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Amazon.co.uk Review
Like moths to a flame, great actors gravitate to the singular genius of playwright-screenwriter David Mamet, who updated his Pulitzer Prize-winning play for this all-star screen adaptation. The material is not inherently cinematic, so the Glengarry Glen Ross's greatest asset is Mamet's peerless dialogue and the assembly of the once-in-a-lifetime cast led by Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin (the last in a role Mamet created especially for the film). Often regarded as a critique of the Reagan administration's impact on the American economy, the play and film focus on a competitive group of real estate salesmen who've gone from feast to famine in a market gone cold. When an executive "motivator" (Alec Baldwin) demands a sales contest among the agents in the cramped office, the stakes are critically high: any agent who fails to meet his quota of sales "leads" (ie, potential buyers) will lose their job. This intense ultimatum is a boon for the office superstar (Pacino), but a once-successful salesman (Lemmon) now finds himself clinging nervously to faded glory. Political and personal rivalries erupt under pressure when the other agents (Alan Arkin, Ed Harris) suspect the office manager (Kevin Spacey) of foul play. This cauldron of anxiety, tension and sheer desperation provides fertile soil for Mamet's scathingly rich dialogue, which is like rocket fuel for some of the greatest actors of our time. Pacino won an Oscar nomination for his volatile performance, but it's Lemmon who's the standout, doing some of the best work of his distinguished career. Director James Foley shapes Mamet's play into a stylish, intensely focused film that will stand for decades as a testament to its brilliant writer and cast. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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Subtitles: English for the Hard of Hearing
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always Be Closing,
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This review is from: Glengarry Glen Ross [DVD] (DVD)
"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.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must See!!!,
This review is from: Glengarry Glen Ross [DVD] [1992] (DVD)
Mamet creates a world that is a pressure cooker of emotions. Greed, Envy and Regret feature large in a piece of work that ranks as a classic.Times are bad and the "ballbreaker" Alec Baldwin is called from "downtown" to pit salesman against salesman. The winner gets a car, the loser his P45. There are no explosions, no sex, no car chases, and no one gets killed. This film keeps you on the edge of your seat with words. Fast words, slow words, expletives, truisms, lies - the dialogue is thick and fast, each character pitch perfect. Pacino plays the cocky, confident winner at the top of his game. Ed Harris the world weary cynic. Kevin Spacey the spineless manipulative boss and Jack Lemmon the "has been" scared out of his wits holding on by the fingernails. As the story develops each characters hopes and fears become apparent. The common denominators greed and fear driving each of them in equal measure. The climax to the film is an indictment of human nature when pushed to the edge. If you love film that is intelligent, insightful and raw, this film is for you.
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Top film awful format,
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This review is from: Glengarry Glen Ross [DVD] [1992] (DVD)
All that's good about this film has been adequately -- nay -- eloquently said. What's not been mentioned is the butchery that Carlton has meted out to the UK release of this film. Put out on DVD in exactly the same format as the films it broadcasts on UK terrestrial TV, the film has been chopped to 4:3 format, and the DTS sound enjoyed by US buyers has been stripped down to plain old stereo.This is not the first film distributed by Carlton that I've made the mistake of buying. It will be the last.
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