This had been out for a couple years before I got around to seeing it and it was recommended to me by several friends. David Mamet takes his Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway play with his own screen adaptation to the big screen with an additional character pivotal to the movie written into the cast. Great acting from a terrific ensemble cast featuring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Jonathan Pryce. Pacino was nominated as Best Supporting Actor from the group for the 1992 Academy Award. Any of the others it could be argued would have been worthy of a nomination themselves. Mamet had been successful with his screenplay of the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice and his original story for The Untouchables on the big screen before Glengary as well as some lesser films. He would have limited continued success with such films later on like Hoffa, Wag the Dog and Hannibal. James Foley had never had a successful film as a Director before this and never has had since. It's a great character study but after studying them you find you don't care for any of the characters. Lemmon gives a sentimental performance but what is his character doing in this venomous boiler room real estate office specializing in selling worthless real estate in the first place? This may have been quick and snappy and explosive on the stage but on the big screen it's confined and claustrophobic. It's intense but there is no life and death plot to warrant it's intensity. The Lemmon character might be to old and desperate to keep his job but maybe it's time to collect social security and be a greeter a Wall Mart. For the rest of the characters move on and get a decent job somewhere else. Why all the drama? I would give this a 6.5 out of 10.
Review of Glengarry Glen Ross
