Review

Jackson plays a double-dealing drug designer who reluctantly hooks up with low-rent hood Carlyle to sell his new, ultra-powerful drug formula in England. Perhaps if this were made in the '70s, by, say, Hal Ashby, with a bitter, satiric tone, this Formula could have worked. However, with stylish but hollow direction by Yu and a grating lead performance by Jackson, Formula 51 is nothing more than a turgid experience. Aiming for a Guy Ritchie/Tarantino/Hong Kong trendiness, Yu wallows in annoying, empty amorality that will most likely appeal only to slow-witted teens, with an attitude toward the drug trade (last-minute plot twist notwithstanding) that is cartoonish at best and sickening at worst. The only saving grace here is the always reliable Carlyle, who, amazingly, milks some likability from his loser role.

 -- Dean C. Galanis