He Was a Quiet Man

Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ***½

Christian Slater has always been a likable actor, ever so slightly nutty and cool and the star of several bona-fide cult classics, but unfairly relegated to a career just below the "A"-list. Lately, it has been painful to see him suffer through so much junk (Who Is Cletis Tout?, Hard Cash, etc.). So watching this "comeback" performance was a real pleasure. Sadly, 2007's He Was a Quiet Man -- great title, that -- went straight to DVD following a few film festival dates; it deserves a lot more.

Frank A. Cappello (one of the screenwriters on Constantine) wrote and directed the film as a kind of surrealistic comedy, with undertones of both horror and romantic drama. Bob Maconel (Slater) works as a drone in an office cubicle. He goes home, drinks apple juice and talks to his fish (and they talk back). He keeps a gun in his desk drawer and fantasizes about shooting his co-workers or perhaps blowing up the building. But one day a man in the next cubicle beats him to the punch, shooting several employees, including the beautiful Vanessa (Elisha Cuthbert). Bob unloads his gun into the maniac and becomes a hero rather than the martyr he planned on being. He gets moved to the top floor and begins working directly for the big boss (William H. Macy). Of course, it's a classic "waiting for the other shoe to drop" scenario, but Cappello keeps things slightly off-kilter and constantly builds expectations. Effective, cartoonish effects and bizarre visuals -- like the colored paper snowflakes that decorate Bob's office -- test reality and keep us on our toes. Sascha Knopf plays the office bombshell who flirts with the newly-heroic Bob.

Slater really sells Bob's tormented inner soul in a very appealing way; he has slightly protruding teeth, off-color skin, stringy, thinning hair and a bit of a paunch, but feels like a real person inside his insane world. The film's ending takes a bit of a nosedive, but before then it had me completely in its clutches.

Anchor Bay's DVD comes with a director's commentary track, a making-of featurette, deleted/alternate scenes and a trailer. Let's hope this leads to more interesting parts for Slater.