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Plot - A look behind the scenes of a real estate office and the employees that work there. These employees include the swaggering and successful Ricky Roma (Pacino), the once legendary but now downtrodden Shelley Levine (Lemmon), the bitter and foul tempered Dave Moss (Harris) and the bumbling George (Arkin). All of these men work under the green and incompetent office manager, John Williamson (Spacey). Given an ultimatum by consulting salesman Blake (Baldwin) to sell or get out, we follow the desperate scramble for survival.
This is an extremely bitter and cynical little film. Resonating the feeling of Death of a Salesman it is a true indictment of the American dream. A character study of a group of men who are mostly over the hill, whose time has passed, and the morality and corruption with which they lead their lives. It would be unfair to call this film a one trick pony. Unfair because it's actually a two trick pony!
The film pins all of its hopes on two things – acting and dialogue. And if neither of them grab you then you're not really going to find anything else to like. Luckily for me I found both to absolutely excel. Though it may not give me much to talk about, will just see how we go here.
Just looking at the cast list I knew the acting was going to be of high quality. I mean with Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Jonathan Pryce you know you're most likely in for an acting masterclass; after all it's got to be one of the most impressive ensembles ever assembled. But even I was stunned by just how good the performances are.
They are aided tremendously by Memet's sharp, note perfect script which doesn't pigeon hole the characters. They are allowed to express wildly different personas and moods. Pacino's charismatic Ricky Roma seems to be an arrogant, big mouthed egocentric, and yet later we see that he seems to genuinely care about the woes of Arkin's George, and truly admires and respects Lemmon's Shelley. And then when his deal with Jonathan Pryce's buyer falls apart his bravado just ebbs away. And the moment where he explodes in a foul-mouthed tirade at Spacey's office manager is highly entertaining. Ed Harris and Alan Arkin have a highly amusing double act of a sort going. Harris as the short-tempered, cynical Moss; and Arkin as a bit of a bumbling fool, seemingly unable to complete a single sentence or thought. Their conversation were they sort of plan the robbery is a terrific back and forth. Oh and while his appearance is only brief what an impact Alec Baldwin makes as he seems to channel Lee Emery from Full Metal Jacket. What an incredible little s**t he is! Despite that exceptional line-up for me the limelight has to go to the legendary Jack Lemmon.
Lemmon is truly magnificent. How he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar is just beyond me. His portrayal of Shelley 'The Machine' Levene, the old timer whose time is just about up, is truly something to behold. You really feel the sheer desperation of his situation at the start of the film. This is a man who is hanging on by his fingertips and is in danger of losing his grip at any moment. And the big act, full of false bravado he puts on for potential clients just feels so pathetic, especially when he goes to visit a man at his house who has no interest. He is such a sad character that you can't help but feel for him. And then when he has finally broken his losing streak the change in the character is terrific. All of a sudden the swagger and arrogance are back. To use a Scottish saying he is very gallus at this point. And then it turns on him again and he is plunged back into the depths of despair, though being the salesman that he is, he believes he can still talk himself out of trouble right up to the very last moment.
Mamet's script delivers a film that is occasionally funny, and frequently quite sad and mournful. Humour is derived mainly from the characters of Roma and George, while Lemmon's Shelley is the main deliverer of the sad and melancholy. Though really all of them create that sad atmosphere. While on the phone or face to face with potential clients they exude a great confidence and phony success. And yet while doing so their eyes can't hide their despair and defeatism. These are men who are slowly drowning under the great pressure they work on, desperately trying to survive. The script is one of the most densely written and verbally bountiful films you're likely to find. And despite there being so much dialogue at no real point does it feel all that written. It all feels greatly natural and realistic, if incredibley foul-mouthed!
With its theatre roots it's not surprise to find that the action takes place mostly on just a single set. It gives the whole film a claustrophobic and desperate atmosphere. And with the very few scenes outside taking place in dirty, rain-swept streets it really does create a picture of a grey, harsh hellish underworld that these characters are trapped in. To be fair to the director given the tight surroundings the camera movement is able to create a little bit of life and energy so we don't feel too trapped.
Conclusion - Despite being saddled with a truly awful title this is a terrific, magnetic film. Undoutedly deserving of its reputation as one of the great dialogue heavy films about. And what an example of acting! Though in the end I felt a little like one of the customers that the salesman try to fleece. Initially I was just hugely impressed, but then as time went by niggles started manifesting in my mind; such as what was the real point, there was no great story to speak of. That said, still great stuff.
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Year of release
1992
1992
Directed by
James Foley
James Foley
Written by
David Mammet (story and script)
David Mammet (story and script)
Starring
Jack Lemmon
Al Pacino
Kevin Spacey
Ed Harris
Alan Arkin
Jack Lemmon
Al Pacino
Kevin Spacey
Ed Harris
Alan Arkin
Glengarry Glen Ross
+
(8.3/10)
(8.3/10)
Plot - A look behind the scenes of a real estate office and the employees that work there. These employees include the swaggering and successful Ricky Roma (Pacino), the once legendary but now downtrodden Shelley Levine (Lemmon), the bitter and foul tempered Dave Moss (Harris) and the bumbling George (Arkin). All of these men work under the green and incompetent office manager, John Williamson (Spacey). Given an ultimatum by consulting salesman Blake (Baldwin) to sell or get out, we follow the desperate scramble for survival.
This is an extremely bitter and cynical little film. Resonating the feeling of Death of a Salesman it is a true indictment of the American dream. A character study of a group of men who are mostly over the hill, whose time has passed, and the morality and corruption with which they lead their lives. It would be unfair to call this film a one trick pony. Unfair because it's actually a two trick pony!
The film pins all of its hopes on two things – acting and dialogue. And if neither of them grab you then you're not really going to find anything else to like. Luckily for me I found both to absolutely excel. Though it may not give me much to talk about, will just see how we go here.Just looking at the cast list I knew the acting was going to be of high quality. I mean with Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Jonathan Pryce you know you're most likely in for an acting masterclass; after all it's got to be one of the most impressive ensembles ever assembled. But even I was stunned by just how good the performances are.
They are aided tremendously by Memet's sharp, note perfect script which doesn't pigeon hole the characters. They are allowed to express wildly different personas and moods. Pacino's charismatic Ricky Roma seems to be an arrogant, big mouthed egocentric, and yet later we see that he seems to genuinely care about the woes of Arkin's George, and truly admires and respects Lemmon's Shelley. And then when his deal with Jonathan Pryce's buyer falls apart his bravado just ebbs away. And the moment where he explodes in a foul-mouthed tirade at Spacey's office manager is highly entertaining. Ed Harris and Alan Arkin have a highly amusing double act of a sort going. Harris as the short-tempered, cynical Moss; and Arkin as a bit of a bumbling fool, seemingly unable to complete a single sentence or thought. Their conversation were they sort of plan the robbery is a terrific back and forth. Oh and while his appearance is only brief what an impact Alec Baldwin makes as he seems to channel Lee Emery from Full Metal Jacket. What an incredible little s**t he is! Despite that exceptional line-up for me the limelight has to go to the legendary Jack Lemmon.
Lemmon is truly magnificent. How he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar is just beyond me. His portrayal of Shelley 'The Machine' Levene, the old timer whose time is just about up, is truly something to behold. You really feel the sheer desperation of his situation at the start of the film. This is a man who is hanging on by his fingertips and is in danger of losing his grip at any moment. And the big act, full of false bravado he puts on for potential clients just feels so pathetic, especially when he goes to visit a man at his house who has no interest. He is such a sad character that you can't help but feel for him. And then when he has finally broken his losing streak the change in the character is terrific. All of a sudden the swagger and arrogance are back. To use a Scottish saying he is very gallus at this point.
And then it turns on him again and he is plunged back into the depths of despair, though being the salesman that he is, he believes he can still talk himself out of trouble right up to the very last moment.Mamet's script delivers a film that is occasionally funny, and frequently quite sad and mournful. Humour is derived mainly from the characters of Roma and George, while Lemmon's Shelley is the main deliverer of the sad and melancholy. Though really all of them create that sad atmosphere. While on the phone or face to face with potential clients they exude a great confidence and phony success. And yet while doing so their eyes can't hide their despair and defeatism. These are men who are slowly drowning under the great pressure they work on, desperately trying to survive. The script is one of the most densely written and verbally bountiful films you're likely to find. And despite there being so much dialogue at no real point does it feel all that written. It all feels greatly natural and realistic, if incredibley foul-mouthed!
With its theatre roots it's not surprise to find that the action takes place mostly on just a single set. It gives the whole film a claustrophobic and desperate atmosphere. And with the very few scenes outside taking place in dirty, rain-swept streets it really does create a picture of a grey, harsh hellish underworld that these characters are trapped in. To be fair to the director given the tight surroundings the camera movement is able to create a little bit of life and energy so we don't feel too trapped.
Conclusion - Despite being saddled with a truly awful title this is a terrific, magnetic film. Undoutedly deserving of its reputation as one of the great dialogue heavy films about. And what an example of acting! Though in the end I felt a little like one of the customers that the salesman try to fleece. Initially I was just hugely impressed, but then as time went by niggles started manifesting in my mind; such as what was the real point, there was no great story to speak of. That said, still great stuff.