Where to watch Lightning Jack
2 Stars
Lightning Jack Kane is an Australian outlaw in the wild west. During a bungled bank robbery, he picks up mute Ben Doyle as a hostage. The two become good friends, with Jack teaching Ben how to rob banks, while they plan Jack’s last heist.
Simon Wincer is a natural-born visual storyteller, and Lightning Jack is a display of his adeptness in staging films set in the Old West. This action-comedy frontier outlaw tale doesn’t deserve a filmmaker of Wincer’s talents; this is a job for hire, a project sandwiched in between a series of family movies. Perhaps the opportunity to pair with star and writer Paul Hogan on a cowboy comedy proved too tempting for the fellow Aussie, Wincer; it certainly couldn’t possibly have been the quality of the screenplay. Look, I’m one of the few who enjoyed Almost an Angel, so eat a dick, a lame duck is a lame duck.
Future Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. is entertaining and does his best in a thankless role that does not utilize his talents effectively; his comedic performance stands out mainly due to his physical presence and costume. Lightning Jack doesn’t offer anything original compared to other westerns or comedies. Paul Hogan is likable and fits the setting, but his skills would have been better utilized in a serious western instead of this light, uninspired effort. Gooding’s initial success in Boyz N the Hood was followed by a series of questionable roles. While Gladiator (1992) was enjoyable, these films did little for his career and did not serve him well creatively.
Directed by: Simon Wincer
Written by: Paul Hogan
Starring: Paul Hogan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Beverly D’Angelo