Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H Macy,
Jamison Jones, Sascha Knopf, Greg Baker, Michael DeLuise,
Stanley C Hall, Cristina Lawson, Nicole Hawkyard
Written by Frank A Capello
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 95 minutes
Directed by Frank A Capello
Bob Maconel (Slater) is a very small cog in a very big wheel. With his bad teeth, thinning hair and cheap clothes, he's destined for a life of basic admin duties and being one of life's eternal losers. He's a nobody, pure and simple. Should Bob go postal, for example, he's exactly the type that neighbours would describe to news crews with the words ' he was a quiet man'.
That probably gives some indication of the direction Frank A Capello's odd little film takes. Bob starts taking a gun to work and fantasises about the order he'll be popping caps in arses. Vanessa (Cuthbert) is safe but everyone else? Fair game. Unfortunately, a similarly disgruntled colleague beats Bob to the punch. So Bob shoots him instead and is declared a hero. A rapid promotion follows, he becomes the 'ideas man' for the CEO (Macy) but there's one sticking point. Vanessa. She was hit by the gunman's bulletsand has been left a quadraplegic. She wants to die and blames Bob. She persuades him to kill her but he can't go through with it and, instead, the two begin a strange relationship. It's this, more than the alleged heroism, that changes Bob's character but things aren't quite what they seem.
He Was A Quiet Man is an eccentric little film that, while entertaining and moderately stimulating, doesn't quite gel. Slater's against-type performance is excellent — sort of the older nerdy version of Heathers' JD — but he deserves a stronger platform to show off his obvious acting chops. Capello has some neat ideas (and a few too many camera tricks up his sleeve) but doesn't quite seem to know where he's taking them. The result then is diverting enough but ultimately it's as random as its central act of violence.