Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always Be Closing, 9 Feb 2006
"Glengarry Glen Ross" does for the world of Sales in the 1990's what "Network" did for TV broadcasting in the 1970's. It is a powerful drama, satirical at times in a very subtle way.It is set in an American real estate office, where competition and rivalry between the salesmen is fierce and Darwinian in nature. The cast is Hollywood A List, featuring impressive performances from Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris and Kevin Spacey and a remarkable cameo from Alec Baldwin. They all provide recognisable portraits of the different types of salesperson one might encounter ; the aggressive, smooth talking , vain office hotshot, the desperate old hand struggling to stick the pace, the cynical one, the one who's too nice and in the wrong job and the obnoxious,know all boss with the Beemer and Rolex. "The Office" this ain't. The characters in this sales office are all nasty, nakedly greedy, abusive, deceitful, jealous and amoral. However there is a certain solidarity amongst them which emerges from time to time as all of them are equal in the face of the relentless pressure to meet their targets or face the chop. Any prospective salesperson should watch this. For every successful Al Pacino or Alec Baldwin ,there are many more distraught Jack Lemmons and Ed Harris's out there barely able to make ends meet. The dialogue, acting and characterisation are all excellent. The only criticism I would make is that,at a running time of only an hour and a half, the film is too short.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The death of some salesmen, 18 Dec 2005
If you’ve ever been on the end of a phone while your tea goes cold as someone try’s to sell you double glazing , a new kitchen /bathroom /conservatory ( Errr I live on the 16th floor of a tower block…. Actually that’s not true but it’s a good riposte) or had some rapaciously aggressive soul perched on your doorstep in the rain urging you to switch your gas/electricity supplier then you will probably loathe sales people so much it makes your eyeballs bleed. Watching Glengarry Glen Ross might just make you change your mind……a bit.
Featuring a truly scintillating ensemble cast Glengarry Glen Ross was originally released in 1992 and despite great reviews was largely ignored. Al Pacino was nominated for a best supporting actors gong but lost out to Gene Hackman for his performance in “Unforgiven”. Criminally Jack Lemmon was ignored for his truly titanic performance as twitchy Shelby “The machine” Levene. Acting is as perverse a trade as sales it would seem. How else can you explain Keanu Reeves?
Scripted by David Mamet from his Pulitzer winning play and directed by James Foley the film sees the various salesman of a New York real estate firm in a vicious battle of wills and techniques to see who will be top salesman of the month, thus winning a new Cadillac, but more importantly first shot at the juicy Glengarry leads in Florida. Leading the way is Tony Ramona (Pacino), a slick vain amoral shyster with the gift of the gab. His competition played by Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Lemmon don’t pose much of a threat, constantly bitching about their deadbeat leads, bad luck and their unsympathetic impassive boss (Kevin Spacey).Things get even worse for the three horse men of the sales collapse when a truly loathsome individual from head Office (Alec Baldwin) arrives to inform them that only the top two salesmen of that month will be given the Glengarry leads, the rest will be fired. Faced with this amoral preening p***** (The sort of person who equates worth with wealth -my cars bigger and better than yours, my watch is a Rolex) my response would have been a “Fast Show” catch phrase: “I’ll get me coat” but his is “Always be closing”, the sort of sales jargon twaddle that should have it’s progenitors tongue scooped out with a sharpened tea spoon. The team, if you can call them that, disperse shell shocked but on returning the next day discover the office has been burgled and the Glengarry leads stolen.
The only guy you’re sure didn’t do it is Ramona , especially after you see him rapaciously yet brilliantly con a downtrodden Jonathon Pryce into signing his life away. The film though then becomes an enthralling whodunit swirling biliously in a fraught mass of male insecurity, pride, and avarice with Lemmon truly outstanding as his character descends further into desperation .The action takes place in various claustrophobic environments , grey offices, a badly lit restaurant, cars in rain storms and is propelled not by anything physical but by a narrative that moves with the urgency of a exocet missile and often with consequences nearly as devastating as the profane polemic ping pongs round.
That you give a toss about characters as despicable as these , and that you actually ending up feeling sorry for one of them is tribute to the power of the writing , characterisation and the power house performances this movie revels in. One of the great films of the 90,s does a remarkable thing. Makes you interested enough to watch a set of complete arseholes for 100 minutes and actually makes you feel some sympathy for what salesman have to go through. That is maybe the films most audacious triumph of all.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
superbly acted drama, 4 Jun 2007
If you ever wanted to know about the brutal reality of selling then watch this movie. With a superb script and acting we are treated to a savage take on the competitive world of selling and making money.
All actors deliver virtuso performances with a notable cameo from Alec Baldwin as an unforgiving boss, also the movie is mostly set in the office and this increases the tension as each actor argues with another.
Al Pacino is very good especially in the scene where Kevin Spacey messes up a sale.
Good support from the rest of the cast but Jack Lemmon stands out as a sympathetic but also callous salesman, i would have given this 4 stars but add one more star for Lemmons performance.
The language is crude but essential to the movie highly recommended.
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