MARKED MOVIES

Director: James Foley.
Screenplay: David Mamet.
Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Jonathan Pryce.

Writer David Mamet is known for his sharp and natural dialogue but when you combine this with sharp and natural actors, you get nothing less than an intense and searing drama where every word sizzles and every performance lights up the screen. It’s a perfect match.

Set entirely within the office of a handful of real estate salesmen, where business is tough and the threat of unemployment looms. The ruthless boss has them all competing with one another and the prize of a Cadillac for finishing top of the leader board. The bottom of the board, however, will be fired. This leads the desperate men to pull out all the stops in swindling their way to safety.

First of all, have a look at the cast and ask yourself… Does this look good? The answer should be a resounding, Yes! The line-up itself is enough to sell this film and despite having a dodgy title, the cast do not disappoint. This is the type of film that allows you to appreciate good acting. Based on David Mamet’s Pulitzer prize winning stageplay, it’s a very basic premise… One room; Six greed infused salesman; Limited jobs. The perfect melting pot for top actors at the top of their game to spout profanities and act their little cotton socks off. The world that these vile characters inhabit and the cruel and manipulative way in which they operate is torturously played out. There really are no depths to which these people will not stoop. Not only do they vie to take money from unsuspecting, ordinary people, they vie to outdo each other.
Ensembles like this are few and far between and, as always, Al Pacino is great but it’s Jack Lemmon who really shows his class here, as a desperate, bumbling fool who has past his best in this cut-throat business. A 10min cameo from Alec Baldwin though, almost steals the show, informing us of what’s needed to sell Real Estate… “Brass Balls”.

This enables you to sit back, in the comfort of your own home, and view a marvellous ensemble as if being treated to a night at the theatre.
If you appreciate great actors working with great dialogue, then this is one of the best. Top Quality.

Mark Walker

This entry was posted on February 17, 2012 at 3:43 pm and is filed under Drama with tags 1992. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.