Edmond (2005)

Awful!

I sat in disbelief as I watched this film. Macy has proven such a
fine actor in so many other films, but was completely wrong for
this part. His delivery was totally flat and unconvincing. He just
wasn't right for the character. As for the ending, it couldn't have
been any less ironic or ridiculous. No subtlty or believability
whatsoever. For movies addressing the same subject matter, see
Taxi Driver, Falling Down, and Fight Club. They are better movies
and the actors do a much better job at fulfilling their respective
roles. July 14, 2008

Terrible movie

I watched this movie recently and was looking around to see if there were any decent arguments about how this is in any way a movie worth watching. So far I have not found any. On positive reviews I see comments about how the movie is "dark". If you want to see a "dark" movie go see something else. About a third to halfway through the film this thing goes totally off the rails and becomes an incoherent mess. This movie is terribly written and the main character's actions are totally unconvincing. And to those that say he's mentally imbalanced that may be true but his behavior at the beginning and ending of the movie make no sense to his behavior through the rest of it because the script and the acting do not allow the audience to understand his motivations. Bottom line, this movie is totally absurd. It's not "dark", it's terrible. June 17, 2008

Mamet's Nightmarish Film About the Human Condition is Disturbing and Unsatisfying

Seeing this film in the video rental store, I had high expectations. A David Mamet "sexy thriller" starring William H. Macy; what could be bad? Unfortunately, the film is neither sexy nor thrilling, and does not rise to the level of Mamet's other works. But it does succeed in being both interesting and disturbing.

Macy gives a frenzied performance as Edmond, a middle-aged white professional who descends into madness as his life careens out of control. We witness Edmond as he reacts against all the horrible things he sees in the world: greed, lawlessness, cruelty, violence, loneliness, and ultimately the emptiness and meaninglessness of his life. It's reminiscent of DeNiro in "Taxi Driver" and Michael Douglas in "Falling Down", both of which are better films.

The problem with "Edmond" is that we don't connect with or care enough about the main character. We don't feel his pain, and so we can't understand his actions. There are some satisfying scenes where Edmond righteously defends against the prostitutes, muggers and other lowlifes in his path. But just as we start to feel we understand him, Edmond lashes out violently against seemingly innocent victims. It's as if the filmmakers couldn't decide between making a thoughtful drama or a slasher horror flick, and so combined elements of both.

There are flashes of Mamet's trademark sparse snappy dialog which are almost poetic. But whenever Edmond tries to say something meaningful about his philosophy, it just comes across as the rantings of a psychopath. This is a serious weakness of the film. You can't have the main character acting crazy and then expect us to take anything he says seriously.

Overall, the film has a nightmarish quality to it that is captivating. All the action takes place at night at seedy locales. And while any given scene unfolds in a logical manner, taken as a whole, the plot makes no sense. LIke most nightmares, we get caught up as the story unfolds, shocking and unnerving us. I suppose Edmond's living nightmare brings consciousness to some dark areas of our psyches that are disturbing to see. In any case, like other nightmares, I was glad when this film was over. January 12, 2008

Different kind of thriller

Anyone who has seen David Mamet's work, knows that this writer is very complex. Seemingly racist or superficial dialog(s), always lead to a climatic ending. Although I have never seen "Edmond" as a play, the film definitely feels more like a play than a film. Quick dialogs and brief encounters lead us to a dramatic change in a life of a middle aged dilusional man. Edmond is 47 year old professional who suddenly realizes that he is bored with his life, his wife and work. On a whim, he decides to leave it all and pursue a search for higher self. The women who could give him excitement he is looking for, are all for hire (ladies of the night) and apparently - according to Edmond - they cost too much. Which tells us that Edmond was either married for too long, or "born yesterday". In the course of one night, Edmond's life changes completely. In the end, he is in place and time where he manages to: have time to meditate on purpose of (his) life, get over his prejudices (racial and otherwise) and finally break away from the boredom what was haunting him thru the last several years of his marriage. The end of this unusual thriller is worth ending several overbearing moments we are forced to go thru in the course of the movie. This just may be one of those controversial movies that general public will love to hate. January 4, 2008

Beyond amateurish

Boy did this guy write himself out years ago. Talk about hammering out the same old shtick too many times. You could read the Daily News through this one...& be far better off.

January 2, 2008

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