adonis98-743-186503 A woman leaves an abusive relationship to begin a new life in a new city, where she forms an unlikely and ironic relationship with a suicidal hit man (unbeknownst to her). Enter a worn, alcoholic detective to form the third party in a very unusual triangle as this story begins to unfold. The Merry Gentleman is one of those films that at first i couldn't relate to not even one bit but i gave it a fair 2nd chance and i gotta say it's a pretty damn brilliant movie now is it perfect? No it's not there are some choices that certain characters take that don't make that much of a sense, the dialogue is not always great and Bobby Cannavale's character is easily the worst part of the movie. Now on the good side of things Michael Keaton is terrific and for a first time Director he does a pretty good job, Kelly Macdonald although at first i couldn't relate that much with her i found her character to be much more interesting than i expected plus her chemistry with Keaton was good, this is not an action film this is more of an actual character drama about 2 broken souls that are pretty damn tired of this world and they eventually try to change their lives. The Merry Gentleman is not one of Keaton's best films but he knows how to direct a movie and he definitely can deliver on both in front and behind the Camera. If you love any of the actors that star in the film or you want to see a good and well made drama you will definitely enjoy 'The Merry Gentleman'. (7.5/10)

rooprect The main character doesn't say a word for the first half hour. But in that half hour, if we're paying attention, we get more insight into the depths of a man's soul than if we had just read his 500-page autobiography.The Merry Gentleman is billed as a crime drama, but that label hardly does it justice. The same way "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" broke the spy genre, the same way "2001: A Space Odyssey" broke the scifi genre, the same way "Pink Floyd -The Wall" ain't no average musical, this film is anything but your average crime drama. For starters, there's not a single car chase, gunfight, blimp explosion or any of the standard crime drama clichés. Instead, the tension & suspense is masterfully built around secrets. We begin with a secret which only the main character and the audience know. Then there is a secret which the 2nd character only knows (which the audience must slowly piece together). And finally, we have the main character's ultimate secret which is so cryptically presented that it may take you a few days of introspection before you figure it out.This film is very much like a challenging poem whose meaning is elusive at first glance but whose mood & style sinks into your mind over time. Dialogue is sparse, but every line packs a whollop. In particular, pay attention to the analogy of ghosts & angels which crops up several times both verbally & visually. One of the characters says something like "Ghosts and angels are the same, except ghosts are haunted while angels are blessed." OK, it may not mean much at first, but by the end of the film the significance is absolutely beautiful.Which brings me to the cinematography: absolutely beautiful. I'm no film school student, but I know what images affect me, and these scenes certainly did. Contrast (gleaming white snowflakes at night), perspective (long corridors at the morgue), symmetry (a lonely theatre marquee) and surrealism (a Christmas tree burning in a wheat field) are just some of the artistic touches you have in store. I can honestly say that I cannot think of a finer directoral debut than Michael Keaton in The Merry Gentleman.I won't even get into the first rate acting, the haunting musical score, or Katie's adorable accent. This movie is just about perfect. The only reason why I'm giving it only 8 stars instead of 10 is that I'm a real hardass.By the way, DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. DO NOT READ THE DVD DESCRIPTION. AVOID ALL DISCUSSION OF PLOT. This movie is best enjoyed if you know absolutely nothing about the story. The challenge (and the fun) will be even greater.

craysellers Kelly MacDonald has that quality about her that pulls the male ego into wanting to protect her. I felt it in "The Girl in the Cafe," and I'll never forgive Javier Bardem for keeping his vow in "No Country for Old Men." "The Merry Gentleman" could be titled "Who will Protect Kelly?" Will it be the cop, the hit-man (Keaton) even her "born-again" husband?-they all want to protect her. Her husband is insane, and the cop offends her every time he speaks. Cold-blooded murderer Logan (Keaton), seems to win her heart with coughs, wheezing and repeating twice "I found a girl under a Xmas tree." Keaton's minimalist dialog even has him wheezing for her to quit talking and leave the hospital. If he charms her with any more silver-tongued devilry than that, it must have been edited out. I thought the ending worked; the part that was missing was 'What did she see in him?'

in1984 ... it had the potential to work. Combine it with an actor who apparently wants to make one of those films you can tell is specifically created for Oscar award nomination and ends up being cliché and simplistic and you get cliché, simplistic, and unrealistic.At times it did work. But I think this is a case where the director (also a primary actor in the story) got himself too involved and lost perspective.You could also say this mixes the various sniper/killer films popular at the moment with an xmas film. Either way, the end product would have benefited immensely from someone reviewing it who wasn't personally involved in the film and a bit more plot development.