Ask the Dust

"I don't understand women. How can I write about what I don't understand?" Arturo Bandini (Farrell) - a small time writer with only one short story publication to his name - came to Los Angeles years ago, full of dreams and hopes of writing the great American novel. However, Arturo has struggled since and, having fallen victim to a serious case of writer's block, is caught in a Catch 22 - how can he write about life if he is perpetually stuck in front of the typewriter? Dragging himself to a nearby bar to spend his last nickel, Arturo meets the sassy Mexican waitress Camilla (Hayek) and, after rubbing each other up the wrong way, the pair embark on a tempestuous relationship that will either mark the beginning or the end of their way of life.

They say never let writers direct. Robert Towne, probably the most successful screen writer of all time, has written numerous hits in his career - The Last Detail, Chinatown, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait and the first two Mission Impossible movies - and directed three including 1988's surprise hit Tequila Sunrise but Personal Best and Without Limits showed he lacked the directorial smarts somewhat. Here he adapts John Fante's depression-era novel and although he lets Fante's mood spill onto the screen and is meticulous in his portrayal of LA in the '30s, his story lacks momentum and drive. Ask The Dust never really kicks off or hooks the audience and its meandering plot never seems to be going anywhere; maybe that's what he intended to achieve but it still doesn't make for an interesting film. With The New World and now Ask The Dust, Farrell has been flexing his acting muscles of late and is improving his range with every film. As Bandini, the unlikeable, grumpy writer, he has once again looked like he has spent time inhabiting a role and has made the viewer forget they are watching Colin Farrell. While Farrell convinces and Hayek oozes sexuality, both players are never really pushed to the limits and Ask The Dust is disappointing as a result.