Glengarry Glen Ross

Based on David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross follows the duplicitous comings and goings of an office full of shifty real-estate hustlers (including Al Pacino’s Ricky Roma, Ed Harris’ Dave Moss, and Jack Lemmon’s Shelley Levene) over the course of a hectic 24-hour period – with the admittedly thin storyline set into motion by a slick upper-management type’s proclamation that the men will lose their jobs if their work doesn’t improve. There’s little doubt that Alec Baldwin’s utterly electrifying turn as the aforementioned upper-management type proves instrumental in Glengarry Glen Ross‘ efforts at initially capturing the viewer’s attention, yet it’s just as clear that the immensely engrossing nature of the actor’s all-too-short appearance temporarily infuses the proceedings with an anti-climactic vibe that persists for a good half hour or so. It’s worth noting, however, that the movie remains surprisingly engaging even through its less-than-enthralling stretches, with Mamet’s typically hypnotic dialogue and the uniformly Oscar-worthy performances (as well as James Foley’s sporadically fluid directorial choices) effectively staving off the filmed-play atmosphere one might’ve anticipated. The office robbery that comes about halfway through marks an obvious turning point within Glengarry Glen Ross, as the various characters subsequently grow increasingly caustic to one another and the film adopts a tone of urgency that becomes impossible to resist. And while the movie’s obvious highlight comes with Roma’s brutal dressing-down of Kevin Spacey’s officious manager, Mamet’s screenplay affords virtually all of the actors their moment in the sun – with Lemmon’s sad-sack of a character ultimately standing as the film’s emotional center (ie despite his exceedingly slimy actions, Levene becomes a figure worthy of the viewer’s sympathy). The end result is a compelling, thoroughly quotable piece of work that generally lives up to its reputation as a modern classic, and it’s certainly not a stretch to label it the most effective big-screen translation of a Mamet stage play.

***1/2 out of ****