Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

He Was a Quiet Man (2007)

Director: Frank Cappello

2

Time Out rating

Average user rating
5 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Giving a creepy fantasist everything he has ever dreamed of is the intriguing set-up squandered by this odd and aimless film. When the office punchbag, Bob Maconel (Christian Slater sporting giant specs and a receding hairline), decides to murder his co-workers, he not only fumbles loading the gun, but finds himself beaten to it by the man who sits on the next desk. Maconel then sees his office crush (Elisha Cuthbert) hit the floor, kills the man and is hailed a hero. He even gets the (now paraplegic) girl. The only glitch is that he is still the same psychopathic loner. Slater does well to soften the lines of his no-hoper caricature, but writer-director Cappello steers his film to nowhere particularly memorable.

Author: Cath Clarke 2007-12-03 15:08:21

Time Out London Issue 1946: December 5-11 2007


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

User reviews of this film

  • Keith said...
    Posted on Oct 26 2009 18:40 What a great film. Was one of those films that keep you watching until the end. The ending makes everything come clear - i.e. the majority of the film is the main characters fantasy. Very clever and thought provoking!
    Report as inappropriate
  • Debra said...
    Posted on Apr 19 2008 22:26 I loved this film all the way through but was left a little perplexed by the ending. At least until I read the FAQ on it at IMDB.com. This explained things perfectly and made me love the movie even more.
    Report as inappropriate
  • brent said...
    Posted on Feb 05 2008 13:21 This movie was great, until the end. Alot of it was really well done, but when it came time to wrap it up, the writer/director decided to tell everyone in the world who doesn't fit in that they should kill themselves for the sake of everyone else. It's a shame too because I really enjoyed most of the movie.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Janet said...
    Posted on Dec 08 2007 16:26 Nowhere memorable? I thought this was one of the most memorable films I've seen all year. There were so many twists and turns you never could guess how it was going to end up. I was very moved by the ending of this movie. Normally don't like Cuthbert but in this she's great.
    Report as inappropriate
  • John Sacks said...
    Posted on Dec 08 2007 11:03 Comepletely disagree. This film is incredibly memorable. My group talked about it all night after seeing it. Did this reviewer watch this in a theater or in his home? Great ideas and totally unpredictable. What nore could you want?
    Report as inappropriate
5 comments

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Get 2 for 1 pizza and cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

Cast & crew

Director: Frank Cappello

Producer: Michael Leahy

Cast: Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H Macy, Sascha Knopf, Jamison Jones full cast

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama

Rated: 15

Duration: 91 mins

UK Release: Dec 7 2007




Top Stories

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'

Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?

How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'

We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

A gateway to all things 'New Moon'

In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.

London Children's Film Festival

London Children's Film Festival

Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

The films that deserve a TV spin-off

With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’

Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'

Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'

Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations