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Reviews:
Classic
Film Noir, Again:
Things to Do in Denver when You’re Dead Review
Christian
De Matteo
HUGE
I file this one under the “Had-to-pick-up-my-jaw-up-off-the-floor-when-it-ended”
heading. Just
as Roman Polanski’s Chinatown
was an incredible tribute/new entry to the Detective
Film Noir category, Things to do in Denver is an amazing tribute/new entry to the Crime
Film Noir category.
More than that, it is an amazing film,
perfectly acted, perfectly written and perfectly
directed. Everyone
involved in this film deserve applauds for putting
together a picture so beautifully formed that one is
emotionally affected by the time the credits roll.
The script and look of the film are worthy of
a Jim Thompson (The
Grifters) or David Goodis (Shoot
the Piano Player) novel.
Director Gary Fleder (Kiss
the Girls) should be extremely proud of this
one.
Scripted by the talented Scott Rosenberg (Con
Air, High Fidelity, Beautiful
Girls), the man they called in when Steve
Buscemi’s character needed wittier lines in Armageddon,
the movie tells the story of Jimmy the Saint (Andy
Garcia) an ex-crook on the straight and narrow who
is— you guessed it— called back to his former
life by his old boss, Christopher Walken’s very
funny and very ominous The Man with the Plan.
All he is asked to do is “an action,” the
shakedown of the boyfriend of the ex-girlfriend of
The Man’s nutjob son.
Garcia assembles a team for the job,
consisting of Christopher Lloyd, Bill Nunn, William
Forsythe and Treat Williams (in the best role I’ve
seen him play).
The jobs goes terribly wrong, and The Man
puts out a hit on every member of the team.
Every single actor in this film (an
incredible cast also including also Steve Buscemi,
Gabrielle Anwar— looking knockout gorgeous— and
Fairuza Balk, as a strung out but likable
prostitute) does an Oscar worthy job, delivering
each of Rosenberg’s perfect lines.
Jack Warden is used wonderfully as a sort of
present-in-the-film-narrator and exposition-guy.
He’s the guy who provides all commentary
explaining criminal jargon and terminology as well
any other odd behaviors only a person who’s been
in jail might understand.
You can’t help but smile every time he
says, “Give it a name.”
More than anything else, the film is a
character study of these people and a comparative
look at the lives of criminals and “citizens,”
people in the workaday world.
The characters are so human that you can’t
even get upset for their dumbest mistakes (and they
abound here) because you know you’ve made some
pretty big ones yourself.
That, in fact, is one of the major
strength’s of the film, and one of its key points.
Things
to do in Denver also falls into the “Most-badly-advertised-films”
category. The
movie is a classic, as far as I am concerned, and
not lacking in any area. It is exciting, emotional, intriguing, funny, and will have
you thinking deep thoughts by the time the credits
roll. Why this wasn’t one of the biggest hits of 1995, can only
be explained by the fact that there were next to no
previews, posters, or buzz for it.
A great disservice was done by Miramax to the
writer, director, actors and themselves by producing
this incredible film and letting it fade quietly
into oblivion.
Watch it, love it, recommend it to everyone
you know and give it a name.
I name it huge.
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