Glengarry Glen Ross
New Line Cinemas
CAST: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and Jonathan Pryce
DIRECTOR: James Foley
RATING: R
RUNNING TIME:
1992
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Glengarry Glen Ross is not only the single finest motion picture of the 90's, but it also carries the distinction of being one of ten greatest films ever made. Brilliantly adapted from his Pulitzer Prize winning play, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross is a searing and brutal character study; a story that showcases the richest characterizations ever presented on film. To view Glengarry Glen Ross is to experience not just filmmaking presented at the highest caliber, but a movie that demands multiple viewings so every filmic nuance can be fully assimilated.
A dissection of the working class mentality, Glengarry Glen Ross takes five main characters and plunges them into the depths of desperation, anger and helplessness. The setting is a small real estate office beset with hard financial times, replete with a host of salesmen who are taking the revenue downfall on the chin… and in the back. These individuals represent the backbone of this story and are played with absolute perfection by actors each at the very top of their game.
Jack Lemmon is simply unforgettable as Shelley “The Machine” Levene - a bitter, angry, washed-up old pro whose current sales slump is made all the more difficult by a hospitalized daughter who cannot afford the medical bills. Lemmon gives a brazen performance as a man straddled with debts that no honest man could pay. “The Machine's” final, hopeless denouement is Lemmon's career-high.
Ed Harris plays lit-fuse Dave Moss, an unscrupulous and self-centered talker who lashes out with savage emotional force. Harris is amazing in the role, shading Moss with enough color to make the character not just well rounded, but highly sympathetic.
Alan Arkin portrays George Aaronow, a genuine nice guy who finds himself drowning in the sea of employment immorality. George is a character who has retained the trusting innocence of a salesman trying to do right by the customer, and not just to himself. When Aaronow is wrongly accused of a crime, Arkin erupts into a sea of dark rage. The moment is savagely real because we are allowed to witness a man no longer holding back the anger he has obviously kept hidden for far too long.
Richard Roma is an office hotshot, a man with total confidence acting without fear or remorse. For this incredible role Al Pacino literally pulled out all the stops, unleashing a savagely hilarious performance that simply ranks at the very top of his career pinnacle. Roma is an economic mastermind, a Tao philosopher, and a cunning verbal assassin. The last third of this film belongs to the brilliance of Al Pacino.
Perhaps the finest actor of our generation, Kevin Spacey is nothing short of brilliant in his role of embattled office manager John Williamson. As the man responsible for the office and all the conducted contained within, Williamson is an authentic emotional live wire. His scenes dealing with the various salesmen mark the passages of the film that are the most rewarding. Kevin Spacey deserved an Oscar for this genius performance.
Two supporting roles fill out the rest of the amazing cast. Although they are given brevity of screen time, they are nowhere near short on impact. The first is Jonathan Pryce, portraying financial mark James Lingk. Pryce delivers a subtle, honest performance whose impact increases with each fresh viewing. And as the lecherous “motivational speaker” Blake, Alec Baldwin delivered what is arguably the most intense and well-acted ten minutes in the history of dramatic filmmaking. Baldwin's performance (playing a character written exlususively for the film adaptation) is a remarkable, unforgettable, and invigorating achievement.
With solid direction by James Foley and enriched by an excellent James Newton Howard score, Glengarry Glen Ross is a cinematic investment whose actual value is beyond estimation.
--Yim Kip
The Unofficial Glengarry Glen Ross Site
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