My Favourite Movies: Hancock



I know that some of you will be surprised that what is an essentially light comedy vehicle for Will Smith turns out to be one of my favourite films – but bare with me. For those who missed this little gem the story is quite a simple one (at least on the surface). Smith plays the eponymous Hancock, a superhero with no memory of his early life and a serious attitude problem. Hancock is also a drunken bum who’s attempts to help people and save lives inevitably go wrong. Basically he’s a super fuck-up. Of course, being basically invulnerable, the authorities are powerless to stop him. That is only part of the problem. Hancock is on a downward spiral of self destruction and there seems to be no one who can stop him. Until that is he saves the life of PR executive Ray played by Jason Bateman who, to pay back the debt, decides to turn Hancock’s life around with the power of Public Relations. But on meeting his wife, played by Charlize Theron, there is an immediate attraction between the two which spells trouble ahead.


..and now the spoilers.


At this point the movie changes tack rather radically and it is here that, for me at least, the movie moves from interesting to something special. But not because of the romantic complications of a drunken super-hero, no. The thing that took me by surprise was that Hancock is not alone. He is not the last, or only, one of his kind. Theron is the only other living super-hero or, as she points out, angel or god – the labels being simply a case of historical and cultural semantics. They are in fact a matched pair, created that way thousands of years ago to protect humankind. But there’s a catch – as there always is. Only when they are apart can they remain super and invulnerable to harm. When they get too close for too long they become mortal and can be killed which, she tells him, is what happened to the others. For their own safety they have to live separate lives despite their long history together. For me that tragic element makes the movie for me. It is the choice they have to make between being apart literally forever or together for a very brief time (whilst at the same time leaving humanity vulnerable). It is clearly a tough choice.


The baddies in the movie are ordinary bad-guys from central casting. What they discover, much to their pleasure, is that they can harm Hancock in his weakened state. So the choice is forced on him as he struggles for his own and his eternal lover’s life. It is all, as you can imagine, very dramatic. Of course, being a Will Smith film, there is plenty of opportunity for his particular brand of humour which hasn’t really changed much since his days in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Taken as a light action-comedy this movie is entertaining enough for its 88 minute runtime. Looking deeper at the tragic side of the Smith-Theron relationship it is, I believe, something more. It’s certainly one of the very few ‘super-hero’ films that I can stand to watch more than once. If you haven’t seen it before for whatever reason I can only recommend that you give it a chance and be prepared to really, really like it.