The Glimmer Man (1996)

Director:

John Gray

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Brodbin (written by)

Release Date:

4 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Two good cops. One bad situation.

Plot:

Two cops, played by Seagal and Wayans, are forced to work together to solve a chain of mysterious killings by a killer nicknamed "The Family Man"

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Serial Killer | Black Market | Priest | Russian Mafia

Cast

Steven Seagal	...	Lt. Jack Cole
Keenen Ivory Wayans	...	Det. Jim Campbell
Bob Gunton	...	Frank Deverell
Brian Cox	...	Mr. Smith
John M. Jackson	...	Donald Cunningham
Michelle Johnson	...	Jessica Cole
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Christopher Maynard
Peter Jason	...	Millie's Father
Ryan Cutrona	...	Capt. Harris
Richard Gant	...	Det. Roden
Johnny Strong	...	Johnny Deverell
Robert Mailhouse	...	Smith's Bodyguard
Jesse Stock	...	Cole's Son
Alexa Vega	...	Cole's Daughter
Nikki Cox	...	Millie

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and some nudity.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | USA:R (certificate #34859) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Australia:MA | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Germany:16 (nf) | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Ennis-Brown House - 2655 Glendower Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Brian Cox replaced Tommy Lee Jones at very short notice.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: The microphone can be seen in the first scene, and while they are watching Casablanca (1942)

Quotes:

Jack Cole: You know, when you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, I think you're probably happy. Pleased at what you see. And that disturbs me. So I'm gonna take it on as my responsibility to make sure that you never get to look in the mirror again.
Donald Cunningham: I woke up happy, I'm goin' to bed happy. 'Cause you're gonna be dead.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

As Time Goes By

Seagal's descent began here

It was here the trend of Seagal starring in more economically budgeted movies with drab scripts that seriously lacked action. (And that were never screened for the critics!) Though the fight sequences here aren't has badly done as in his subsequent movies (the editing is less frenzic), they are few and far between. As a result, action fans will really be bored, especially since the story is so drab, despite it involving a serial killer who's especially sadistic. New twists to the story only occasionally come, and they are usually so murky that eventually the viewers will be confused as to who is doing what (and why.)

Seagal and Wayans never quite generate the necessary chemistry, despite the fact that their characters are opposed in their views and practices. Although they occasionally have some mildly amusing dialogue, the level of dialogue is generally bad, sometimes mind-bogglingly so.

It's easy to see why this didn't do much at the box office, and why Seagal increasingly became frustrated with Warner Brothers, eventually leaving them. (Though he returned for EXIT WOUNDS for some reason.) Seagal needs to not only stop playing the same basic character in each of his movies, but stop choosing scripts that recycle the same basic elements we see in almost every one of his movies. If he does that, there is a possibility he could remove the stigma of being a glorified "B" movie actor.