Reviewed by Steve Sparshott
Stars Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, Bobby Cannavale, Darlene Hunt, Guy Van Swearingen, William Dick, Greg Mills, Larry Neumann Jr
Written by Ron Lazzeretti
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 96 minutes
Directed by Michael Keaton
The Merry Gentleman is not the quirky romcom suggested by its misrepresentative trailer. While the film does contain romance, it’s delicate, awkward and platonic, and its humour derives from the characters’ interactions rather than contrived situations. It’s a slow-burning study of the relationship between two dispossessed people, and a highly credible directorial debut for Keaton.
Keaton plays Frank Logan, who is that cinematic fun staple, a hitman. However, in a departure from the usual form, he’s not juggling his assassination assignments with his everyday life. He has the obligatory noble job (he’s a tailor) but otherwise we’re told nothing. His domestic situation is irrelevant and, for the purposes of the story, non-existent. He interacts with others by either measuring or shooting them; his life is so reduced he wishes to end it. Kate Frazier (MacDonald) witnesses - and prevents - not a neat execution performed by Frank, but his subsequent suicide attempt. She reports the man on the ledge, the next morning a cleaner in the building opposite finds the victim’s body and Detective Dave Murcheson (Bastounes) takes an interest in both cases and in Kate herself.
Meanwhile Frank has a loose end to tidy; he goes to find Kate, bumping into her on her front step as she lies pinned under an impulsively purchased Christmas tree. Even in this distinctly romcom scenario, awkwardness and uncertainty prevail, but Kate and Frank slowly begin to form a bond as they alleviate each others’ loneliness. There are obvious parallels with Lost in Translation - the older man isolated and rootless by profession, the younger woman trying to escape an unhappy relationship - but here the players have been damaged by life, they’re not just a bit bored.
Kate’s story gives an interesting insight into the difficulties faced by an unaffectedly attractive woman who doesn’t want all the attention she receives, even when it’s mostly well meant. On the run from her abusive husband and trying to assemble a quiet life from scratch, she’s beset by over-eager opportunist suitors (including Murcheson), and too many enquiries regarding her black eye. The immediately adorable MacDonald is the perfect actress for this role; In No Country for Old Men, while it was clear from the start that things would end badly for everyone, her fate was the most heartbreaking. In The Merry Gentleman she again plays a character who, while not a total naïf, is comparatively innocent; a victim of plain old bad luck.
Keaton gives a tremendously restrained and effective performance. Forgive the cliche but he conveys a thoughtful intelligence with minimal speech and movement. A bit too much (literal) lurking in the shadows perhaps, but when he’s exposed to the light he expresses a great deal through stillness, slight facial shifts and spare dialogue. With his lined face, subtle acting and stately direction, the star of Mr. Mom now invites comparison with Clint Eastwood. The supporting cast is excellent, especially Bastounes’ jaded cop Murcheson and Hunt as Kate’s colleague Diane, a genuinely good soul who befriends the new girl early on and tries to penetrate her secretive defences. Murcheson does his best to be a good guy despite the inevitable cynicism engendered by his profession, a trait shared by all the characters - they’re trying hard to be decent people, struggling against their own naturally recurring patterns of behaviour - even Diane, who’s messing around with a married colleague she doesn’t particularly like.
The film is set in a damp wintry Chicago. The palette is muted - even the cars are mostly grey or black; splashes of colour are reserved for cheerful Christmas trappings. Keaton’s direction is elegant, not showy, tells the story clearly and unfussily and never intrudes. The direction, performances and cinematography are all well matched; restrained, understated and powerful. The Merry Gentleman quietly constructs a strong, affecting whole which is far more than the sum of its delicate parts.
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SECOND OPINION | Doug Cooper * This is an inauspicious directorial debut from Michael Keaton. The former Batman is good at creating a cold and wintry mood but otherwise his instincts have been taken over by lethargy. And this goes for his acting here too. His manic energy is nowhere to be seen. He plays an unhappy hitman called Frank Logan. Perched on a Chicago rooftop as the snow billows down, he fulfills his obligation in assassinating an unlucky individual and then stands on the roof edge seemingly contemplating suicide. Exiting the building opposite at this time is shy Scottish office worker Kate (Macdonald) who sees him and shouts out. This upsets his reverie and he falls back on the roof thereby foiling his attempt at his own death. While trying to get a Christmas tree through the front doot of her apartment building he comes across her and gives some assistance, soon inveigling himself into her life. They strike up an odd tentative friendship, but Kate has secrets to hide. She is continually trying to mask the black eye she acquired from the violent husband (Cannavale) she's fled from. She is also being asked out on dates by the overweight boozy cop (Baastounes) who is investigating the office murder.
Soon her husband reappears having discovered religion and forgoing all violence. But can he be believed? And will Frank make his presence felt in his professional capacity? Coincidence piles upon coincidence but this is hardly rivetting material. It's a slow and sombre affair with too many long meaningless pauses and not enough hustle and bustle. Logan is so incommunicative one wonders why Kate would want to spend any time with him. Keaton, sporting a goatee beard, is commanding enough but it's the charming Macdonald who gives the movie its heart. She's completely winning and believable as the vulnerable victim and one can immediately sees why the cops feel protective of her. Bastounes is very good too, suggesting a caring trait beneath his gruff exterior. In fact, all the performances are fine. It's just a shame that they're wasted on this pedestrian and unsatisfying effort.