A lot has been said about this film even before it opens this weekend but I suggest you ignore the rumors and experience this movie for yourself. If you do you will be pleasantly surprised by this fun, fast paced, tight, action film based on the classic DC Comics Western anti-hero, "Jonah Hex." As the character's famous catchphrase goes: "He was a hero to some, a villain to others...and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers." I think that this film will be loved by some.... and hated by others. I fall in the love category but let me say this up front ... I'm a huge comic book fan. I've been a fan of this character since I was a kid when I first saw his shocking image on the cover of a DC Comic. I was fascinated by his trademark scar back then and still am to this day so I was thrilled when they announced that they were making this movie. That being said I may be a bit biased and too close to this material to look at it subjectively but consider this: I'm also a huge fan of "The Spirit" comics from my childhood and I recognized that that film was total crap, so that being said I do believe that my "suck meter" still works and that if I really thought this was an awful film I would say so.

But that is not the case at all ... I really loved this movie and think that especially fans of the comic will be attracted to it. Is it a perfect comic book movie? No of course not, it's not "The Dark Knight" but it is a lot more fun and entertaining, I thought, than this summer's "Iron Man 2." One of the major complaints about the film that some may have is its length, running at only 80 minutes. As one colleague said to me, "There is no excuse for a movie to be this short." I don't exactly subscribe to that theory but I know what he means, that being said, it really didn't bother me that much. While I would rather see more of this story because I really liked it, I do appreciate that the filmmakers trimmed the fat and didn't cram in a lot of stuff that wouldn't fit. The other small issue with the movie that some may have is with the somewhat implausible weapon that Malkovich's villain tries to use at the end of the film to destroy Washington DC. The science of what those "magical" orange balls are, how they work and how that technology exists in the post-Civil War era is a little wonky to say the least. However, it really doesn't matter at the end of the day, does it? The villain has a weapon that could destroy the world and the hero must stop him! It's really just that simple and that comes across clearly. Other than those two small issues, I felt that the film was a fun, exciting and action packed comic book movie that is filled with lots of Easter eggs for comic book fans.

The film begins with an awesome introduction to the character of Jonah Hex, narrated by Jonah himself who is brilliantly played by Oscar nominee Josh Brolin and seems almost born to play this role. We see that Jonah was a Confederate soldier during the civil war and he was only ever good at one thing, killing men. He doesn't subscribe to the politics of the South but decided to fight for them just because he doesn't like the government telling him what he can and can't do. When the war was over Jonah retired from killing men and settled down. He got married, had a son and a nice quiet life until ... Quentin Turnbull (a wonderfully evil John Malkovich) comes a knocking. Turnbull holds Hex responsible for the death of his son, Jeb (Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a great un-credited cameo) and the Confederate Union's loss of the war. See Jonah had a change of heart on the eve of the end of the Civil War, which unintentionally led to the death of Jeb and his fellow soldiers. While it wasn't really Jonah's fault, he takes responsibility for it anyways. Quentin wants revenge and along with his right-hand man, Burke (a scene stealing Michael Fassbender), he murders Jonah's family and makes him watch. Making things worse, he allows Jonah to live but brands him with his initials on his face so that he never forgets this night. The mark ends up giving Jonah his trademark scar.

What follows is an absolutely breathtaking animated scene drawn by comic book artist Eduardo Risso ("100 Bullets) and inked by Alex Sinclair ("All-Star Batman and Robin"), which sets up the myth of Jonah Hex. For his wounds and other injuries Jonah seeks the help of an Indian doctor who uses mystic powers to save him from death. Now after the death of his family and his own near-death experience, Jonah has slipped into a dark place, somewhere between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This allows him to talk to the dead by touching them and temporarily bringing them back to life. Jonah's dreams of revenge come to an end when Turnbull supposedly dies in a fire. As a result, Jonah continued to what he does best ... kill, as a bounty hunter for hire. After doing a job that doesn't go exactly as planned, which is a really cool scene by the way, Jonah visits his on again, off again prostitute girlfriend, Lilah (played surprisingly well by the very hot Megan Fox). Lilah wants to become closer to Hex but Jonah is afraid to let her in because everyone who gets close to him dies. Meanwhile, President Grant (Adian Quinn) is learning the news that Turnbull is still alive and is causing terrorist attacks all over the union. He has put together an army of men who wish to wage war on the country and tear it down. They fear that he has acquired a weapon that could destroy whole nations at a time, a giant cannon that shoots exploding cannon balls.

The President decides that only one man can stop Turnbull from destroying America on the celebration of its 100th Anniversary and that's ... Jonah Hex! He sends a Lieutenant in the Army to recruit Jonah for his mission. Reluctantly he decides to help the government to settle his own score. Along the way he encounters a freak circus led by Dr. Cross Williams, an excellent Michael Shannon and befriends an abused dog, also scared like him. Jonah eventually seeks the help of his old friend Smith (a marvelous Lance Reddick from "Fringe") a freed slave who is kind of like Hex's "Q." He supplies weapons to Jonah and they are really cool including Gatling guns for his horse and two dynamite throwing crossbows. In order to find Turnbull, Jonah seeks the help of the only man who could know his whereabouts, the deceased Jeb. In this awesome scene between these two great actors we learn the truth behind their past and eventually Jeb tells Jonah what he wants to know. Jonah goes to Turnbull's HQ and leans the secret of his doomsday weapon, however after fighting off an army of men and taking a lucky shot from Burke he barely escapes with his life. Furious that Hex now knows that he is alive and what he is planning to do, Turnbull orders Burke to find something that Hex loves and bring it to him, which leads to the kidnapping of Lilah. Saved by the same group of Indians that helped him before, he is able to save Jonah once more. Now it is up to Hex to stop Turnbull from destroying Washington DC on the 4th of July, save Lilah from Burke and have his long awaited revenge.

I thought the action sequences were artfully shot by director Jimmy Hayward who made a dynamic debut with his first live-action film and I can't wait to see what project the director chooses next. His choice of mixing Oscar nominated composer Marco Beltrami ("The Hurt Locker") with heavy-metal band Mastodon to create the score for the film is nothing short of brilliant and was pitch-perfect for this movie. Another key element of the film was the groundbreaking editing by Fernando Villena ("Gamer"), which really drove the heart of the movie. The finale is a fantastic, surreal fight between Turnbull and Hex that happens simultaneously in reality and in Hex's head, which could easily become confusing for the audience but instead really enhances the film. The visual effects were state of the art especially the crows and they really lent to the eerie, surreal tone of the film. One Easter egg that I would like to point out to fans of the comic is to keep a close "eye" on Megan Fox's character towards the end of the film. There is a reveal that tells the true nature of who she is and it turns out that Lilah is really a fan-favorite character from the comics. In the end, I can't stress how much I really loved this movie despite a few small complaints and I do hope that audiences and especially comic book fans give this film a fair chance. If you want to see some kick-ass action, great characters and a really cool story, than Jonah Hex is the film for you.