zacknabo It is good that this picture exists. Don't get me wrong. John Cazale was one of the purest "character" actors of his generation. But Cazale is due something much longer and more comprehensive than the mere 40 minutes he is allotted here. It covers just enough in 40 minutes but it will undoubtedly leave any viewer wanting more--quite a parallel to a fantastic life and career cut short.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) Unfortunately this one here was fairly short just like Cazale's life. Actually, in terms of minutes, it's almost than the age that he had in years when he succumbed to his cancer. The director is Richard Shepard and he won an Emmy and DGA award for directing the pilot episode of "Ugly Betty". Right now, he is mostly working on "Girls". So with female central characters in these two, this documentary is exactly the opposite. It tells us about the great late actor John Cazale, who would have turned 80 this year. I like that there is no real narration in this documentary, but that we get basically all the information from interviewees. And there is a healthy mix too. Some of these are people who worked with Cazale in his films, such as De Niro, Pacino, Hackman, Coppola... and of course Meryl Streep who was his girlfriend back in the 1970s. Others are actors who did not, but who were greatly inspired by his talent, such as Steve Buscemi, who always reminded me a bit of Cazale, and Sam Rockwell. Some people say Cazale has the most perfect body of work in film history and that's certainly a possibility. There is no real flaw in everything he acted. Another thing that is very good in this documentary is that it is not a problem if you haven't seen all his classics. There are no real spoilers in here, so you can enjoy this documentary nonetheless. And I hope you will enjoy it was much as I did. Highly recommended.

Michael_Elliott I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) **** (out of 4)Excellent documentary covering the five films that John Cazale made during his short life. THE GODFATHER, THE CONVERSATION, THE GODFATHER PART II, DOG DAY AFTERNOON and THE DEER HUNTER are discussed in regards to how Cazale got the parts as well as what he did with them. I think it says a lot about how much people cared for him when you see the names that turned out to be interviewed for this 40-minute documentary. Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Gene Hackman, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brett Ratner, Sidney Lumet, Sam Rockwell, Carol Kane, John Savage and Steve Buscemi are among the group gathered for the interviews. That's a mighty impressive list to discuss a man who only appeared in five movies but it's clear that they all loved working with this man. There are countless great stories told about Cazale not only in the movies but also his time on the stage. We hear a few details about his early life but mostly we stick to his movies. We get clips from each of them as people talk about what made the scene so special and how they felt Cazale was able to make those around him so much better. Pacino tells a great story about how Cazale would start scenes on DOG DAY AFTERNOON and it's quite funny. There's also talk about him meeting Streep and marrying her, which of course leads to a discussion on his lung cancer and death at such a young age. The title using "rediscovering" is perfectly used because if you're not familiar with Cazale then this documentary does a great job at making you see why he was so special. If you're familiar with these five films then watching this will just make you want to see them again.

Woodyanders John Cazale was a lanky and sad-faced character actor who specialized in portraying weak guys and wasn't afraid to dig deep into the pain, anguish, darkness, and vulnerability that defined these guys. He only acted in five movies, but they are all uniformly superb pictures that are now correctly regarded as classics: The first two "The Godfather" films (in which Cazale is simply astounding as the hapless and pathetic Fredo), "The Conversation," "Dog Day Afternoon" (he's both funny and scary as the volatile Sal), and, his cinematic swan song, "The Deer Hunter." The middle of three children born to a wholesale coal salesman and a homemaker, Cazale made his debut debut in the amusing comedy short "The American Way" and acted in various Off-Broadway plays prior to securing the choice role of Fredo in "The Godfather." His peers Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, John Savage, and Robert De Niro remember him as an intense and diligent actor who was a great inspiration, asked a lot of questions, and gave a good give and take. Playwright Israel Horovitz notes that John was one of those rare individuals with absolute integrity and reads a beautifully poignant and eloquent eulogy about his untimely passing from lung cancer at age 42. Meryl Streep relates some especially touching stories about Cazale and stuck right by him to the very end (Cazale was terminally ill when he acted in "The Deer Hunter" and died prior to the movie being completed). Admirors Steve Buscemi, Sam Rockwell, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are all quite warm and generous in their appraisal of Cazale's extraordinary work. First and foremost, John was the sort of remarkable transformational thespian who elevated the quality of all those fortunate enough to work with him. Moreover, we also learn that John had beautiful girlfriends, chainsmoked cigarettes excessively, and had a really raunchy sense of humor. An excellent, affecting, and illuminating tribute to a consummate actor's actor.