comedy with The Celebration, and definitely possesses a unique visual style.
And Bell shines in his role as Dick, the narrator of the film and the writer of the letter that begins, "Dear Wendy," which turns out to be his beloved gun.
Otherwise, Bill Pullman appears as the town's sheriff and a likable young cast co-stars as Bell's fellow gang members.
The Dandies take over an abandoned mine shaft where they conduct target practice, study gunshot exit wound documentaries, dress up in Western gear, and lovingly maintain their "partners" --as they call their weaponry -- and give them names like Badsteel.
When it's not disturbing, it's actually quite entertaining and occasionally funny.
BOTTOM LINE: This visually interesting film from Danish director Thomas Vinterberg has an unbelievable plot but is enjoyable for the performance of Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, King Kong) as the leader of a gun-toting group of pacifists in a small mining town in America. As if! The '60s British band The Zombies provide the mesmerizing soundtrack.
(This film is rated 14-A)
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