Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

James Foley

Writers (WGA):

David Mamet (play)
David Mamet (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The hardest thing in life is sell

Plot:

An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.

Plot Keywords:

Real Estate | New York | Robbery | Contest | Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Ricky Roma
Jack Lemmon	...	Shelley Levene
Alec Baldwin	...	Blake
Alan Arkin	...	George Aaronow
Ed Harris	...	Dave Moss
Kevin Spacey	...	John Williamson
Jonathan Pryce	...	James Lingk
Bruce Altman	...	Larry Spannel
Jude Ciccolella	...	Detective
Paul Butler	...	Policeman
Lori Tan Chinn	...	Coat Check Girl
Neal Jones	...	Man in Donut Shop
Barry Rossen	...	Assistant Detective
Leigh French	...	Additional Voices (voice)
George Cheung	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Also Known As:

Glengarry Glen Ross (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Netherlands:AL | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba) | Norway:5 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #31643) | France:U | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

GGR

Trivia:

The character of Blake was not in the original play. When adapting his play for the screen, David Mamet created that role specifically for actor Alec Baldwin.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Shelley is recounting to Roma the latter part of his close of his $82,000 Nyborg sale, the office door is wide open, no lights are on in the office, and clearly nobody is moving around in the office. Then Shelley calls to Williamson for more leads. When the camera angle changes, the office door is closed and Williamson has to open the door to come out into the room to answer that "the leads are coming."

Quotes:

Ricky Roma: They say that it was so hot in the city today, grown men were walking up to cops on street corners begging them to shoot them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Alec Baldwin/Shakira (#31.8)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Daydream

The film that helped me discover the joy that is David Mamet...

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.