HOME ABOUT SUPPORT US SITES WE LIKE FORUM Search Fanboyplanet.com | Powered by Freefind FANBOY PLANET
ON TV COMICS WRESTLING INTERVIEWS NOW SHOWING GRAB BAG
 
Planet Buzz Today's Date:

Casino's Law:
The Greatest Action Film/Series/Graphic Novel Never Made

If you've paid attention to the news after the Superbowl, the big winner in the commercial derby was (originally) only seen in Georgia -- local personal injury attorney Jamie Casino pulled out all the stops and made the greatest personal injury attorney commercial in history. But saying that? That just doesn't do it justice.

Perhaps you have seen it, because it exploded all over YouTube. In interviews, Casino seems actually pretty humble (though sure, you have to have a certain swagger as a successful attorney). But what has really caught our attention is that the commercial is so influenced by the genres that form us -- the fanboys.

This is not to take away from whatever is truly driving Jamie Casino. So far, I've been unable to delve too deep into the background of the story told by the commercial, but it's clear that he suffered a loss. It's clear that he really does believe that transitioning from Criminal Defense Attorney to Personal Injury Attorney has helped soothe his soul. (Though he also admits that the boy who questions him in the commercial is an actor that only resembles one of his sons -- I get it; child relatives never quite do what you want on camera.) For all its bombast, I have no reason to believe that Jamie Casino is not actually what he claims to be in this video.

So I am not mocking that at all. I just think with this commercial, the concept of Jamie Casino became bigger than the man. This commercial is worth our attention because he could so easily become a high concept intellectual property. Let's take this commercial apart.

First, watch the ad itself, and then scroll down for screenshots and analysis.

Intense, with a lot of imagery borrowed from film and comics. As Lon Lopez and I surmise on this week's Moron Vs. Fanboy, Jamie Casino has a bit of the fanboy in him. He confirmed on his Huffington Post interview that his wife bought him a RED Camera kit for Christmas, in preparation for this magnum opus. So let's do a little exegis, shall we, and convince Mr. Casino that somebody needs to fictionalize his life story STAT!

It's like Mr. Terrific's "Fair Play."

Casino begins with a Biblical epigraph. It's a bit portentous, but couldn't you also imagine Batman has that passage red ribboned in the Wayne Family Bible?

A man looking into his soul.

This one evokes two images -- I definitely see Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, left to his own troubled thoughts. But considering what is to come, if we could rotate the camera, wouldn't it also be "criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot"? Cue the bat crashing through the window (and maybe flying off with that wad of cash)... only Casino does switch up the narrative.

"Your Uncle surprised a burglar..."

Now we go to the Spider-Man origin. There isn't a direct connection between Casino's clients and the tragedy that cost him his brother, but this is sort of that Peter Parker moment. Maybe, just maybe, he hasn't been using his powers for good. (See also: Plastic Man). Again, not to take away the real pain here -- it's hard to understand what actually happened, but it seems like his brother was sadly in the wrong place at the wrong time, and there was a police cover-up.

It becomes a motion comic.

Using blur techniques, this almost becomes a panel from a comic by artist Tim Bradstreet. Again, there's the accusation of police corruption, which does bizarrely resolve itself more in a "see? They were just generally bad" way, instead of making it absolutely clear. But Casino only had two minutes!

I will not rest..

This is the Bruce Wayne moment we see play out at least once a year in the comics, and in almost every media adaptation. He's well-dressed, he's got the dying rose to lay on the grave, and that is stoic pain. Somebody will pay.

Also, Jamie Casino can grow a beard SUPER-FAST..

With a mixture of Catholicism and heavy metal -- which strangely go together -- Jamie Casino evokes The Punisher. SOMEBODY WILL PAY!

Man, these shots are beautiful.

Only one who is worthy shall wield the sledgehammer of Casino! He's evoking Thor, Ghost Rider (the Spirit of Vengeance) and, of course, the unstoppable Terminator by that ring of fire!

He. Will. Not. Be. Stopped.

He throws down that hammer and walks into the cleansing fire, but Jamie Casino's quest is not over. SOMEBODY WILL PAY! AND PAY! AND PAY!

In case you missed it, "Casino's Law".

Yes, he did. Of course. He's an attorney. And who else serves blind justice while also serving as an attorney -- and was once a Criminal Defense Attorney? DAREDEVIL! And he leaves flaming letters behind!

I couldn't find the still from the movie. Please don't make me watch the movie to find a still. Please..

Come to think of it, The Punisher lit a flaming skull shape at the end of the Thomas Jane movie, too. So basically, Jamie Casino is well on his way to becoming some sort of hard-hitting vigilante who will bring justice when no one else can.

I am truly sympathetic to Casino's loss. Clearly, in all this really bad-ass wackiness, he still feels the pain of his brother's absence.

In all this, regardless of accusations, there is a real family tragedy.

And yet we still have to salute this -- I've never seen an ad so personal and yet still so turned up to 11. If Jamie Casino wasn't real, Stephen J. Cannell or Glen A. Larson could have created him.

Would YOU watch Casino's Law, or buy the graphic novel? Comment on our Facebook page!

Derek McCaw

Our Friends:



Official PayPal Seal

Copyrights and trademarks for existing entertainment (film, TV, comics, wrestling) properties are held by their respective owners and are used with permission or for promotional purposes of said properties. All other content ™ and © 2001, 2014 by Fanboy Planet™.
"The Fanboy Planet red planet logo is a trademark of Fanboy Planetâ„¢
If you want to quote us, let us know. We're media whores.
Movies | Comics | Wrestling | OnTV | Guest | Forums | About Us | Sites
Google