He Was a Quiet Man (2007)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Frank A. Cappello

Writer (WGA):

Frank A. Cappello (written by)

Release Date:

7 December 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

He seemed like such a nice guy.. He pretty much kept to himself...

Plot:

An office worker inadvertently becomes a hero after he saves a woman's life.

Plot Keywords:

Office | Fish | Bullet | Quadriplegic | Loner

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Michael DeLuise	...	Detective Sorenson
Christian Slater	...	Bob Maconel
Jamison Jones	...	Scott Harper
Cristina Lawson	...	Nancy Felt (as Anzu Lawson)
John Gulager	...	Goldie / Maurice Gregory
Elisha Cuthbert	...	Venessa Parks
K.C. Ramsey	...	Jackson
Sascha Knopf	...	Paula Metzler
David Wells	...	Ralf Coleman
Frankie Thorn	...	Jessica Light (as Frankie Lou Thorn)
Randolph Mantooth	...	Dr. Willis
Sewell Whitney	...	Derrick Miles
Lisa Arianna	...	ADD Assistant
Livia Treviño	...	Shelby's Secretary (as Levia Trevino)
William H. Macy	...	Gene Shelby

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | Italy:T | Greece:K-13 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Quiet Man Productions

Trivia:

According to the director's commentary on the DVD the entire movie was shot in only 21 days.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Bob is asked up to Gene Shelby's office to meet the grief counselor, Gene asks him if he wants something to drink. "A Pepsi, or something?" The cans on the table however are Coca Cola.

Quotes:

Bob Maconel: There comes a time when the diseased and the weak must be sacrificed to save the herd.

Movie Connections:

References Curious George (2006)

Soundtrack:

Midnight Train To Georgia

A dark tale of an ignored soul

Human perceive things in most wonderfully creative and erogenous ways. That's why a flawed art can be just as effective, if not more, in sending your conscious through a range of emotions so fast and furious that reason have no chance in hell to ever catch up. This film is one of those flawed art that through its deranged and surreal vision and narratives, you live the love and pain of Bob Maconel, a quiet man who was not so quiet within.

The presentation is often cartoonish and stereotypical, yet the emotion that was conveyed are often bloody raw to a fault that you just can't simply escape. Bob is a troubled man who's life is as boring as it is tormenting. We don't know his past and how he became what he is. The sad truth is that the only colorful and interesting thing in his life is his homicidal and suicidal anguish, the held up energy and intensity that dramatically contrasted his drab and introverted appearance, until one day, he let it all loose, in a sort of unexpected way.

In a society full of able thinkers and feelers competing for limited opportunities, there are those who express in terms, those who express against the terms and those who are simply ignored. Bob is an ignored soul. But the trouble is, being ignored doesn't diminish his ability to think and feel. Bob gave us a chance to explore the mind of those who's life are often invisible until they made the front page news, with increasingly frequent occurrence in today's society. Only here, we are not only presented with the dark and ugly side of it, but also the vulnerably romantic side as well. Through all of its oddity and obscurity, we get a glimpse of its human quality, and were left scarred by its sheer beauty.

I can only describe the style of directing as creative honesty, as honesty is in such short supply in today's media. What was expressed outwardly is exaggerated in order to stay true with what locks inside a person's mind. For this alone, I was over joyed by the experience.

Go see it, with a understanding mind and compassionate soul. Let the range of emotion washes over you, be it pity or wonderment, don't haste to judge. Just let it haunt you for a while.