Gerard
Butler
plays
Milo
Boyd,
an
ex-cop
turned
unwashed,
unshaven
bounty
hunter
who
gambles
and
drinks
too
much.
He"s
also
ex-husband
to
intrepid
girl
reporter
Nicole
Hurley
(Jennifer
Aniston).
At
the
start
of
the
film,
she"s
investigating
a
mysterious
suicide
for
a
story
in
the
New
York
Daily
News
but
is
held
up
by
a
pesky
court
date
for
a
traffic
accident.
When
her
source
contacts
her
needing
to
meet
immediately,
she
skips
out
on
her
trial,
and
a
bench
warrant
is
issued
for
her
arrest.
Naturally,
Milo"s
boss
is
the
bondsman
who
posted
her
initial
bail,
and
Milo
is
the
bounty
hunter
sent
to
collect
her.
The
prospect
fills
him
with
uninhibited
glee,
an
unexplained
emotion
that
Butler
plays
strangely.
He
giggles
and
bounces,
tracks
mud
through
her
apartment
and
eats
Doritos
in
her
bed.
Milo
must
eventually
track
Nicole
to
Atlantic
City,
where
her
mother,
Kitty
(Christine
Baranski),
is
a
headlining
lounge
singer.
While
he"s
looking
for
her,
all
sorts
of
seedy
types
are
searching
for
both
of
them.
There"s
a
crooked
cop
(Peter
Green)
out
to
kill
Nicole
before
she
can
discover
any
more
about
the
“suicide";
a
bookie
(Cathy
Moriarty)
who"s
sent
a
couple
of
her
goons
to
break
Milo"s
kneecaps
for
his
outstanding
debt;
and
a
hapless
girly-man
in
a
lavender
polo
shirt
(Jason
Sudeikis)
who"s
in
love
with
Nicole
after
a
drunken
office-party
makeout
session.
Movies
like
this
should
get
in
and
out
in
90
minutes.
But
here
we"ve
got
111
laugh-free
minutes
to
kill,
meaning
lots
of
story
to
tell
and
eccentric
supporting
roles
to
service.
But
the
character
interaction,
the
story
trajectory,
the
subplots
and
the
chase
scenes,
none
of
them
carry
any
weight.
Stuff
happens
but
is
forgotten
by
the
next
edit.
Nothing
sticks.
Director
Andy
Tennant
(Hitch)
does
assemble
some
talented
stock
players,
but
they
all
drop
from
the
sky,
exit
just
as
quickly
and
never
feel
part
of
the
show.
The
heavy-handed
soundtrack
does
make
an
attempt
to
get
us
through
the
ordeal.
It
plays
constantly–I
can"t
recall
a
single
moment
of
action
or
dialogue
that
isn"t
underscored–and
acts
like
a
sitcom
laugh
track,
cluing
us
into
what"s
supposed
to
be
funny.
Butler"s
character
is
a
booze-loving,
gambling
big
lump
of
an
ex-cop
and
he
doesn"t
offer
too
much
more
in
his
performance,
but
Aniston
makes
up
for
it.
Her
performance
as
a
feisty,
but
funny
leading
lady
is
great.
The
Bounty
Hunter
is
a
romantic
comedy
thriller
lacking
in
romance,
humor,
or
intrigue.
At
best
avoid!
Rating:
1.5
out
of
5*
Starring:
Gerard
Butler,
Jennifer
Aniston,
Christine
Baranski,
Jason
Sudeikis
and
Peter
Green