Glengarry Glen Ross [DVD]

David Mamet was reputedly paid one million dollars to transform his stage play into a screenplay for this 1992 film. In the process he added the Alec Baldwin cameo scene at the beginning. This is arguably one of the most tightly written film scenes ever written and it's well worth watching the film for this alone. The other good thing about this film is the acting, which one would expect from a cast led by Jack Lemon, Kevin Spacey and Al Pacino. Apart from the Alec Baldwin scene, the scenes between Al Pacino and his weak-minded customer were superb. Negatives? Some parts of the film I found slow - for example there was too much, in my opinion, of Jack Lemmon's character (Shelley) delivering his salesman's patter, and there was far too much bad language, most of which was gratuitous and grew tedious by the time the film ended. The overall message of crass materialism was overstated and somewhat depressing. Despite all this, Glengarry Glen Ross is an intelligently scripted film that has deservedly acquired classic status.

Its about one night in a boiler room real estate sales office where the salesmen are put under incredible pressure by an electric performance by Alec Baldwin as the guy called in by the down town office to light a fire under a poorly performing sales team. The repercussions of the fire he lights are considerable, long term friendships are pushed beyond breaking point, and there's a surprise in store at the end. Great performances by some great actors in the early stages of their career, including Al Pacino and Ed Harris, backed up by long term veterans Jack Lemmon and Alan Arkin. An outstanding film that shows the best and the worst of working in a pressure sales environment. Watch it.

This had been on my ‘Must Watch’ movie list for yonks because ‘what a cast!’, right?Honest to God I was ready to through the remote control at the TV and freeze my own debit card, disallowing me from ever making such a purchase again.Watch rats in a sack — it’ll be cheaper, quieter and more entertaining. I lost (what felt like) eight hours of my life watching this so you don’t have to.Run away — don’t do it!PS: If you ignore my warnings, I challenge you to count how many times the word “leads” is said.

A fabulous movie in which a group of salesmen are put under huge pressure to close real estate deals, and behave accordingly. The two things which really stand out to me are: the 'Cadillac and steak knives' speech by Blake (Alec Baldwin), which compares well with the 'Greed is good' speech in the movie Wall Street; and the quality of the cast, including Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey & Jonathan Pryce.I recommend this movie, and see why some people think this is a true classic.

Great acting, including from true Hollywoods greats like Pacino and Lemmon.Powerful, if not slightly melodramatic, expletive-rich performances, especially towards the film's climax.Would have liked to see more of Baldwin. And there's the unfortunate presence of Spacey:(Throwback corporate 90s film with a bit of (what would today be considered) inappropriate/ politically incorrect dialogue and references. Eye-opening to see what was fairly common corporate behaviour back in the day. Much of this wouldn't "fly" today, with employment law and workers rights etc..

After initially seeing this after a night out, thinking 'what on earth is this?' Glengarry Glen Ross has grown into one of my favourite films. At times hysterical and at others devastatingly serious, this is a film quite unlike any other that I have seen. I have not read the play or seen it at the theatre, but if it ever comes to a theatre near me I would definitely like to see it through its original medium.Right off the bat this film has an unbelievable cast. Jack Lemmon is superb as the desperate sales veteran, struggling to keep up the pace. His sleazy sales calls are cringeworthy and despreately depressing. Al Pacino plays Ricky Roma, and some of his lines of dialogue have to be heard to be believed. They are nonsensical and incredibly funny at times, and although he does overact, to me it reminds me a little of Scarface (extremely comedic but in a very serious context). Ed Harris swears like a trooper, and is the guy that more of us will relate to - stuck in a job that he doesn't enjoy, with no real enthusiasm and a list of complaints as long as his arm. Alan Arkin is a bit of a sheep, who seems to get on with everyone but is basically the quiet guy who listens to the problems of the others. Kevin Spacey is one of my favourite actors, and he is also great in this. His exchanges with Pacino are legendary. Last, but not least, Alec Baldwin's 8 minute appearance is a real highlight, that will make you sit up and take attention from the off. I have watched that scene more times than I care to mention, and it has never lost its edge or its appeal.Now for the film itself. Most people will probably already know the basic plot line, and having worked in the sales industry myself it gives a really pertinent message for me. The pressure to sell, no matter how morally bleak and devious, while not on par with my own work, is nonetheless something that is pushed very strongly in the sales industry. The reference to disinterested clients as 'deadbeats' is a term I have taken to using at work! Though this has not yet caught on, unfortunately.There is an enormous amount of profanity in this film, so if you are aurally sensitive I would say you'd have to give this a miss. However, the quality of the acting alone is more than enough to redeem this, and in many cases the swearing is necessary and extremely impactful. Some of the most crushing comments are made by Baldwin, with no swearing necessary!Tremendous.