Running Length: 100 minutes
MPAA Classification: R for language.
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Jonathan Pryce
Director: James Foley
Producers: Jerry Torkofsky, Stanley R. Zupnik
Screenplay: David Mamet (based upon his play)
Glengarry Glen Ross is a work of considerable feat; a riveting drama and in-depth character study driven entirely by dialogue. There are no fancy tricks or crafty maneuvers to get around the matter-at-hand. The writer, David Mamet, does not avoid confrontation: he fills every single second with hard-edged dialogue, and the actors that speak these words are so natural and realistic in their delivery that you get the sense that you’re looking at what really happens “behind the scenes.”
The story is set in and around a real estate office. There are four employees: Shelley Levine (Jack Lemmon), Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), Dave Moss (Ed Harris), and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin). As of late, sales have been down, so a man named Blake (played by Alec Baldwin) is sent to “motivate” the employees by announcing that within one week, the two salesmen that have the least amount of sales for that month will be fired. The two that manage to stay on top will be granted access to the more promising Glengarry leads.
Naturally, the employees are shocked by the news. Levine, who hasn’t been so hot of lately, tries to bribe the manager, John Williamson (Kevin Spacey), to give him some of the Glengarry leads, but Williamson refuses. Moss tells to Aaronow of a plan to rob the office and sell the leads to another agency, but Aaronow doesn’t want a part in it.
Mamet’s script doesn’t hide or cover anything up. He tells it like it is, and the truth isn’t so easy to handle. We watch what goes on in the sales office, all of the mud-slinging and underhandedness that occurs. The Jack Lemmon character, Shelley, is desperate when he needs Williamson’s help, but curses and belittles him once he’s sure he’s on the safe side.
Like stated before, the acting here is flawless and the casting is just spot-on. Al Pacino stands out as Ricky Roma (the same role that won Joe Mantegna a Tony Award in the play version). Roma is the most level-headed (and conceited) of the four: he’s the one that everyone looks to for advice, and he’s happy to give it. Moss and Aaronow are the two underdogs. Neither are too sure about their future with the company, so they’re the most likely to strike out against it. But the real, real talent here is Lemmon. He plays such a nasty and deceitful character, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He may act like your friend one moment, but will turn on you with the snap of a finger when something doesn’t go his way. Lemmon fits the role perfectly. It’s unbelievable that he wasn’t at least nominated for an Academy Award.
Movies based solely on dialogue can often be uninteresting and boring, but Glengarry Glen Ross surprisingly whizzes right on by. It’s interesting to hear these characters talk, and as brutally and unflinchingly honest as it can be about the truth sometimes, you’re greatly intrigued about the outcome.
| Final rating: ★★★ 1/2 (out of ★★★★) |
© 2011 Stephen Earnest
Earnest Reviews 