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He Was A Quiet Man
Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy
Written and directed by Frank Cappello
Distributed in the U.S. by Anchor Bay Home Entertainment
Distributed in Canada by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
99 minutes
He Was A Quiet Man falls into that nether world of movies which are made every year but never see wide theatrical release. This movie is a comedy as black as lye and nearly as caustic in its unrelenting attack on the culture of the modern office.
Christian Slater plays Bob Maconel a man trapped in a job and suffering from mental illness (it is impossible to say what his condition is as he can maintain a job, has hallucinations and yet speaks in a flat voice often with a blank expression or avoiding eye contact). There is no doubt though that Bob is mentally ill.
Slater’s performance is reason enough to watch this movie as it easily the best performance of his career and one of the best acting performances of 2007.
Christian Slater is not the first actor that comes to mind when you think of subtle and delicate performances yet he delivers just such a inspired performance. The direction of He Was A Quiet Man is an eccentric mix of that serves the story well from fish eye close ups, CGI and elementary school decorations as props to the frequent use of close ups and jump cuts that reflect the mind of our hero.
While William H. Macy receives billing in He Was A Quiet Man his role is negligible though not without merit. The real co-star of the movie is Elisha Cuthbert as the steamy vice president of the company who ultimately must rely on Bob to keep her alive.
The unlikely love story is filled with bizarre moments that bring about laughs when least expected. He Was A Quiet Man is definitely worth your time.