"He Was a Quiet Man" (2007) - Movie Review

“He Was a Quiet Man” is a strong sentence which carries a lot in tragedies we see pretty regularly in open shoot outs by kids in schools and malls. Every one says the line who does not know the person well enough. It is not a kid but a man out here who is Bob Maconel (Christian Slater with a make over resembling Milton in “Office Space”). A man we see loading his gun to shoot some of his co-workers. He is deeply agitated, bullied by his fellow employees and isolated by his shyness.

In bits and pieces of seeing “Falling Down”, it has the much more similar character frustrated with his life and been pulled over the edge. We have already seen this person is the first impression we get. The cubicle environment has created a corporate claustrophobia and it is captured in the film. Bob says he has been requesting for a cubicle having windows and it cannot be more reflective of the current office spaces. It is a luxurious scale model of the prison. Yet people survive because on the hopes of seeing the evening to end and head home. Bob heads home and talks to his fish (voiced by John Gulager). He lives alone with neighbour’s’ subtle complain for not mowing his lawn. He needs help desperately.

His office sunshine is a cute and voluptuous knockout Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert). In his regular evening dilemma to shoot or not his fellow workers, some other person takes the first step. Bob shoots him and becomes a hero instantaneously. He gets promotion, being noticed and finally window personal office for himself. Unfortunately Venessa becomes quadriplegic surviving bullet wounds. He visits her and she puts on a strange request, to assist her in taking her life since she believes it is hopeless to live. They spend the night and they seem to like each other.

The progress of mood in the film migrates from a cold hearted aloof person to a happier ambience which makes us feel too good to be true. Bob thinks so too but in a different direction. The film’s official building is in the suburbia wherein it is clockwork of boring jobs from one place to another. Bob is a ticking bomb and it is tragic when there are people in a closed space to go unnoticed. It is sadder that surviving from school and college one can skip chances to really open up to some one. The opportunity though needs to be grabbed by the person themselves but how much of extending hands do they get? There is a thin line in stepping on toes and helping out. The film evokes that discussion among us yet it does not come full circle in terms of story.

After many of the questions of us are closely answered, it suddenly topples itself. The movie lifts high when the chemistry in between Bob and Venessa begins. And I would have been interested more scenes with their adjustments to their new life. Venessa finding herself from being a career obsessed go getter woman to realize life has more meaning. Similarly to focus on Bob’s agitation getting more attentiveness and less details on riddles. The tone of the film does not elevate that into an art experience.

Director/Writer Frank Cappello handles bright lights with a congesting darkness in an elevated building. It works considerably on Bob and Venessa and fails incredibly on the character of Mr. Shelby played by William H. Macy. There was lot much to be seen in between these two accidental fortunate/unfortunate people. I liked “He was a Quiet Man” for Slater’s good performance, Jeff Beal’s original score and the colour tone. And I disliked for its ending to leaves me completely clueless.