Glengarry Glen Ross

source: Glengarry Glen Ross

I have watched this film in excess of 30 times and I never tire over the citrus sharp dialogue and clever interplay between so many accomplished actors in one room. However Jack Lemmons' performance was totally underplayed by the critics. It is he and not Al Pacino who should have been nominated for an Oscar.Pacino's role was competent but did not come anywhere near that of Jack Lemmon. It makes you wonder if you are indeed watching the same film. Alec Baldwins six minutes was very slick but any actor would love that script as it just required the actor to turn up and deliver it. A wonderful film that will last far longer than the film that won the Oscar for best film that year. What was it....?

Glengarry Glen Ross is a truly wonderful film, primarily for two things. One is the screenplay. This screenplay is brilliant, with many thought-provoking moments and also some emotionally resonant ones too. The other asset is the acting. In what is essentially an ensemble cast, the entire cast give superb performances particularly Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin and Ed Harris, and even Kevin Spacey makes a telling cameo. Cinematography and editing wise Glengarry Glen Ross cannot be faulted either. While most of the film takes place in one place, the cinematography and editing make this work. The story is always compelling and the film is further advantaged by strong direction, good pacing and well-written characters. In conclusion, a wonderful film helped by the script and performances especially. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a well-directed adaptation of David Mamet's trenchant play about corrupt real estate salesman, and one's enjoyment of it will depend on whether one cares for Mamet's tricksy, obscenity-laden dialogue, and if one is a fan of first-rate acting. I'm less than enthusiastic about Mamet's work, which strikes me as gimmicky and repetitive. He seems to be always working out some private issues that he inevitably hangs on sexual or economic politics; and there is a lack of depth and originality in his work, and a penchant for envelope-pushing that I do not personally care for. On the other hand, Mamet actors seem to rate him highly, and tend to give their all when appearing in his work. Glengarry Glen Ross is exceedingly well acted by all,--Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin and, in a small but pivotal role, Jonathan Pryce. The edge of desperation around the eyes, and the crack in his Ivy league voice, makes Jack Lemmon's character of Shelley a pathetic, well-rounded figure. Harris and Arkin breathe life into their one-dimensional characters, and seem continually to be shouting throughout the film. Pacino's performance is the most flamboyant and also the most disciplined of the group, making the loathsome Ricky Roma both charismatic and repulsive. He at times sounds like he's literally singing his lines, and he moves more gracefully than I've ever seen him. The play is at times ludicrous, and the resolution (who stole the leads?) is strictly from the Golden Age of television. I can't imagine that people in real life could carry on like the characters in this play do for more than an hour or so, as most normal people would, were they to conduct themselves at such a fever pitch, go into cardiac arrest or suffer a stroke. Overall this is a first-rate adaptation of an essentially second-rate piece of work, with hollering and swearing making up for imagination and true insight into characters.

GGR shows what happens when great actors are given a boring, long-winded script. You get a boring, tedious movie. And with the plain-Jane sets and monotonous rain, I had a headache in under 30 minutes. But stupid me, I kept waiting for it to get better, after all, I'd heard good things about this flick. Lies. All lies. This one's a stinker.

I went into "Glengarry Glen Ross" totally blind. I had no idea who David Mamet was really (other than the fact that he was a writer), never saw any of his plays, or realized that he'd been in business for a while (through some backtracking, I found out that he was the writer behind the film version of "The Untouchables", one of the best films of the 80's). All that changed after I saw this brilliant, BRILLIANT film. It amazes me how all the big names in this film (and there are plenty, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, and Alec Baldwin) were pulled together for this two-act movie play about a salesman's life. It's all very dialogue heavy throughout, only about three or four different locations (the primary action all taking place in the office) and yet I was never bored for a second. Counting up all the "F*** You!"s in this film has convinced me that the tongue stings in ways a torture specialist can only imagine. The dialogue is clever, vicious, and occasionally even a little funny (particularly when Pacino is in action; intentional or not, he can be a VERY funny guy). The plotting doesn't show all it's cards straight away, as there are one or two suprises that ultimately catch the viewer off-guard. Now as to the cast, what to say that hasn't been said? Hmmm...nothing really, I suppose. Watching Lemmon's desperation, Harris' anger, Pacino's laid-back cool, Spacey's authoritarian chutzpah, and Baldwin's icy dissection of his employees is astounishing to behold. Lesser actors would have made the results much less memorable and/or believable. These guys make it unforgettable. Two decades from now on, when all the hooplas of the 90's "hits" dies down, people will rediscover what I already know: "Glengarry Glen Ross" is one for the ages.

I love movies like this. Theatre-styled motion pictures driven by dialog versus action. Get a few guys together in a room, watch them talk -- I have a soft spot for this stuff. I have ever since I can remember. Some of my favorite films are character-driven ones: "The Hustler," "The Big Kahuna," "Midnight Run," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." At first glance this list seems skeptical -- but basically all these films follow the same central theme: clever dialog, character interaction and evolution, and depth. "Glengarry Glen Ross" is one of the best of the genre. Scripted by David Mamet, the dialog never hits and weak patches -- it is realistic, extremely fun to listen to, and the actors all deliver flawless performances. Al Pacino finally finds the perfect role to let himself vent (as he started to do in "Scent of a Woman" the same year, and won an Oscar for -- he deserved it more for this). Pacino has some great one-liners and quips, but he never seems too broad to find believable. Jack Lemmon is similarly impressive, in what he called one of his favorite films of his entire career. Lemmon abandoned his comedic roots for this drama and it paid off -- he's not only an excellent funnyman, but a great actor. Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, and Alec Baldwin fill out the rest of the cast and all do very well; especially Baldwin in a brief cameo. I've never had much consideration for Baldwin as an actor, but his five minutes' worth of screen time here reminded me that when he's good, he really IS good! Overall "Glengarry Glen Ross" is not only one of my favorite films of the genre but also a solid movie by any means. If you aren't bored by movies in which people talk instead of running around defusing bombs, you'll probably really get a kick out of this.

I've read the comments about the amount of profanity in this movie..if you've ever worked in a less than ethical sale office, you'll know the language is very real...having worked a few years in telemarketing selling everything from wireless cable licenses to vitamins and ad specs, I can tell you, the dialog is very real. This is my favorite movie of all time...sure, it's not flashy, upbeat or effect-laden, but it's so realistic that the first time I saw it, I got goosebumps... Every character in the movie is one that I recognized from my office experiences...the mega-closer mouth piece (Baldwin), the complainers who always complained about the leads (Lemon and Arkin), the office manager who'd never actually sold anything before but had a little rub (Spacey), the hotshot salesman (Pacino)... it was just so real...anyone who's ever worked in a brokerage can tell you about the amounts of profanity in the sales profession...especially high pressure sales... Ben Affleck's performance in "Boiler Room" has shades of Baldwin's performance in this movie...not a bad thing, just an observation. Baldwin's best acting is this 5 minute scene and his "I am God" speech in "Malice". Amazing acting all around, tight realistic dialog (first time I saw this, I could almost say the words before they were spoken) Highly recommended! 10

This film is perfect. I give out 10s about as often as Stanley Kubrick made films, and Glengarry Glen Ross is one of them. There is so much more in this film than just a bunch of guys in a real estate office. I'm puzzled, as an aside, why the language is considered such a big deal. There is less of it in GGR than in the average DeNiro film I watch. Maybe it's because the film is composed of almost nothing but dialogue. Back to the content. GGR contains at least two, maybe three of my favorite performances by anyone. Baldwin, who I really don't like, is perfect. Lemmon is excruciatingly good, and Pacino actually makes me forget who I'm watching. He really sinks into his character. Pryce also gives a commendable performance. For those who didn't get this film, who think it's just dark and pointless, here's the point. The title is Glengarry Glen Ross. If you listen to the conversations you will notice that the Glengarry leads are the new leads, the ones given to closers, the leads given to those who go out and squeeze as much money out of people as they can so they don't lose their jobs. Glen Ross farms are talked about in a brilliantly written conversation between Ed Harris and Alan Arkin, the one when Harris orders donuts and Arkin keeps repeating back to him what he said. "..Boots, yes." In that conversation, Harris talks about what he learned when he first got into the sales racket. You don't sell one car to a guy, you sell him 5 cars over fifteen years. But, he says, those guys who come in and burn everyone for as much money as they can get and then go to Argentina ruined a good thing. The drive to win the Cadillac had ruined the ideal of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship between customer and salesman. Sharks like Baldwin came in, made their millions, and left a wasteland for the "losers" to work in. The film is about how business in America is war, and about how the drive for capital has ultimately dehumanized us. The strongest contrast is between Baldwin and Lemmon. Baldwin is a machine. Everything in his life, his very identity, is defined by the fact that his watch cost more than a "loser's" car. "Family man? Go home and play with your kids." "A loser is always a loser." His name is that he drives a BMW. With Lemmon, pay attention to the brief references to his daughter. The man is desperate to make money, not only to keep his job, but to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. A very human thing. Eventually, these men prey not only on customers, but on each other. It's vicious. If you don't understand why, all you'll see is the viciousness, and you probably won't enjoy the film.

How can you miss with all of these tremendous actors: Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Alec Baaldwin and last but certainly not least, Jack Lemmon...I think Lemmon's performance was one of the best acting performances I have ever seen....David Mamet's depiction of the sales business being the perennial snake pit manifests itself to a point of nauseating callousness in this movie!! Ultimately propagating the conundrum of "Are all of us going to burn in Hell?" The film starts out with the portrayal of three washed out salesman who are ready to be thrown to the wolves!! Alec Balwin is a motivator who comes in from corporate and dices all of the lackluster has-been salesmen to shreds.. Kevin Spacey is a spawn of nepotism, he is not only a jerk, but, a particular kind of jerk!! Al Pacino is the dynamo salesman who has the whole sales rigmarole by the throat!! Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin and Ed Harris are the three washed up salesmen who are toyed with and totally discarded for not producing!! What resonates in this film is the intensity of emotions that highlight the dark and psychologically negative aspects of failure!! You are making money, you are OK, you are not making money, you are not OK!! Suffice it to say, this is a masterpiece of understatement!!! An aging salesman is perpetually afflicted by ossification and despondence...If your career is finished, you in a sense are finished, and your emeritus years signify a painful non productivity...This should not be the case, however, being a closer as opposed to being a non-closer evolutionizes such a horrifying fate!!! The rejection these salesmen get is a lot colder than any Chicago winter that these salesman have experienced!! For these three, Chicago has become that toddling town that will let you down!! Stage play movies are often times my favorites!!! They raise the standards in cinema today!! The directing, the cinematography of the Chicago neighborhoods, and the aggregate irritation and unassuming aura which accommodates human failure by way of outdated restaurants and continuous subway noises, were all sensational in this movie.. Of course, the plethora of paramount acting performances by actors who are the best in the business is without a doubt this movie's stellar feature!! What is the acrimonious and ultimately prevailing concept to this movie? "If life never chews you up and spits you out, then this is not a terrific film"