Searching for shelter

I'm starting to think I'm alone in loving the music video for Brandon Flowers's "Crossfire" as much as I do.



Sweet, smart, and--the thing I'm not reading as much as I'd like--funny. What's not to like? The slow motion capturing of action scenes, languid editing, lingering close-ups, and ballad style of the song juxtapose with the action going on around stationary Brandon in a genuinely humorous way. Likewise, the contrast between the Americana-a-la-Springsteen style of the song and the position Brandon finds himself in--the object in need of rescue, not a swaggering powerful macho subject--is deliberate and, once again, funny. Factor in Charlize's exasperation, Brandon's apologetic, semi-embarrassed, "yes, I've been captured again, but you still love me anyway, right?" smiles, and Charlize putting her arm around him at the end despite it all and you've got a perfect video.

That first explosion, pushing in from offscreen at what seems like a slow pace compared to the manic editing we're used to for action scenes, coming after a minute of atmospheric observation of a stationary Brandon and matched with the serious tone of the belted chorus, is a genuinely laugh-out-loud moment for me, and it's intended to be. Ditto the way Charlize manages to dispatch ninjas attacking her from behind without even needing to take a backward glance to interrupt her "really, Brandon? I have to rescue you again?" face.

With its mix of action, flip humor that plays on our genre-based expectations, and genuine affection between the characters, the video makes me think of great action-comedy-dramas with competent, strong female fighters rescuing slightly awkward semi-love interests or companions--say, Chuck, Xena, or Buffy--and tapping into the same pop cultural vein as those shows can't be a bad thing.