Clip shows band racing down a deserted highway with 'Cop Out' star in hot pursuit.
There are plenty of questions raised in the Gorillaz' new "Stylo" video — the first off their Plastic Beach album, which hits stores next week — and very few answers provided. For example, where are Murdoc, 2-D and (the now robotic) Noodle going? Why are they in such a hurry to get there? What's up with all the bullet holes in their car? Where's loveable drummer Russel? And, perhaps most important of all, what's Bruce Willis doing there?
Yes, it's a pretty obtuse thing, an ominous clip that matches the downright spooky vibe of the song (which features cameos by Mos Def and Bobby Womack). The video shows three-quarters of the band balling down a deserted stretch of California highway in a bullet-riddled '69 Camaro, being pursued by a donut-loving cop. Presented in 3-D, the 'rillaz look frazzled and frightened: 2-D appears to be on the brink of collapse, and the bags under Murdoc's eyes are fleshy and pronounced. And Noodle — who, as Gorillaz fans will recall, may or may not have died at the conclusion of the "El Mañana" video — now exists as a cyborg, one who conks out midway through the video, either due to the stress of the situation or the large bullet hole in her forehead.
And then there's Willis, who turns up as a (presumed) bounty hunter, tasked with offing the Gorillaz for good. He takes off after the band in a muscle car of his own, chases them down, and begins firing at them with a very large-caliber handgun. The two cars careen down the highway, in a very real death race that concludes with the band crashing through a guard rail and down into the murky depths of the ocean. Willis, looking very proud of himself, emerges from his ride and surveys the scene, cracks a satisfied smile and then disappears. The job, apparently, is done.
Only, it isn't. Because at clip's end, we see the Gorillaz' Camaro transform into a sorta-submarine, swimming off into the darkness, bound — presumably — for the band's titular beach. Or maybe they died. Who knows?
That's the beauty of all things Gorillaz: They understand the power of mystery, of the unsaid. And that's the power of the "Stylo" video, too. We don't comprehend much of what's happening, but we're compelled to keep watching. And at the end of the video, we're left with even more questions than we started with. Not that it really matters ... we're sure Damon Albarn and Co. will provide the answers someday. Probably.
Credits by: James Montgomery
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