Word: villainizing
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...broke. With equal parts self-pity and deceit, the President cast himself as the protagonist in Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler's 1941 classic about the victim of a totalitarian witch-hunt. Eight months later, in the pages of Kenneth Starr's report to Congress, Clinton finds himself the villain in a much trashier tale, a fetid blend of libido and legalese that reads like Jackie Collins by way of the Congressional Quarterly...
...most spectacular terrorist assaults of the '90s have earned him the reputation of a virtual Dr. No whose tentacles extend to almost every secret cell around the globe. Though he has denied responsibility for some of the attacks, bin Laden is still widely considered the world's prime villain after the legendary terrorist Carlos the Jackal; the State Department last year labeled bin Laden "one of the most significant sponsors of Sunni Islamic terrorist groups." He seeks to overthrow the Saudi royal family and drive U.S. forces out of Saudi Arabia, away from its holy cities, Mecca and Medina...
...strong cast. As usual, Pesci turns in a maniacally fine performance, adding a sentimental riff here and there. Russo, looking remarkably unpregnant for someone who gives birth at the end of the movie, is sweet. Jet Li is magnificently creepy as a strong-and-silent, impeccably elegant villain. Alone among the principal supporting actors, Chris Rock, normally so funny, fails to fit his role as Murtaugh's young cop son-in-law. His edgy, larger than life comic persona makes Rock look like he is intruding on someone else's shtick...
...fans, the film ends with a not-quite-maudlin finale that merges with a multi-picture photo album underlay of the credits, but the real end of the movie comes fifteen minutes earlier, when Murtaugh and Riggs clasp each other and pause for a moment after vanquishing the last villain. They have come a long way from their early days, and the scene captures that feeling even for those who don't know the duo's history. Like that scene, the movie as a whole takes both characters a step past their development in previous films, yet also manages...
...repulsive. While the overdone pitfalls and exaggerated screaming initiated amongst the walking housewares in the Beast's castle may make one cringe with embarrassment, Gaston's idiocy and the rest of the town's blind adoration of him remains mildly entertaining. Lawson's portrayal of the handsome villain as Elvis with extra testosterone remains particularly amusing, and the enormous stain glass wall picturing him as a Christ-like figure is downright hilarious...