There's a new adjective in the English language: Tarantino-esque.
Ever since the impact of RESERVOIR DOGS, the dearest trend in moviedom is to manufacture bullet-ridden tales of crimes gone awry, full of wisecracking mobsters and hitmen, and the occasional plot hole, created by taking a copy of a screenplay, setting the food processor on "puree" and putting it in, going for ultra-hip non-linear storytelling. Even Tarantino is capable of re-patenting his own formula, as in PULP FICTION.
Let's add to the heap, shall we?
THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD is certainly a catchy title. The fact that is set in Denver isn't particularly distinguishable. It bears the same problem as myriads of other films where the setting is both identified and the film is actually lensed there: not enough of the city is actually shown to give one the sense of place. It may as well be set in Cincinnati. This may seem nitpicky, but it points out greater liabilities in the film, in terms of its lack of atmosphere and serious character development.
Jimmy the Saint (Andy Garcia) is a smooth-talking clotheshorse who used to be a front man for the sinister mobster The Man With The Plan (Christopher Walken; how many more sinister mobster roles can I play?) Jimmy is now trying to go straight, but the boss calls him out for one last job. It's nothing drastic, it just entails scaring the rival suitor of the mobster's son's lady love.
Jimmy chooses his crew, a band of ex-cons and misfits, including the porno projectionist Pieces (Christopher Lloyd), the scruffy trailer park denizen Franchise (William Forsythe), the seasoned homeboy Easy Wind (Bill Nunn), and the wiliest and funniest of the bunch, 'Critical' Bill Dooley, played to a T by Treat Williams.
This motley bunch seems capable, but they botch the job and end up killing both the rival suitor, and the girl. This of course incurs the wrath of the Man, and he sends Mr. Shhh (Steve Buscemi), the 'most lethal contract killer west of the Mississippi' to do them all in. The rest of the film explores the efforts of the various characters to survive.
In particular, Jimmy has become infatuated with the stunning, unsuspecting Dagney, and has a hard time leaving town. Through it all, Joe Heff (Jack Warden) frequents a cafZ and narrates the story, which is a hackneyed device recalling bad theater productions where the most intelligible parts of the plot are written in the program notes. A talented screenwriter wouldn't need such a cheap prop to propel the story.
There's nothing new here, even the hip dialogue has a forced feeling about it. It has good visuals, and moves along quite nicely, but it's disappointing and depressingly average, copping out in all of the expected places.
Most of the characters don't make much of an impression at all, because almost every one of them is underdeveloped, the filmmakers relying almost solely on physical type to convey their personalities. They're all old stand-bys, with Garcia as a total dead space where there should be a strong lead.
The exception to the norm is Critical Bill, pugilistic undertaker and the kind of snake-eating survivalist who would do well in the Special Forces. Bill will do anything to live, and his jury-rigged Rube Goldberg-esque device to snare the hitman proves it. He is the most well-rounded character in the whole charade, and Treat Williams hilariously depraved portrayal of him steals the show, though in this case, it's petty thievery.
Ever since the impact of RESERVOIR DOGS, the dearest trend in moviedom is to manufacture bullet-ridden tales of crimes gone awry, full of wisecracking mobsters and hitmen, and the occasional plot hole, created by taking a copy of a screenplay, setting the food processor on "puree" and putting it in, going for ultra-hip non-linear storytelling. Even Tarantino is capable of re-patenting his own formula, as in PULP FICTION.
Let's add to the heap, shall we?
THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD is certainly a catchy title. The fact that is set in Denver isn't particularly distinguishable. It bears the same problem as myriads of other films where the setting is both identified and the film is actually lensed there: not enough of the city is actually shown to give one the sense of place. It may as well be set in Cincinnati. This may seem nitpicky, but it points out greater liabilities in the film, in terms of its lack of atmosphere and serious character development.
Jimmy the Saint (Andy Garcia) is a smooth-talking clotheshorse who used to be a front man for the sinister mobster The Man With The Plan (Christopher Walken; how many more sinister mobster roles can I play?) Jimmy is now trying to go straight, but the boss calls him out for one last job. It's nothing drastic, it just entails scaring the rival suitor of the mobster's son's lady love.
Jimmy chooses his crew, a band of ex-cons and misfits, including the porno projectionist Pieces (Christopher Lloyd), the scruffy trailer park denizen Franchise (William Forsythe), the seasoned homeboy Easy Wind (Bill Nunn), and the wiliest and funniest of the bunch, 'Critical' Bill Dooley, played to a T by Treat Williams.
This motley bunch seems capable, but they botch the job and end up killing both the rival suitor, and the girl. This of course incurs the wrath of the Man, and he sends Mr. Shhh (Steve Buscemi), the 'most lethal contract killer west of the Mississippi' to do them all in. The rest of the film explores the efforts of the various characters to survive.
In particular, Jimmy has become infatuated with the stunning, unsuspecting Dagney, and has a hard time leaving town. Through it all, Joe Heff (Jack Warden) frequents a cafZ and narrates the story, which is a hackneyed device recalling bad theater productions where the most intelligible parts of the plot are written in the program notes. A talented screenwriter wouldn't need such a cheap prop to propel the story.
There's nothing new here, even the hip dialogue has a forced feeling about it. It has good visuals, and moves along quite nicely, but it's disappointing and depressingly average, copping out in all of the expected places.
Most of the characters don't make much of an impression at all, because almost every one of them is underdeveloped, the filmmakers relying almost solely on physical type to convey their personalities. They're all old stand-bys, with Garcia as a total dead space where there should be a strong lead.
The exception to the norm is Critical Bill, pugilistic undertaker and the kind of snake-eating survivalist who would do well in the Special Forces. Bill will do anything to live, and his jury-rigged Rube Goldberg-esque device to snare the hitman proves it. He is the most well-rounded character in the whole charade, and Treat Williams hilariously depraved portrayal of him steals the show, though in this case, it's petty thievery.
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