BY MIKEY MIGO
I saw the trailer for the movie “Killing Bono” a while ago. I wanted to see it because I seem to always enjoy movies about bands and musicians, bio-pic or fictional. I still put off seeing this movie. I think it was the fact that I just didn’t want to see a movie that painted U2 in a negative light. There are enough U2 haters out there and even more anti-Bono people. It’s become so redundant that I don’t think half of the people who dislike him now have any real reason. I still caved in. The movie ended up being decent. Directed by Nick Hamm, it looked good. I don’t recall any specific shot as being awe-inspiring, but I did notice at one point how smooth and well cut the shots and transitions were. I like that it didn’t try to be a shaky-cam indie movie. The story was fun. It’s a “loose backstory” of two brothers who grew up and went to school with the guys in U2. One brother is really talented and the guys in U2 want him to join. The other brother lies and tells U2 that he’s sticking with family. The brother’s band struggles as U2 rises to success. The shady brother goes crazy with jealousy, anger, and resentment. This gets them into a lot of trouble and screws up more opportunities than most thriving bands would dream about. The brothers are played by Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan. I’ve never seen Barnes in anything before, but I enjoyed watching him spiral out of control and I really started to feel bad for how horrible he was screwing things up. I wanted to kill him for his assholeness, but cheer on his persistence. The only thing I’ve seen Robert Sheehan on was a few episodes of “Misfits” I’ve seen. He’s an awesome up and coming actor. He did great as the charming and more down to earth brother. The rest of the cast was fairly new to me. I know Krysten Ritter from seeing her in “Breaking Bad” and like a million other things. I was a big fan of Martin McCann’s portrayal of Bono. I think it was pretty respectable. My worries about U2 being shit on in the movie weren’t an issue. This movie is about two brothers who make music living in and trying to maintain in very big shadows. I enjoyed the story, the performances were entertaining, and overall I had a good time watching this movie. I’d recommend it. B+
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