044: He Was A Quiet Man (2007)

Title: He Was A Quiet Man (2007)
Starring: Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy
Directed By: Frank A. Capello

Writer/Director Frank A. Capello has come a long, long way since writing Suburban Commando, the 1991 family comedy that had Hulk Hogan as an alien living with Christopher Lloyd.

Here, he introduces us to Bob Maconel (an almost unrecognizable Christian Slater), a depressed and delusional office drone. Bob is just another cog in the big machine of commerce. He's underappreciated for doing a tedious, meaningless task. He fantasizes about snapping one day and blowing up the building. Bob talks to his fish at home. The fish talk back to him. He's not your average guy. But, in a way, he DEFINES average.

Bob keeps a gun at work because he knows someday the time will come and he will snap and kill his co-workers. What he doesn't count on though, is that when that day comes, someone will beat him to the punch and start shooting his office mates first. When this all goes down, Bob shoots back and kills the gunman, becoming an unlikely hero. Soon after, things begin to change for Bob. He's liked at work and gets a raise and a promotion. He falls for a woman that worked there and was injured in the attack. He cuts his lawn. He gets his life moving in the right direction, and then the drama and turmoil of just being Bob start to set in.

I won't spoil the ending for you. What I will say is this: He Was A Quiet Man surprised me. The performances are superb (especially Slater) with just a few mis-steps here and there. The plot is inventive and original. The art direction, particularly the brilliant but sparing use of CG, is outstanding. I hope to see more from Capello, and I hope that someone reads this and finds this movie as compelling as I did. Recommended.

Score: 7.5/10