The Incredible Hulk

General Ross (William Hurt) recruits an elite commando (Tim Roth) to hunt down gamma-irradiated fugitive Bruce Banner (Edward Norton).

The Incredible Hulk is a solid comic-book action picture that’s unfortunately hampered by the legacy of Ang Lee’s earlier misguided effort, Hulk.

The film’s new cast and nods to both the comic book mythology and live-action television series help erase any lingering memories of the previous film, while director Louis Leterrier’s stylish handling of the action sequences keeps the film rolling along at a good pace, but it’s Edward Norton who really makes the picture. Or at least, he might have if Ang Lee’s film hadn’t been such a disaster.

It’s easy to understand Norton’s attraction to the project given his history of playing “dual roles” in Primal Fear, American History X, and Fight Club, but he wanted more artistic input before he signed on. The producers agreed, and after Norton came aboard, he began a page-one rewrite of the script.

Given that sets were already being constructed based on Zak Penn’s original screenplay, Norton was somewhat limited, but he did what he could, working in scenes to expand the characters and add a much needed emotional depth to his role as Bruce Banner.

Unfortunately, when it came time to edit the picture, the studio, likely fearing a backlash similar to Ang Lee’s fiasco, got cold feet and cut most of Norton’s work. While the resulting film still works, you can’t help but get the feeling that Norton’s vision could have been the adult drama Ang Lee tried but failed to produce during his turn behind the camera.

Worst of all, the producer’s betrayal, whether real or perceived, almost certainly means Norton won’t be back for a sequel which is a real shame since he’s as perfect as Banner.