On DVD: He Was a Quiet Man

Directed By: Frank Capello

Starring: Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy

Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is your typical office employee: simmering with hate at his going-no-where existence in a drab cube where he’s taunted by a bullying boss. Typical, that is, except for the occasional times he pulls out the unloaded gun in his desk drawer and clumsily fumbles with pushing bullets into the revolver. Bob also talks with his fish and the hummingbird that hovers outside his living room door.

An incident, though, trips up Bob’s dreams of his office building crumbling to the ground after an explosion buckles its structure. While Bob becomes an unlikely hero at the office, Vanessa a coworker (Elisha Cuthbert) is forever paralyzed. Fate seems to bring these two together, and Bob’s life seems dreamily sweet. Just as dreams fade when dawn approaches, Bob’s good fortune may likewise be on tremulous ground. 

The Movie

Within the same vein as Office Space, He Was a Quiet Man portrays how the humdrum day of office existence kills the soul of Bob Maconel. The grainy newspaperish black and white opening scenes set the tone for the soul sucking affect of cube life. In the opening monologue, Bob rails against bureaucracy and progress as a “disease” and says a man needs to stand up to it. Yet, clutching his revolver to his chest, he weanies out of “standing up” as his boss puts another report on his desk to work on. Later that night his fish calls him out, “chickend out again, didn’t ya?”

Even though Bob lives such a drab, quiet, beaten existence—a role Slater does a magnificent job playing—his rather schizophrenic realities provide color to his life. Director Frank Capello does fine work in balancing the gray of this movie with the colors of Bob’s frustrated inner life. Surreal scenes of time warping by, of planes landing near Bob’s house, and his building exploding weave throughout this film. Too, a dreamlike score floats about putting us under the influence of the fairy dust of hope and happiness.

Interestingly, hope and happiness enter Bob’s life after an awful incident, where Slater offers his most gripping performance. Just as Bob is loading his revolver, naming each bullet for the intended target, Bob’s cube neighbor Coleman shoots down several coworkers. Coleman is supposed to use the last bullet for himself, but Vanessa, one of his targets, is still alive. Coleman wants to put her out of her misery, but Bob shoots Coleman down, thereby becoming the office hero.

Bob is promoted to Vice President of Creative Thinking by the gregarious, cookie cutter company CEO Gene Shelby (William H. Macy), who tells Bob to go see Vanessa in the hospital. The two become friends after Bob agrees to help finish Vanessa off. Bob can’t do it, but Vanessa and he find a life together. Vanessa’s a tough, do-what-needs-to-be-done, straight shooting admin assistant who is also assertive and fearless. By the way, Cuthbert offers an excellently spicy, yet endearing performance as Vanessa. Some of her traits begin to rub off on Bob who seems get on top of his game at work and in life. Yet, there is a good twist on this that you just have to watch and see unfold.

This film is a great assemblage of cast and writing. Levity and deadpan humor pervade the film making the severity of gray life and sudden tragedy bearable. The acting is superb throughout considering that the roles are rather difficult: a humorless office drone and a bitter quadriplegic. Cuthbert executes her dry and bitter lines with sobering curtness. Yet, she plays up her cute beauty with school girl charm and warmth. Slater turns on his doofus side with a hanging open mouth and staring eyes. He also gradually warms up his character with life as Bob’s luck turns good.

This is a film well worth checking out. It is a humoring, surrealist depiction of finding color even within the grayness of the everyday.

9/10

The Video

Presented in widescreen format, the video quality is good. The director wanted to go with a nostalgic look and I think the film quality backs that up. There is some grain and darker scenes get just a little murky here and there but overall it looks good..

7.5/10

The Audio

In Dolby Surround 2.0, the sound is well balanced and nicely presented. It's a basic presentation but it gets the job done.

7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

The DVD comes in a standard aramay case with a simple design of Bob holding a bomb to his chest with Vanessa’s head on his right and Gene Shelby on his left.

The bonus features include a “First Look at HE WAS A QUIET MAN,” which gives us the typical behind the scene information. The DVD also includes some deleted and alternate scenes and throws in the trailer.

8/10

The DVD overall, is the movie so good that the lacking bonus features make the DVD still good, or vice versa do the fantastic bonus features actually improve the viewing experience of the film, Is the a/v so good that this film is a must see, consider the overall package but not an average of the scores.

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

The Review

The Movie 9/10

The Video 7.5/10

The Audio 7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 8/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

-Chuck Knight