Fatale

There are several counts of attempted noir in Fatale, starting with hardboiled narration which the main character soon forgets to keep spouting. That’s okay, though. Fatale is better off heading into new territory, as Michael Ealy’s successful sports agent Derrick runs afoul of a Becky with a badge. (Reviews of Fatale are embargoed suspiciously late, but all the critics should note how Becky With a Badge is a much better title.) Things begin to go wrong for our married hero after Derrick’s business partner confiscates his wedding ring while they’re in Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Derrick is soon picked up by Swank’s sexual predator, who says she runs off to Vegas for relief from her high-stress job. Derrick learns more about her job when his one-night stand shows up to investigate a break-in (and possible attempted murder) at his L.A. dream house. The initial set-up for potential suspects seems as subtle as any ’70s detective show. That’s before Fatale goes nuts with cramming in multiple plot threads. Viewers will have no idea where the story is going by the 30-minute mark. There’s a reason the voiceover isn’t the only plot point left abandoned by the script – penned by David Loughery, who’s also written screwball actioners such as Lakeview Terrace, Money Train, and Passenger 57. Sadly, another stalled attempt at noir has the film running about two minutes too long. By then, however, Fatale has been enough fun that you’ll wish Nicolas Cage was playing the lead character. Either lead, what the hell.

[R]