Director
Frank Cappello
Cast
Christian Slater………Bob Maconel
Elisha Cuthbert………Vanessa
William H. Macy………Gene Shelby
Sascha Knopf………Paula
John Gulager………Maurice
Jamison Jones………Scott Harper
DVD Release Date: January 15, 2008
Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 95 Minutes
The Movie
Bob Maconel was literally a quiet man. He worked in an office with a bunch of people that were nothing but annoying, phony, and just downright rude. Like most other blue-collar employees in the country; he wasn’t very fond of those in the cubicles surrounding his. He was even less enthused about those that actually had offices in the building. He certainly wasn’t afraid to discuss his extreme dislike for his co-workers and how he had plans for killing at least six of them with his revolver whenever he could get up the courage. He wasn’t afraid that is, to discuss these feelings with his goldfish.
Everyday Bob would load his gun with six bullets and always had plans on who five of the bullets were for. There was always that sixth one though that gave him a bit of trouble trying to determine whose body it should be implanted into. This delay usually caused someone to interrupt or gave him the opportunity to chicken out. But one day as he was preparing to come up with someone’s skin for the sixth bullet to pierce, shots rang out. Another crazed employee had beaten him to the punch and shot around the office killing some of those that also made his life a living hell. Bob questioned his motives and before he knew it, had killed the mad gunman. Without even realizing it, Bob was a hero.
Adoration from co-workers had filled his life now as he was promoted to the top floor and given a cushy, high-paying job. Strangers surrounded his home in hopes of simply getting a few words from this hero for the nightly news. And now thanks to taking out the gunman and finding the beautiful Vanessa still alive and saving her life, Bob had found love. Vanessa may have been quadriplegic thanks to a bullet in the spine, but she was alive and had Bob to thank for it. He finally had everything going right for him in his life, but it turns out that may not be what he needed.
Christian Slater has played numerous roles throughout his acting career. He’s been a radio DJ, a cop, and even a crazed high school kid with a fetish for blowing things up. Never before though has he put on a performance as he did with Bob Maconel. The things that are wrong inside the mind of Bob had to be performed by either an accomplished actor or by someone that legitimately has all the mental problems. Last time I checked, Slater had a somewhat clean bill of health. You are going to find yourself feeling sympathetic for, disgusted by, angry with, laughing at, and even empathizing with Bob Maconel and totally forgetting that you are watching the guy who played the older brother in The Wizard.
William H. Macy’s name being attached to this film is what originally drew me to want to review it, and he certainly didn’t disappoint even though his role is limited. It is the performance of Slater and Elisha Cuthbert that will make you enjoy He Was A Quiet Man many times. Cuthbert takes the roll of Vanessa and shows everyone that has ever worked in an office that the slutty girl who slept her way to the top really does have feelings deep inside. I was greatly impressed with the way she was able to act totally paralyzed for almost all of her screen time and not be able to tell the difference.
Office Space is a cult classic that will be loved by millions for many decades to come and rightfully so. It shows the horrible things that go on in an office place and how humorous they can be when looked at from an angle other then your own. He Was A Quiet Man accomplishes the same fight but shows those happenings in a different light. It shows how much pain can be caused in the lives of others just by the way their co-workers treat them or simply by their lives not being how others feel they should be. If you’ve ever thought of treating someone in your office cruelly by them simply being different; watch this film and you’ll think twice about it. Hell, you may even find yourself with a new friend within the week.
The Video
The film is shown in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and has a great look for the dark mood set by the film itself. There are moments of brightness during the happier times, but that in turn gives way to the sadness. The entire film has a slight green tint to it making it keep a really fun mood-setting appearance overall.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and does a good job. All dialogue, of which the film is almost ninety percent, can be heard loudly and clearly at all times. Any music is set in a nice tone with just enough pitch and boom to keep the mood even stronger. Mind you there were a few instances when some dialogue was hard to hear but it was because of the characters simply whispering or just talking through emotion.
Special Features
First Look At He Was A Quiet Man – This is a simple ten and a half minute “making of” featurette with cast and crew discussing how it was while shooting. Nothing much here but still worth a look.
Deleted And Alternate Scenes – Twenty minutes worth of extra footage here including two alternate endings and all can be viewed with optional commentary from director Frank Cappello. A lot of these scenes would not have changed the story much but all could have been left in, especially the BBQ scene where Bob meets his neighbor’s friends. The two alternate endings were enjoyable, but not nearly as good as the one in the film.
Audio Commentary – Director/writer Frank Cappello sits solo for this commentary and it is not as bad as one would expect from a someone sitting by themselves talking about the film. He goes on about how everyone involved in making He Was A Quiet Man put their all into every scene to make it the best film possible. There are short moments of silence or where he merely discusses what is happening on screen, but overall it is a pretty good reason to watch through a second time.
Theatrical Trailer
Trailer – Spiral
The Inside Pulse
The lack of special features on the DVD are what drag down the overall score, but that doesn’t make He Was A Quiet Man a film that should be overlooked. Slater gives his absolutely best acting performance since Heathers way back in 1989. He pulls off the disgruntled employee to total perfection as if he had been working in and office for thirty years instead of in front of the cameras. The film has strong performances all around from Macy and Cuthbert as well, but it is Slater that really makes the entire screwed up rollercoaster ride worth the hour and a half. It is truly hard to say much about this film without giving too much away in it, but just take my word for it that it belongs in the group of films that you kind of stumbled across one day, took a look at, and now could watch three or four times a week (See Brick, Mean Creek, and Memento). Do yourself a favor…no, no. Do yourself two favors. First, buy or rent this DVD one weekend and watch it. Secondly, go into work Monday and befriend the weird guy at work. Trust me, it’ll pay off.
