murray_johnc
Most of David Mamet's movies have been better scripted and relied on far fewer star actors. I wonder why this movie got the star treatment when other Mamet movies have done fine with the usual stalwarts - Ricky Jay, Rebeca Pigeon, William H. Macy, etc? The casting is unusual in having no women in the sales office (since female real estate agents far outnumbered male real estate agents back when the screenplay was written). For the movie Mamet added the Baldwin character, so theoretically he could have added a hard, aggressive bitch to the sales team to spice things up. The dialog is typical Mamet fare, it adds punch and pizazz but in real life I've never ever witnessed people verbally exchange like that! There are some plot events that simply don't make sense. The hapless Jack Lemon thinks he's hit the sales jackpot only to be deflated when told that the couple who signed his $80,000 sales contract have a history of being insolvent wackos; office manager Williamson (Spacey) already knew all about this, yet he assigned Shelley a complete time-waster. Why? managers are supposed to optimize business efficiency not sabotage it. Did Williamson do it out of malice or carelessness? We later learn he and Shelly intensely disliked one another? Most people (myself included) would rather clean toilets for a living than face that bleak future of endless sleaze, stress and abuse on all sides, but as this DVD's supplementary piece "Always Be Closing" showed, there are real-life real estate saleswomen who actually love cold-calling! It takes all kinds to make the world turn.
dave_rollason
I have actually met people who don't like this film, which i find staggering.Right from Alec Baldwins brutal opening speech, the whole film is top quality actors , doing what they do best.The dialogue and interaction is incredible, The pouring rain , drab office and Neon strip lights capture the mood brilliantly.Difficult to to say whose was the best performance, Spacey is brilliant but horrible as the manager who dishes out the leads, Pacino is magnificent as the archetypal salesman , " Top of the Board " but who still has time to listen to Jack Lemons sales stories of years gone by , who is brilliant as the aging salesman ( Very Death of a Salesman ) trying to hang on to former glory, but its obvious hes the only one who doesn't realise hes doomed, the way his voice changes on the phone when he clicks into sales mode , but knowing in his heart that the age old leads will never produce a sale and his desperate pleadings to Spacey for the Glengarry leads is brilliant but very sad.Truth is there are no bad performances in this film, easily in my top 10 of all time.
videorama-759-859391
My father was a salesman for years. Amway, Jojoba, Legal And General, Ocean Salvage, etc. I would go out with him, a few times at night, and I would sit waiting, may'be two hours. on some occasions. He would come out, holding it in his stride. Had he stirred interest in a potential client, or was it a no show. He had me wondering every time. He was a good bloody salesman, in one job that's bloody hard, where patience and perseverance are tested. You get this vibe, of such such utter desperation, all through this film, set in a rundown real estate office, a perfect set piece, where across the street is their watering hole/Chinese restaurant, which took me back to Cadillac Man. At the moment, things are pretty down at Mitch and Murray, this downtown real estate office, in lower area of New York, where jobs are on the line, and it's employees are given an ear bashing and a hard and nasty word from a boss (Baldwin-explosive and intense) outside of this office. He makes a meal of the role, savoring every moment of his screen time. This cameo, we thanks him as much as we did, Matthew McConaughey's in The Wolf Of Wall Street. Yes, it's harder to sell that great sell and speech. The real thing that works here is the utter desperation of these guys, trying to make a buck, where their potential clients, and no so potential ones, who are sucking them dry, especially Lemmon's wonderfully played character, where one feels his desperation, most. He's acting is top pro, done to such perfection and solid conviction, you don't want to tamper with it, in any way. This character has a lot to worry about. That scene with him, sweet talking the husband of a woman client, where minutes later, he practically shoves the door on him, was so sincere and believable, you would see this scenario happening right in front of you. We have a couple of potentials who turn out to be cuckoo. Things have got so bad, some of our employees, hungry for these new leads, these "Glengarry leads" and are willing to steal, where one resorts to just this, but who could it be. Bring on the thriller element. GGR is compelling viewing all the way through, as are the actors brilliant performances, Al Pacino's character, of course, as hotshot Richard Roma, stealing the limelight, where I too, loved Spacey, as the weak minded galah, running the place, where evidently, this guy shouldn't be. You learn too, salesmen can be such backstabbers, towards their colleague's backs. I was much fascinated by Harris's character, as the much angry and jealous, hotheaded employee, with a sort of bullying nature, his great performance was stacked up beside the others. GGR is driven excitedly by dialogue and commanding acting, where the actual movie script, is almost description non existent, but we know we're safe here, when we're in the hands of David Mamet. You'll love the film as much as Pacino's voracious moments, and outbursts. The film has been done solid, thanks to the acting and script, and too done under the wonderful direction and watchful eye of a versatile director, who makes movies, that I like. If you're a talk show host, you should see Talk Radio, if you're in real estate, you should see Glengarry Glen Ross.
