Ed Harris isn’t a brilliant director by any stretch of the imagination but he is a reliable one. Not surprisingly, his film (as was his previous work Pollack) is very strong on the performances. He knows how to draw good work out of his fellow cast members. This is an obvious benefit from his expertise in acting. He is also very smart in his casting choices. In this case he matched Viggo Mortensen (who I don’t think is capable of giving a poor performance), Renée Zellweger and Jeremy Irons with roles that play to their talents. The script by Robert Knott and Ed Harris (a first writing credit for both actors) is based on the novel by Robert B. Parker. It is clear the two men were cautious to give the story room to develop and their actors plenty of material to handle. While the performances are fantastic, the script is the foundation for the successes in the production.

The story centers around a couple of guns for hire who are brought in to police a small Western town. The men Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett (Mortensen) are opposites that complement one another. Virgil is a stony eyed, simple minded law man. Everett is a laid back, literate man. The partners are confronted by two serious issues in their new town. First is Randall Bragg (Irons), a murderous rancher. The other is piano player Allison (Zellweger) who starts a rocky relationship with Virgil. The conflicts and tension between the characters is patiently built mostly through character development instead of cheap plot devices. While there are some dry moments, the film overall avoids falling into being a chat fest. Harris walks a delicate tightrope between being too heavy on the dialog and just being another gunfight Western. The fact that he avoids these traps is made even more impressive when one realizes that the film also avoids almost all Western cliche in the process. Even if you don’t like the film, you have to give credit that this was not lazily made. If nothing else, Harris is a very deliberate film maker and obviously works hard to get his results.




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Labels: Ed Harris, film, Jeremy Irons, movie review, Renee Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen, western

This adaptation of David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play of the same name, is brilliant. This is one of those films that reminds us of the power of cinema when used to its fully effect. The film follows a day in the life of a group of down-on-their-luck loser salesmen scraping together a living in a small urban office. When a new batch of leads is brought to the office, it seems like the salesmen's troubles are over. The catch? The new leads only go to closers. In addition, the company sends down a venomous sales executive to give the sales office an ultimatum: sell or die. Whoever sells the least will be fired.

The performances by Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin and Alec Baldwin are each Oscar worthy. It is difficult to cite another film with such a broad cast of talent that manages to pull great performances from each player. The masterful screenplay adaptation written by Mamet himself gives these actors some of the richest scenes put to film in the 1990's. Jack Lemmon and Alec Baldwin are the standouts in this film. Lemmon as the desperate salesman Shelley Levene is awe inspiring. Every moment on screen watching this man who's life and soul have been consumed by business is gut wrenching. From his babbling sales pitch, to his nervous quiet moments, Lemmon's Levene is one of the best performances of the decade. More would probably have been made of Lemmon's incredible performance if it hadn't been for Alec Baldwin stealing the movie in his brief bombshell performance as Blake the aggressive executive salesman sent down from corporate to shape up the struggling, small office. Baldwin has a small, but pivotal role and provides easily the best performance of his cinematic career. His sole scene is worth the price of admission. He defines how to handle a monologue, how to command a scene. For all of the trash the man has made over the years, this single performance places him in a rare crowd of actors. His work in this film is one of the great performances in film history.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough.

Please note that people who are sensitive to foul language will have plenty to be concerned about here. Mamet's characters expel the F-word like other people exhale air.


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Labels: adaptation, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, David Mamet, Ed Harris, film, Jack Lemon, Kevin Spacey, movie review

What's better than a good Western? A good Western with some brains and style. This certainly looks like it fits that description. Ed Harris directs this adaptation of Robert B. Parker's book. He also stars, along with Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons, in this story about a couple of hired guns (Harris and Mortensen) who come to the aid of a small Western town being run by a dictatorial rancher (Irons).

Looks good. Heck, this may be Viggo Mortensen's best film since Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. Yes, he was in it.

Screenwriter: Robert Knott and Ed Harris
Director: Ed Harris (Pollock)
Actors: Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), Renee Zellweger (Cinderella Man), Jeremy Irons (Casanova), Ed Harris (The Abyss), and Lance Hendrickson (Aliens)

Labels: Ed Harris, film, Jeremy Irons, Lance Hendrickson, movie trailer, Renee Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen

Labels: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, cops, Ed Harris, film, Morgan Freeman, movie review