He Was a Quiet Man

...that a human mind is capable of creating such intriguing plot - so terrifying and captivating this movie is. Frank Capello is obviously a man of genius. But he is not nice and gentle to his audience. The movie is sharp-straight, honest and pretty cruel to a person watching it. It doesn't compromise. Don't expect it to comply with general drama movie rules.

*** BE AWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW ***

After you ve seen 50% of it or so you think it's pretty common drama, quite predictable and possibly happily ending one. Well, its not. Not at all. And so shockingly not.

Cast is perfect. I would never think Slater could fit into the role of Bob. W.Macy would fit better, I thought. But these thoughts faded away.

The movie is not open-ended despite what some people say. You just have to think harder than you usually do while watching a regular movie. Be more attentive or watch it again.

Capello makes you think. If you want to know what really happened analyze the details. There are answers.

I give 9 out of 10, because Capello rudely and savagely ruined my hopes for the better ending :)

A Dark Character Study that is a well Crafted, superbly Acted, smartly Directed, Offbeat, and somewhat Depressing Film. Christian Slater plays against Type and does so with intense, uncanny Verisimilitude. This should have been a second wind Career changer, but His Performance and the Movie were ignored, dismissed, and unrecognized.

To this Day it collects dust on shelves everywhere and exists anonymously wherever Discs are Rented, Sold, or exchanged. It deserves so much more because although the Story maybe a bit familiar and its Twists not as Fresh as they used to be, it is still a gripping Psychological Study that is Timeless and Relevant.

It goes about its Therapeutic Theme with Style and Insight. The Ending has taken the brunt of attacks from those who have seen it as ambiguous and unsatisfying, but it is not all that. In fact, it is a straightforward conclusion and rests on the inevitable Fate of the Failure of a Quiet Man and His frustrating existence in the cold Cubicle World of the Fortune Five Hundred that has no place for a Man who just wanted to be acknowledged for nothing more than being.

I liked this movie. My wife saw it first and has been recommending that I see ever since.

I am a fan of Christian Slater and his portrayal of the lonesome loser is excellent. I could really feel the gut wrenching moments that he went through. The costume for him his excellent. I almost did recognize him.

Elisha Cuthbert, a Canadian beauty, while always a please to watch never has made it a reason for me to watch.

**** SPOILER ALERT**** The real issue I had here with this movie is the striking similarity in the way the plot unfolded as it does in the movie Boxing Helena (a personal favorite). While the characters, circumstances and personal relationships between the characters were different the end result is the same. The story teller takes you down one path only to bring you full circle in the end. The physical dependency on Elisha's character has on Christian is very similar and you just know that this is not on a level playing field.

Somewhere about the half way point I made the connection and knew where the movie would end up. I was truly hoping to be wrong and to see the love in the story conquer all.

Well, by camera work I really mean all visual effects as well as the cinematography, set design... it's a visual treat. The effects used to dramatize Bob McConnell's sense of isolation and loneliness were intriguing.

Also great acting by Mr. Slater, as usual. I like this guy's work.

It's nice to see William Macy in a different type of role than I usually see him in, but anyone could have done that turn -- not much there for him to do, but he ably supports, which is a fine thing, since that's what his role here should be...

In some ways, it reminded me of Fight Club.

Saw this on an airplane today, and now I'm kicking back and looking it up.

I quite enjoyed it.

The acting is fine, but the movie resorts to cheating the audience by pretending to be something it is not. The ending does not make me ponder anything, except why? Up to that point, the film was for the most part believable, and it was totally unnecessary to jazz up the ending. Reality plays far better than conjecture, so the confusing conclusion was out of place. You can watch "He Was a Quiet Man" as many times as you want, to speculate. I on the other hand would have preferred simple entertainment, which until the end, this movie was. My conclusion ...................................This movie is good for awhile, but the ending drags the whole thing down a couple notches. - MERK