"My Name Is Modesty"

[sergebroom]

Last night I watched Quentin Tarantino's 2002 film "My Name Is Modesty", which tells the story of Modesty Blaise's origins. I discovered Modesty a few years ago, thru my friend Susan de Guardiola, who heartily recommended this direct-to-video movie. It's my understanding that Peter O'Donnell - Modesty's creator - wasn't quite happy with it although I'm not sure why. Maybe he felt that Alexandra Staden wasn't quite right for the part. Someone like Eva Green might have been closer to the way he envisionned her. Nevertheless, it's a nice old-fashioned adventure, and it's a shame that Tarantino and Neil Gaiman were never able to do the theatrical film they had been working on, but I enjoyed this story. In fact, I enjoyed it so much hat I just bought it on Alibris, and will put it next to 1997's equally old-fashioned-in-a-good-way "The Saint".

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

If I have a problem with it, it's that it's a Modesty Blaise story from before she becomes the Modesty Blaise of the novels and comics. The most glaring missing piece is that there is no Willie Garvin.

A secondary problem is that Modesty's past is/should be shrouded in mystery and it appears to be displayed on screen for us, although that's answered at the end.

And finally, traditionally action films show us a little of our hero(ine) in action at the start as a teaser for and a promise of the action at the end. The trope exists for a reason and because of that the long long talking scenes weren't obviously building to anything.

HOWEVER it was a brilliant attempt at making one of those 60s spy/detective/action shows, and I could easily imagine Roger Moore or Robert Vaughn doing the keep them talking all night thing in one of those shows. Good film, not quite a good Modesty Blaise film would be my verdict.

Neil W

[sergebroom]

I'd have liked to see Willie make an appearance, maybe in an epilogue that'd have been like the prologues of James Bond movies, but it might have skewed the story's structure.

As for Modesty's Past... At the end, she leaves it ambiguous whether or not everything that she said is true, but that we were told didn't bother me much.

As for Modesty's fighting abilities... The movie does show her doing that as a little girl, and she even tells the Bad Guy that she learned better fighting techniques as she got older. Still, it took him by surprise when she beat the crap out of him.

Overall, I enjoyed it, even the second time around, even though it's not quite the Modesty film, if only because Willie isn't around.