Glengarry Glen Ross Movie Review

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

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Written by: David Mamet (based on the play by), David Mamet (screenplay by)
Directed by: James Foley
Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Jonathan Pryce
Rated: R
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Plot
Four New York real estate salesmen become desperate to sell their weak leads when a tough representative is sent by the head office to motivate them. He announces that, in one week, all except the top two salesmen will be fired.

Verdict
This movie is so fun to watch. Great actors deliver lines from a great script. The dialog is so sharp and quotable. It's slick from start to finish. This gives an amazing opening from Alec Baldwin and then we watch characters complain, scheme, and strut. There's a lot of ego in this as men cling to their last bit of hope, desperate to survive while others do anything to succeed. Characters either complain about insurmountable tasks or gloat when they achieve those tasks. It captures the sales profession well; it's either feast or famine. This provides so many points for character discussion without relying on extensive background or flashbacks. There's a lot of talking in this movie, but when the dialog and script is this good it's as exciting as any action movie.
Watch It.

Review
This is based on Mamet's 1983 stage play. Alec Baldwin's role was created specifically for the film, not appearing in the original play. All of the actors took significant pay cuts to appear in this movie. The movie didn't do well at the box office, and that's not a surprise. It's not the type of movie that causes people to flock to the theater. It has become a cult classic, and that was to be expected.

This might be the best movie adapted form a stage play. If it isn't, it's in contention for the title. While it's certainly well written it avoids feeling static as most adaptation do. It certainly helps this has so many formidable actors.

Alec Baldwin plays Blake

"Cofee's for closers." Alec Baldwin turns in a performance in one scene that nearly steals the entire movie and this is a stacked class. Baldwin's entire speech is gold, and he owes a debt to Mamet. Baldwin is a young hotshot that come in to tell four sales people they need to sell or they get fired. Only two of them will still be employed.

This captures a typical workplace so well. You get the guys that want to complain, that don't want to do any extra work, complain about Blake (Alec Baldwin) and his cockiness, and are frustrated with the situation. Blake tells them what's possible and it's just complaints. If you do well you're lucky, if not you're unlucky. Blake doesn't wear a watch worth more than some people's cars because he's lucky. He's a worker. The movie connects because this is human nature.

Blake provides the push that breeds desperation. Dave (Ed Harris) and George (Alan Arkin) complain about the situation. Ricky (Al Pacino) and Shelley (Jack Lemon) go to the bar. Shelley chases his tail, but Ricky starts working a guy. That's why Ricky is the top salesman and Shelley doesn't even realize it. This is a pressure cooker situation but Ricky is the only one unphased. It helps that he's already the top salesman, but he also never stops. The other three salesman are scrambling. It's do or die and everyone is lashing out.

The writing really is spectacular. We don't get any backstory. We learn who these guys are on the spot by how they react to adversity, how they talk, and the stories they tell. How they complain and this game of one-upmanship also reveals a lot about them. Shelley goes from a sad sack moping around the office, pondering whether he should lie, cheat, and steal to keep his job to dancing around the office and bragging about his sale. What's so subtle about the writing is that we should be wondering how he got a lead that early in the morning.

Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon play Ricky Roma, Shelley Levene

Multiple characters float the idea of cheating to win. When a robbery occurs at the office, we don't know if it was one of the salesman or someone else. That provides a lot of tension as all of them seem guilty by how they react to be questioned by the cops. We don't see the interrogation, only how they react to the prospect of it. During this we get to see why Ricky is the top salesman. When you're the top earner, you get that leeway to be a bit of a jerk. Ricky can do that, but Shelley isn't the earner he used to be.

Character interactions are so good. Sure these are great actors, but the dialog is harp. Any time these characters think they are in trouble they answers a question with a question. They're always dodging and changing the subject. They're salesman, they're used to avoiding questions. That's the thing, these guys are salesman and need to always be on. It's not a coincidence that the two best salesman we see, Blake and Ricky, have an excess of hubris. That's how you survive in this business by believing it or putting up a facade. Dave is second best, but mad the entire movie that he might get fired. Shelley is hanging on to his past victories. We only see sales pitches from Ricky and Shelley. It's clear who's better. Ricky isn't even selling real estate, he's selling himself as a friend and confidant. This movie gets sales right, and then builds on top of that. At the end Ricky floats an idea of working independently to Shelley, but I think that's Ricky selling Shelley.