He Was a Quiet Man (2006)

Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) endures another eight hours in a dull grey cubicle. Ignored by his co-workers Bob feels completely invisible and out of sync with the world. On one strange day he crosses the line from potential killer to inadvertent hero when he saves beautiful Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert). His Boss (William H. Macy) transforms Bob into a new man but his good fortune is short lived when the Object of his Desire asks him to end her life. System Requirements:Length: 95 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY UPC: 013131550597 Manufacturer No: DV15505 Product Description

I did not like this film.

A man, played by Christian Slater, takes his gun to work every day. He is a disgruntled employee and simply cannot muster the strength, thankfully, to actually pull the trigger. One day as he his performing his daily ritual -- loading live amunition into the gun -- another coworker opens fire on the department. Slater's character then shoots that man and puts an end to his rampage. And he is almost declared the hero, though no one ever knows if he shot that man in defense or out of spite because that man did what he never could.

No matter how many times anyone describes this movie to me as a comedy, I will simply not understand where that comes from. You may call it a dark comedy, but it is dark without the comedy. The characters are all so uncomfortable around each other, you cannot help but feel uncomfortable seeing them on screen. The plot is weak, which would lead me to assume the characters were the focus, but consider that not only does Slater's guy take his gun to work everyday but he only talks to his fish. Oh yeah, and they talk to him too. You decide.

The movie glossed over the fact that he carried a gun to work every day, almost as if society has become so accustomed to violence that this is acceptable behavior. Society has become accustomed to a certain level of violence, which is sad in and of itself, but movies that take characters like this protagonist lightly are not ones I will enjoy. October 2, 2008

Couldn't get into it

The idea of more than one person in a film considering going "postal" just left me cold. The idea that is now stylish, to take out your frustrations on innocent bystanders as a way to make your own life important makes me angry. So I really didn't think this was worth watching, as the idea BEHIND the film irritates me beyond all measure. People who take out other people because their lives are a mess are evil. I don't enjoy a story that incorporates the idea, no matter how current the events. June 11, 2008

Neat little movie...

This is a little gem of a movie...it was made in 11 days and on a dime. But it's a powerful movie. Christian Slater was great. I hadn't even heard of this movie, but I really enjoyed it, but then I like off-beat movies. April 23, 2008

A quirky little film.

A review on the cover of the DVD likens this film to David Fincher's Fight Club (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie. To some extent, this is a valid comparison, but He Was a Quiet Man fails to reach the brilliance of the other two films.

Bob (Christian Slater) is an office worker at the end of his tether who dreams of blokwing up his place of employment. At home, he has no one to talk to but his goldfish, and one of them actually talks back -- mostly to berate Bob for his lack of initiative. One day, as Bob is trying to talk himself into turning a gun on his co-workers, a fellow worker beats him to it. But when the other man turns his gun on Vanessa, Bob's secret crush, Bob takes an action that changes both of their lives.

While the ending isn't particularly surprising, this film is worth watching for the performances alone, particularly Christian Slater's. I'm used to Slater playing the wise-cracking self-assured hero, but he's very convincing here as the office loser with no redeeming qualities. April 7, 2008

What are you doing??

What a gem this film is! "He Was a Quiet Man" is an examination of the "inner self" in us all. How much of ourselves do we show in public? Is that hunky guy REALLY a mouse at heart? Is that gorgeous blonde REALLY a nagging shrew?

Christian Slater has finally delivered his best! He plays Bob Maconel, a bookish nerd office worker who talks to his pet fish, moving headlong into middle age with nothing to show for all his toil. Elisha Cuthbert plays a woman who works in an office upstairs, with the CEO (William H. Macy), after sleeping her way to the position she holds. While it may seem that these two have absolutely NOTHING in common, an incident in Bob's office basically brings these two together in the most unexpected way.

The relationship that developes gives Bob a new lease on life. he no longer dreams of revenge (did I say he keeps a loaded revolver in his desk?), but rather, how he can make life worth living, for both himself, and the new woman in his life. Because of the circumstances surrounding his part in the office incident, Bob is a hero! He is given an office upstairs! The job is really nothing more than a senecure, but it affords Bob a greater sense of security. Life is good! Until..........

Many have compared this film to "Brazil", and while it has more than just a passing similarity to it, the performances of the principle actors in this most darkest of comedies, is awards-worthy! If you want to see one of the best Indies to come out in a while, you MUST see "He Was a Quiet Man"!! April 2, 2008

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