neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Formula 51
	Ronny Yu Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Rhys Ifans, Meat Loaf Aday 2001		Released with little fanfare, "Formula 51" doesn't defy expectations, because there are none. It turns out to be a startling load of fun — a rollicking action comedy and buddy picture that owes a bit to the violent hysteria of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and the British underworld hijinks of Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels." The first indication that "Formula 51" might be worth a look is the top-billed presence of the combustible Samuel L. Jackson ("Shaft") as kilt-wearing Elmo McElroy, a master chemist reluctantly in the employ of a Los Angeles drug lord (Meat Loaf Aday). Elmo decides to cash out by selling the formula for his new designer drug — 51 times more powerful than any other recreational narcotic — to an English mobster. So he takes off for Liverpool, where he teams up with a pugnacious "fixer" played by quirky UK leading man Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty"). A sly hit woman (Emily Mortimer of "Lovely & Amazing") and a pack of skinheads are on the duo's tail. It's mirthful mayhem, as Jackson and Carlyle play off one another with verve.