Movie Review: He Was a Quiet Man

Date January 23, 2008 Posted by Roger Overton

In He Was a Quiet Man, Christian Slater plays disillusioned
office worker Bob Maconel who is on the verge of shooting his co-workers. He’s
a nobody who keeps to himself and lets everyone else walk over him and he’s had
about as much as he could take. The only problem is that another one of the “lame”
workers beats him to it. Bob intervenes to save the only person he seems to
care about from a second shot, Vanessa (played by Elisha Cuthbert), and becomes
an unlikely hero. A bond is formed between Vanessa and Bob that lifts him from
his psychotic depression to the top of the world. But things seem to spiral out
of control from the top more quickly than from the bottom, and the only
question that matters is if Bob has the courage to pull the trigger.

The film is listed as a comedy, but if it’s a comedy then it
fails miserably. As a drama, it paints well a melodramatic picture of being a
drone in the corporate world. It provides occasional entertainment, such as a
talking fish that berates Bob for not killing his co-workers. Against the
backdrop of the mediocre film is an excellent performance by Christian Slater
and the beautiful presence Elisha Cuthbert (she also gives a good performance
but doesn’t need to).

Bob’s problem is one of meaning- he has nothing to live for.
His house is a disaster, he watches a TV that doesn’t work, and the most he’s
ever “gotten out” is to Sizzler. His emptiness is contrasted with the emptiness
of everyone around him, and in the end it seems that no one has a purpose. The
difference with Bob is that he’s the only one willing to admit it. He Was a
Quiet Man is the result of a worldview that recognizes the depressing plight of
humanity but offers no hope. Ultimately, the film is a waste of time and I see
no reason to recommend it.

Family notice: movie contains nudity and coarse language

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