Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
When released in 1997, The Gingerbread Man was the only John Grisham movie that did not use one of the popular novelist's bestsellers as its inspiration. Rather, it's based on an original screenplay by Grisham that displays the author's familiar flair for Southern characters and settings within a labyrinthine plot propelled by his trademark narrative twists and turns. Sporting a spot-on Georgian accent, Kenneth Branagh plays a Savannah attorney who comes to the assistance of a troubled woman (Embeth Davidtz) and finds himself enmeshed in a scenario involving the woman's father (Robert Duvall) that grows increasingly complex and dangerous, where nothing, of course, is really as it seems. It's a totally absorbing movie made in the modern film noir tradition; what's most interesting here (and most underrated by critics at the time) is the combination of Grisham's mainstream mystery and the offbeat style of maverick director Robert Altman. Despite a battle with executives that nearly caused Altman to disown the film, The Gingerbread Man demonstrates the director's skill in bringing a fresh, characteristically offbeat approach to conventional material, especially in the use of a threatening hurricane to hold the plot in a state of dangerous urgency. Unfortunately overlooked during its theatrical release, this intelligent thriller provides a fine double bill with Francis Coppola's film of Grisham's The Rainmaker. --Jeff Shannon
Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
French
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dutch\English\French
French
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dutch\English\French
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Gingerbread Man is my favourite film of a John Grisham story. The movie has a very good cast and the direction by Robert Altman is suberb. You are entertained by Robert Duvall, Famke Jansen,Tom Berenger, Robert Downey Junior and others for just under 2 hours in a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. The film isn't massively ambitious and the plot not that complex but it works well in an almost 'Cape Fear' style and I found the story satisfying and not too cliched.
If your a Robert Altman fan don't expect a film like Short Cuts, The Player, The Long Goodbye or McCabe and Mrs Miller, this film is played fast and in a more usual Hollywood way, but that suits the Grisham story. The film will never be regarded as a classic but it's well worth a watch for the cast, the director and the Grisham plot.
If your a Robert Altman fan don't expect a film like Short Cuts, The Player, The Long Goodbye or McCabe and Mrs Miller, this film is played fast and in a more usual Hollywood way, but that suits the Grisham story. The film will never be regarded as a classic but it's well worth a watch for the cast, the director and the Grisham plot.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
One could see this as 'Short Cuts' correlative
opposite. That was a movie with great ambitions, that - while good -
fell just short. This is a movie of much lesser aim (just a good tense
thriller/mystery), that's much more successful on it's own terms.
The acting is very good throughout. It may be my favorite Kenneth
Branagh performance; understated and subtle. And a number of the scenes
really are tense. Altman finds some clever ways to create suspense with
sound and image that aren't just retreads of what we've seen before.
Admittedly, some of the twists are pretty creaky and predictable, the
logic sometimes questionable, and the moral POV of the film is a bit
confusing. But this still blows most modern Hollywood thrillers out of the
water.
opposite. That was a movie with great ambitions, that - while good -
fell just short. This is a movie of much lesser aim (just a good tense
thriller/mystery), that's much more successful on it's own terms.
The acting is very good throughout. It may be my favorite Kenneth
Branagh performance; understated and subtle. And a number of the scenes
really are tense. Altman finds some clever ways to create suspense with
sound and image that aren't just retreads of what we've seen before.
Admittedly, some of the twists are pretty creaky and predictable, the
logic sometimes questionable, and the moral POV of the film is a bit
confusing. But this still blows most modern Hollywood thrillers out of the
water.
Format:DVD
After reading all of his books and a few of the films based on books, I felt a bit let down by this one! did not find it as thrilling as I had expected!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gingerbread Man
I was disappointed with this film. It has a good story, which I felt was poorly executed. Also it took a long time to get anywhere. The actors were adequate. Read more
Published 8 months ago by thewatcher
not one of john grishams best books/films
i wont say this film was totally awful it did have a couple of good points, the escape/break out of mallory doss's father from the mental hospital was quite good but its a film... Read more
Published 15 months ago by vera
Slow starter but worth sticking with
Overall we enjoyed this movie. We love Savannah - this is a side of it we have not seen!! We also bought 'Bagger Valance' Loved it. But.......... Read more
Published on 24 May 2009 by J. DEVINE
Yawn.
I bought it to watch Kenneth Branagh. This lousy plot is a waste of money.
Published on 23 May 2009 by John Barrett Rose
Not Bad
I agree that the talented cast do seem to be wasted in this film but I feel that having the caliber of people such as Robert Duvall, even in a minor role, certainly added weight to... Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2008 by Blackcat2
gingerbread man
A film which lacks tension. The scenes I found very predictable and lacked action.
Published on 3 Dec 2004 by steve rayner
A huge waste of talent
Being based on a Grisham thriller, with a legendary director such as Altman, and with a cast boasting Branagh, Davidtz and Downey Jnr, you'd be forgiven for thinking this could be... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2002
True John Grisham
When I first saw this film advertised, I have to admit that I had never heard of it. I considered myself the premiere John Grisham fan. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
