What I’ve always liked about Denzel Washington is he’s equal parts great actor and movie star…one of the few who’s able to elevate even the most middling movie into something at-least watchable. Okay, maybe not Heart Condition (no one could’ve saved that one).
1989’s The Mighty Quinn is one of the less remembered films from Washington’s early career…when he was on the cusp of becoming a Hollywood A-lister and began racking up Oscar nominations. A fairly minor movie from his long resume, it benefits greatly from his natural charisma and earnest performance.
He plays Xavier Quinn, a Caribbean police chief investigating the murder of philandering American millionaire Donald Pater, found decapitated in a hot tub. Everyone immediately suspects Maubee (an amusing Robert Townsend), a happy-go-lucky local thief who not-only appears to be popular with the local community, he and Quinn have been buddies since childhood.
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| "That was my drink." |
The overall tone of The Mighty Quinn is a lot lighter than that synopsis would suggest. It’s even downright comedic at times, with plenty of asides unrelated to the plot. This tends to render the narrative occasionally meandering. The murder mystery often takes a back seat to Quinn’s troubled marriage, which simply isn’t as interesting. Nor are the moments set-aside for musical numbers, including those performed by Lola (and one by Quinn himself while drunk). Elsewhere, Mimi Rogers is wasted in a thankless role as Elgin’s abused wife who’s attracted to Quinn (a subplot that doesn’t really go anywhere).
Though its offbeat tone and narrative detours tend to detract from the thriller aspects of the story, The Mighty Quinn remains a fairly enjoyable film that also does a decent job immersing us in Caribbean music & culture. And while Denzel Washington’s performance is easily the best part of the film, Robert Townsend does manage to steal a scene or two from him.
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