Glengarry Glen Ross

I have included a little review of a movie I like as I thought it might help or give you a few ideas.

There are certain ingredients which a movie must have if it is to be successful. A good cast. A well written script and a director who understands the world he is trying to present. Glengarry Glen Ross is such a movie.

Directed by James Foley in 1992 and starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris and Alec Baldwin the movie is based on a David Mamet play. The action takes place over the space of one day and concerns a group of real estate salesmen. They move between their dingey office, a sleazy bar and public payphones as they try to sell to people who don't want to buy.

The central character Shelley Levene (played by Jack Lemmon) is an aging salesman who is finding it difficult to compete with his younger colleagues. Al Pacino plays Ricky Roma, the successful salesman who the others envy, even though he is dishonest, brutal and exploits the weaknesses of his customers to persuade them to buy. At the start of the movie, in a wonderful scene, Alec Baldwin's character warns the salesmen that either they make some sales or they lose their jobs. From here the pressure on the men builds and builds.

What strikes the viewer first is the claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie. The action takes place on a rainy night and the men seem trapped, unable to escape their life and the increasing pressure, as they desperately make phone calls to uninterested customers in their office.

Another wonderful point is the acting. Each actor perfectly captures the emotions of their character and you can feel their desperation. You really feel you are watching men being destroyed by their hunger for success. Al Pacino is, as usual, dramatic and steals many scenes, but it is Jack Lemmon's quiet and subtle depiction of a man facing the end of his life, with nothing to show for it, that really captures the imagination.

This movie is not for everyone. It is dark and there is a lot of strong language. However, it is one of the few movies I could sit down and watch again and again.