Movies - Wild Wild West

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	Movies - Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West (1999) is a film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline (two roles, Artemus Gordon and President Ulysses S. Grant), Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek. It was inspired by the 1960s television program of the same name, and may be described as a science fiction Western.

In the spirit of the original TV series, the film features highly advanced steampunk technology and many bizarre mechanical inventions, including innumerable inventions of the mechanological geniuses Artemus Gordon and Dr. Loveless, including nitroglycerine-powered penny-farthing bicycles, spring-loaded notebooks, bulletproof chainmail, flying machines, steam tanks, and of course Loveless's giant steampunk mechanical spider.

Plot

The film opens at a railroad water station in West Virginia in 1869, introducing one of the main protagonists, trigger-happy Cpt. Jim West (Will Smith), spying on the actions of a group of ex-Confederate soldiers working under General "Bloodbath" McGrath, a personal nemesis of West. Following a runaway ride on a wagon filled with bottles of nitroglycerine, West arrives at a saloon where General McGrath and his rag-tag band of rebel soldiers are enjoying a raucous party. McGrath, whose head is fitted with a small swivelling trumpet to replace a missing ear, himself is seduced by an unlikely prostitute who, having seen McGrath's men carrying a kidnapped man out of the building, attempts to hypnotize the General. West breaks in and attempts to kill McGrath, but is stopped by the prostitute, allowing McGrath to escape. West fights off a number of McGrath's men, and finds himself in a Mexican standoff with the prostitute, who unmasks his disguise to reveal himself as the second protagonist, gadget-obsessed master of disguise U.S. Marshal Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline). The two escape from the saloon as the wagonload of nitroglycerine tumbles down a nearby slope, destroying the building.

In Washington D.C, West and Gordon meet with President Ulysses S Grant, who informs them of the disappearance of America's key scientists. Grant charges the two with finding the scientists within one week, before he inaugurates the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit. En route to New Orleans on board The Wanderer, a luxury train fitted with an array of bizarre gadgets, West and Gordon come to blows before putting aside their differences. The two arrive in New Orleans at the mansion of Dr Arliss Loveless, a brilliant ex-Confederate scientist confined to a steam-powered wheelchair, who is hosting a party for the elite of southern society. West mistakes a guest for Gordon in disguise, making a comic error that leads to the guests leading West out for a lynching. Using this as a distraction, Gordon (in disguise) roams the mansion and comes across the film's main female character, Rita Escobare, rescuing her from the house. West, trying to talk his way out of being lynched, escapes with Gordon and Rita during the hiatus.

On board his armoured steamboat, Loveless, hosting a reception for foreign dignitaries, demonstrates his newest weapon - a steam-powered tank. The tank uses General McGrath's soldiers as target practice, infuriating the General. Loveless, having shot McGrath, explains to the assembled ambassadors the immense power of his new mechanised forces, and invites the dignitaries to a reception at his laboratory to explain his future plans. Gordon, West, and Rita, arriving at the scene of the massacre, find the dying McGrath who reveals Loveless's past crimes. Loveless boards his armoured train and heads towards Utah, pursued by Gordon, West, and Rita on board The Wanderer. Using his advanced mechanical devices, Loveless relocates his own train behind The Wanderer. West, making use of one of Gordon's inventions, disables Loveless's train, but not before Loveless uses a locomotive-mounted cannon to stop The Wanderer. Rita, afraid of being recaptured by Loveless, accidentally releases sleeping gas. West and Gordon wake up as Loveless pulls away in The Wanderer with Rita, informing them of his intentions to capture President Grant at Promontory Point. Gordon and West find themselves incarcerated in a strange prison, fitted with metal collars and enclosed only by a wire strung at ground level. West, ignoring Gordon's advice, crosses the wire, releasing two lethal flying disks attracted by the collars' magnetic fields. Following a panicked dash through a field of maize, the two leap into a mud-filled pit, escaping the discs. A comic scene follows in which Gordon loses his temper with West and accidentally reverses the polarity of their magnets, causing the two collars to stick to each other. Eventually, Gordon removes their collars and the two stumble across Loveless's private railroad track, which leads them to The Wanderer and Loveless' industrial complex. Here, they witness Loveless's ultimate weapon - a gargantuan steam-powered metal spider, bristling with cannon, steam-assisted Gatling guns, and a powerful explosive flamethrower. Loveless, driving the spider, captures Gordon and President Grant from the inauguration ceremony at Promontory Point, whilst West is apparently killed by one of Loveless's bodyguards.

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Movies - Wild Wild West

Plot

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