User Reviews

A Dark Character Study that is a well Crafted, superbly Acted, smartly Directed, Offbeat, and somewhat Depressing Film. Christian Slater plays against Type and does so with intense, uncanny Verisimilitude. This should have been a second wind Career changer, but His Performance and the Movie were ignored, dismissed, and unrecognized.

To this Day it collects dust on shelves everywhere and exists anonymously wherever Discs are Rented, Sold, or exchanged. It deserves so much more because although the Story maybe a bit familiar and its Twists not as Fresh as they used to be, it is still a gripping Psychological Study that is Timeless and Relevant.

It goes about its Therapeutic Theme with Style and Insight. The Ending has taken the brunt of attacks from those who have seen it as ambiguous and unsatisfying, but it is not all that. In fact, it is a straightforward conclusion and rests on the inevitable Fate of the Failure of a Quiet Man and His frustrating existence in the cold Cubicle World of the Fortune Five Hundred that has no place for a Man who just wanted to be acknowledged for nothing more than being.

Frank A. Cappello, writer and director of He Was a Quiet Man, is a man with something to prove, having written the hilariously bad Hulk Hogan vehicle Suburban Commando, and directing the wholly disappointing Constantine. He Was a Quiet Man, whilst not an unqualified success, is one of the underseen gems of 2007.

The film is essentially an amalgam of A History of Violence, Falling Down, and Office Space, with a pile of quirks to boot. Bob Maconel (the hilariously disguised Christian Slater), a despondent office worker, decides that he is going to perform a murderous rampage at his work office, yet before he can do so, a fellow maniac beats him to it. However, Bob, in protecting the one person that he cares about, the beautiful Vanessa (Elisha Cuthbert), guns down the assailant, and inadvertently becomes a hero.

Bob is unashamedly similar to Michael Douglas' "D-Fens" character from Falling Down, kitted out in a shirt and tie, and even further, seeks moments of reflection in the great outdoors, although in this instance, there are no Mexican gangsters attempting to rob him. The similarities do, thankfully, stop there – this film is born of something else, with its CGI traffic whizzing by at astronomical speeds as Bob dawdles along, illustrating the drudgery of Bob's life without an ounce of subtlety. Whilst the film as a whole is overly reliant on visual curiosities such as this, the animated, talking fish which eggs Bob on to kill his colleagues is delightfully colourful, and mildly amusing to boot.

As one can gather from the above paragraph, He Was a Quiet Man is very surreal in a hilarious sort of way. Essentially, if you gave David Lynch a funny bone, you'd probably end up with something remarkably similar to this. Despite the aforementioned reliance on visual effects, the film is unquestionably carried by the barely-recognisable Slater who, despite his recent collaboration with tragically awful director Uwe Boll, proves that he is still worth something in Hollywood, with comic timing that is nothing short of spot on.

Bob is essentially revered by everyone around him for his "heroic" actions – he is given a new job, his colleagues no longer think of him as a schmuck, and the sexy office bitch wants to have sex with him, yet the film's real point of contention is Cuthbert's character. Vanessa is left paralysed following the shooting, wishing that she was dead, and moreover, she wishes that Bob, who saved her life, would kill her.

A surprisingly understated (until the climatic scenes) conundrum surfaces as an aside to this drama – Bob still finds those around him utterly repugnant, and he considers whether or not to carry out what the other gunner started, as well as putting Vanessa out of her misery, of course. The film carries these questions very well – it is at times predictable, and occasionally not so, yet it never ceases to lose its sense of intrigue. The film's examination of the way in which humans operate is not intricate, and verges on syrupy at times, yet what is most entertaining about He Was a Quiet Man is its surreal spirit. Furthermore, even in its sweetness, the film explores the lives of disabled persons with a surprising level of insight and honesty . It may be exaggerated, and at times, even humorous, yet its approach is undeniably refreshing, particularly in relation to how the disabled manage to still engage in an active and healthy sex life.

He Was a Quiet Man never remains comfortable, constantly fidgeting and posing new questions for both ourselves and Bob to consider. The film follows through with an insane close, yet it is the most manically reasoned, and therefore, perhaps the most realistic end possible (although term "realism" is a very tenuous one in a film as twisted as this). The ending comes very abruptly, and little is done to satisfy viewer curiosity, yet we are given the vital answers, even if they aren't wholly satisfying, and are a tad questionable. We are left to ponder several things, yet when the preceding ninety minutes are so intentionally devoid of poignance, the film may simply leave your mind as the final frame does.

Christian Slater's latest and greatest effort (at least for a while) is A History of Violence without the graphic violence, Falling Down without the social commentary, and Office Space without the sagacious humour. Yes, it is a blend of all three films, at the cost of diluting each of them. The film's worst crime may be never allowing us to particularly care for Bob (or anyone) as much as we did for D-Fens in Schumacher's film, yet even despite its relative superficiality, He Was a Quiet Man remains a thoroughly entertaining, inventive and quirky film that will have nihilists the world over utterly dumbfounded (myself included). Elisha Cuthbert pulls out a career best (in that she is above tolerable, and even "good"), William H Macy plays the corporate yes-man with glee, and Slater, with great aid from his fabulous make-up department, looks and acts with great hilarity. It is unfortunate that this film, embracing its flaws as it so flagrantly does, has yet to find a large audience, and as such, it instantly becomes one of the indie staples of 2007.

The acting is fine, but the movie resorts to cheating the audience by pretending to be something it is not. The ending does not make me ponder anything, except why? Up to that point, the film was for the most part believable, and it was totally unnecessary to jazz up the ending. Reality plays far better than conjecture, so the confusing conclusion was out of place. You can watch "He Was a Quiet Man" as many times as you want, to speculate. I on the other hand would have preferred simple entertainment, which until the end, this movie was. My conclusion ...................................This movie is good for awhile, but the ending drags the whole thing down a couple notches. - MERK

"He Was a Quiet Man" is an incredibly frustrating film. I saw half of it one night and the next day, I was telling my friends all about it. However, when I later went back and finished the film, this wonderful film turned sour...very sour. I hate it when you are hooked by a film--only to have the ending completely fall apart. This is because, believe it or not, through much of the film it seems like a very, very dark romantic-comedy--an odd thing, I know, but it WORKED. However, later in the film, the comedy was gone and the film simply became a dark and depressing mess.

Christian Slater plays Bob--a psychotic who carries a gun to work in his briefcase. Regularly, he loads and unloads the gun--struggling within himself whether or not to murder his coworkers. Then, one day the unexpected happens. As he's loading his gun, he drops a bullet on the floor and bends down to pick it up--at which time ANOTHER crazed employee goes on a killing spree of his own!! When Bob gets off the floor, he's staring at the murderer. But instead of just shooting Bob, the two talk in a very weird and surreal manner. Ultimately, when the guy then talks of killing Bob, Bob shoots the guy first--and becomes an instant hero.

What happens next is very funny--in a dark and inappropriate manner. It also, oddly, becomes a romance, as a co-worker who was paralyzed in the shooting soon falls in love with Bob...and vice-versa. It's all very cute and soon you see Bob come out of his shell and become a much healthier person. It all sound strange but cute--sort of like a Bryan Fuller show like "Pushing Daisies" (it has very similar colors, sensitivities and style). Well, this is the case--until late in the film when this entire mood vanishes and the movie is just dark and unpleasant. Clearly, the ending, if done differently, could have made this a GREAT film. As it is, however, it's just maddeningly frustrating.

It seems that every once and a while, an occasionally brilliant film will catch my attention in the late hours of the night (or the early hours of the morning, as it was in my case); I found that film in "He Was a Quiet Man," writer-director Frank A. Cappello's brilliantly acted, smartly written satire about that unlikely hero whose "heroic" act may not have been so heroic, and in fact masked an inner rage that may actually make him the villain.

A seriously understated Christian Slater stars as Bob Maconel, a frustrated office worker whose first words in the picture have him counting the amount of bullets in his gun and who his intended targets are going to be. Bob lives alone and works as a drone in one of those big technology firms where it's never made clear what it is that they actually do, or what everyone's jobs are. Bob's day-to-day existence consists of him feeding his fish (who he talks to and they occasionally give him bad advice, fueling his murderous rage), going to work, rarely being acknowledged by his neighbors, being picked on by his co-workers, and working up the courage to go on his deadly shooting spree.

Well, just when Bob finally gets the courage to do the deed, he is beaten to the punch by a fellow enraged office worker. In the middle of the carnage, Bob and the shooter manage to strike up a casual conversation. When Bob asks why he's not going to shoot him, the man replies, "Because you're the only person in this office who's more pathetic than I am." Bob takes this personally and guns down the assailant. Afterward, he rushes to the side of the office beauty, Vanessa Parks (Elisha Cuthbert), who was seriously wounded in the attack and is the only person Bob ever really liked. Her smile could "light up a room," we're told throughout the film.

Bob is then branded a hero. The people he despised are now his best friends, including the office bully and the office slut, who would have never given the time of day before. (She gets her comeuppance in one particular scene that is all of hilarious, disgusting, and disturbing.) He gets a promotion, a brand-new office next to the big boss, Mr. Shelby (William H. Macy), and the company car. His neighbors finally acknowledge him; when one of them asks when did he move in, Bob replies, "I've lived here five years." He soon begins to visit Vanessa in the hospital, whose spine was severed by a bullet and is now a quadriplegic. She begs him to finish what the shooter started. When he relents, that's when the two begin a tentative relationship that begins to calm the deadly monster lurking within him. Later on in the film, however, troubling questions begin to arise about Bob's sanity and his grip on his new reality that he has found himself in.

As many have mentioned, "He Was a Quiet Man," seems to combine elements of past similar-themed features including "Falling Down," "Office Space" and "A History of Violence," plus a few of the artistically weird storytelling aesthetics of a David Lynch picture. Similarities seem to end fairly early in the picture after Bob first becomes a hero and a media darling. It seems that when you finally have a grasp on where it's all headed, the picture does a 360 and winds up going right back to where it started, both metaphorically and literally.

Slater was pretty good in this film; his performance here worked from his first seconds on screen, his character of office drone Bob Maconel combining elements of the main characters from the films I mentioned earlier and hitting all the right emotive notes. For years, he's been hounded by his Jack Nicholson obsession and I think here he seems to have finally come into his own as a seriously demented loner who is quickly losing his grip on reality.

While by no means one of my favorite actresses, it was a delight to see Elisha Cuthbert in a role where her gorgeous looks are only part of her performance and are not THE performance; here is a beautiful woman who freely admits to using her sexuality as a means of getting ahead in life and now she's been reduced to nothing - a fact that she freely admits to having accepted - and finally having to take things extra slow because her most valuable asset has been taken away from her: her own body. Maybe I'm overreaching or being overly critical - I did like her in "The Girl Next Door" (2004) - she can act, it's that I haven't liked too many of her film projects since '04. Anyway, when she's confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, for me, it's almost like stepping back to truly appreciate a fine piece of art. Only then, is she truly beautiful.

"He Was a Quiet Man" is not a perfect film. The script is prone to occasional slips of the pen in certain places, but the performances (especially by Christian Slater and Elisha Cuthbert) and Cappello's artistic direction and grip on the finer points of the material make up for it. "He Was a Quiet Man" is one of those brilliant movies that forces us to look at ourselves and see what makes us tick. It's funny, it's dramatic and it's also occasionally quite disturbing, but it is an example of all-around great, late-night fanfare that deserves more respect from the movie-going public.

9/10

I liked this movie. My wife saw it first and has been recommending that I see ever since.

I am a fan of Christian Slater and his portrayal of the lonesome loser is excellent. I could really feel the gut wrenching moments that he went through. The costume for him his excellent. I almost did recognize him.

Elisha Cuthbert, a Canadian beauty, while always a please to watch never has made it a reason for me to watch.

**** SPOILER ALERT**** The real issue I had here with this movie is the striking similarity in the way the plot unfolded as it does in the movie Boxing Helena (a personal favorite). While the characters, circumstances and personal relationships between the characters were different the end result is the same. The story teller takes you down one path only to bring you full circle in the end. The physical dependency on Elisha's character has on Christian is very similar and you just know that this is not on a level playing field.

Somewhere about the half way point I made the connection and knew where the movie would end up. I was truly hoping to be wrong and to see the love in the story conquer all.

Frankly I was shocked by just how good Christian Slater was in this film and trust me Christian Slater and good are definitely two words I never thought I would put in the same sentence. So yes you can say I was very presently surprised, I remember first hearing about this film and the quality reviews it had been getting and I was a bit reluctant when hearing just who was included in the cast. As much as I was surprised by Christian Slater I felt the exact opposite about Elisha Cuthbert, how she continues to get roles amazes me, I guess there are directors and producers that are just so mesmerized by they way she looks that they are fooled into thinking she is anything but god awful. Plus, was anyone really fooled by the obvious use of a body double in her nude scene. If she doesn't want to do the scene then just don't do it, or even be a little creative with you shot choices, instead we get one of the most unconvincing body double shots ever filmed. Anyway, enough on the cast, this film is very unique in it's story and the way it's director chooses to tell it, some very interesting special effects are used throughout and in some very unconventional ways. The films final act is by far it's weakest point, a cop out ending to a film that deserved better.

"He Was a Quiet Man" is perhaps the most original and unpredictable movie I've ever seen. If you're looking for something "normal", you should probably look elsewhere.

A story of an extremely lonely, put-upon, disturbed man who desperately wants to be Somebody. Christian Slater plays this man absolutely brilliantly. In watching his performance, I kept thinking "Where is Christian Slater?" ... Well, he's not even in the neighborhood. Well done, guy!

The direction is absolutely amazing: colorful, imaginative, darkly funny, and surreal. Cubicles, and hummingbirds, and talking fish, oh my!

While the film is not particularly emotionally satisfying (to say the least), on the cerebral and aesthetic level, it delivers big time.

"He Was a Quiet Man" answers the musical question: "Now maniacs will think twice before going crazy."

Yessiree.

1st I wanna say that Christian Slater is incredibly excellent on this movie,it's probably his best job so far and a break through for him,rest of the acting is good too,Elisha Cuthbert is my other favorite in the movie.

Directing in the other hand,slips many times during the movie,such as in the "throw up" scene,it's more like a teen movie instead of being a drama!prediction part also seemed unnecessary and not related to the hole concept of the movie.although it should not be forgotten that it's one of the few experiences of the director/writer Frank A. Cappello ,and hopefully we will see better movies from him in the future.

it's certainly a must see among the recent movies so far,but don't get your hopes up too much ,like I did!

Undoubtely one of the best movies made last year. One of the reason is because it surprises you in several ways, not only is a visual treat but it's also original in a way not seen since long in Hollywood. I mean original quality which reminds us why we love films. Witty blend of drama with a subtle touch of dark comedy making up a unique cinematographic cocktail. Having said that, special and satisfying mention to MrSlater, who in my humble opinion has delivered his best work yet without any doubt. Going through his filmography one cannot avoid noting that for whatever reason he's been somehow wasted in many awful films and his career could have been quite memorable so far having done other roles in other films instead. Le't us hope this will be a turning point in his career for the sake of our future entertainment

And that alone should make you not want to take into consideration my review. However, it doesn't help having my own expectations before watching it. Some guy said that is a combination of Falling Down, Office Space and some other film. Yeah, it has cubicles!

The movie is more reminiscent of Julian Po (mixed with quite a bit of Boxing Helena) and Christian Slater was clearly chosen for the part because of that particular movie. This is no way a comedy and, if you feel "cubicled", I don't know if it is a good idea to watch it. I mean, yeah, it does suggest one look into their own heart and act, rather than hate others and always fantasize (or even act) on that hate. However, it doesn't say what to do if what you find in your own heart is not that pretty.

Bottom line: a pretty sad and dark film. It is also a good film and one might appreciate not only the script, but also Slater's wonderful performance. However, I personally wasn't in the mood for it.

I've never been a fan of Christian Slater although I've never been a detractor either. This movie turned any opinion I had of him on its head. A well scripted film, beautifully acted (By Slater, Macy and Cuthbert) from start to finish. Slater is a desperate man ready to go to ultimate lengths to right a world he sees as wrong. As can be seen in the trailer, he's beaten to the punch and inadvertently becomes a hero. It's at this point that the film begins in earnest. It doesn't try and get too clever as some movies tend do with a story of this ilk (sometimes to the detriment of the movie). The story was strong enough to carry me all the way through to the end. Buy it, go see it, rent it.

This movie is a wonderful example of those movies that start very well, promising, then after 10 minutes start to go nowhere and at the end are completely pointless. This "comedy" is not in the least funny. At the beginning, Mr. Slater does a fine job portraying the dull worker, really very convincing, but then his character becomes very repetitive, all the time showing the same facial expression, which makes you start to hate him. BTW, there is not a single character to sympathize with. The movie keeps making you believe the dull worker would finally take revenge for being constantly pushed around, but he never does it. On the contrary: the ending made me hate myself that I didn't stop watching this garbage in the middle (when I was fighting to stay awake). So what's the point? If everybody disdains and hates you, treats you like a cockroach, pushes you around, then you payback by killing yourself, so that they get the confirmation that they were right about you being a waste of space?

...that a human mind is capable of creating such intriguing plot - so terrifying and captivating this movie is. Frank Capello is obviously a man of genius. But he is not nice and gentle to his audience. The movie is sharp-straight, honest and pretty cruel to a person watching it. It doesn't compromise. Don't expect it to comply with general drama movie rules.

*** BE AWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW ***

After you ve seen 50% of it or so you think it's pretty common drama, quite predictable and possibly happily ending one. Well, its not. Not at all. And so shockingly not.

Cast is perfect. I would never think Slater could fit into the role of Bob. W.Macy would fit better, I thought. But these thoughts faded away.

The movie is not open-ended despite what some people say. You just have to think harder than you usually do while watching a regular movie. Be more attentive or watch it again.

Capello makes you think. If you want to know what really happened analyze the details. There are answers.

I give 9 out of 10, because Capello rudely and savagely ruined my hopes for the better ending :)

The picture tells the fictional story from the angle of Bob Maconel, an employee in an office staff. Hos colleagues treat him bad and he can't do good enough for them, until another amok-runner kills half of the floor. From then on his lifes turns and his own amok-run-phantasies vanish in a new way of life he joins. The story doesn't have real surprising moments, but the inner conflicts of Bob are portrayed interesting. His life and the life of the other employees afterwards run into an interesting progress. Just don't expect too much and you will see an entertaining movie. :D

this MOVIE seemed to go in the right direction. it was interesting to see Slater in this kind of role, he really tried to get into it with his limited skills (since he is only a faded personality) but he just like the rest of the piece fell short.

yes there was moments of darkness, where you felt sad, but most of the time you feel nothing but pity for everyone and every part of this mess.

there are very out of place CGI effects, that are plastered all over the place, the only one worth mentioning (i.e. one that worked and did not look bad) was his only friend the gold fish. which was prob. the best role in the piece.

the movie suffers from bad editing and a total lack of direction, in not only the story but the random choice of effects. also the humor while not a bad thing was out of place. honestly the whole thing was a mess, it felt like i was watching a bad rip-off of THE ASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXION, a film that puts you into a box, that you like the protagonist want to get out of.

you ask yourself at the end of this movie... was it dream? why did he make all these stupid choices? was this made for TV? does this get any worse? why did W.H Macy do this movie? why does Cuthburt for once look ugly when the role is supposed to be the head turner? why is every office worker literally a cardboard cut out? why i'm I not entertained and not believe one thing i'm watching? etc. etc. etc. plot holes, bad acting, loose premise! honestly the only thing that could have saved this movie would have been to just simply do one thing, make the whole feature black and white. that one addition would have added a needed darkness as well as contrast that the movie needed on many levels. you would see the world as he does... and the horrible rendered, cheap, ineffective, out of place CGI, would have its flaws hidden, blending into his own stark world.

but its just a hack in the end, a not funny OFFICE SPACE.