The Bag Man (2014)

A criminal bides his time at a seedy motel, waiting for his boss after killing several men and making away with a mystery bag.

Director:

David Grovic

Writers:

David Grovic, Paul Conway

Stars:

John Cusack, Rebecca Da Costa, Robert De Niro

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cusack	...	Jack
Rebecca Da Costa	...	Rivka
Robert De Niro	...	Dragna
Crispin Glover	...	Ned
Dominic Purcell	...	Larson
Martin Klebba	...	Guano
Sticky Fingaz	...	Lizard (as Kirk 'Sticky Fingaz' Jones)
David Shumbris	...	Pike
Chazz Menendez	...	Man in Suit #1
Ian Mclaughlin	...	Man in Suit #2
Theodus Crane	...	Goose
Mike Mayhall	...	Deputy Jones
Danny Cosmo	...	Bishop
John Wilmot	...	Teller
J. Todd Anderson	...	Harvey

Storyline

A professional shooter gets a new job from his boss. The job is simple to bring him a bag without opening it. But everyone on this town wants that bag. So Jack has to protect the bag and try to carry out his mission. In this city he will meet a lot of people and he will seduced by mysterious woman.

---

Plot Keywords:

motel | assault rifle | bagman | violence against women | man punches a woman | 

---

Taglines:

The cat's in the bag.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexual content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the end credits, Matthew Williams is listed twice as Set Dresser.

---

Goofs

When John Cusack pursues Robert DeNiro into the woods, he holds the gun in his left hand as his right hand becomes his wounded hand in this short sequence. The mistake becomes very obvious when looking at the mirrored text on his baseball cap.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jack: You want to tell me what this is all about? I mean, if you want me to protect this, don't you want me to know what it is?
Dragna: No, I don't.
Jack: Okay. Can I ask you a question?
Dragna: Go ahead.
Jack: In all due respect, why don't you just hire FedEx?
Dragna: Because I'm hiring you, Jack.
Jack: So, you want me to pick up this bag and bring it to you, and that's it?
Dragna: I want to pay you an exorbitant amount of money to get the bag and bring it to me.

---

Connections

References Kojak (1973)

---

Soundtracks

Beacon
Written by David Frost
Performed by Fellow Bohemian
Published by Songs Music Publishing LLC

User Reviews

Not surprised a lot of people hated it. I love it.

I usually watch movies based on their high IMDb scores, but movies like "The Bag Man" are why I sometimes dip down into the 5's and 6's. At first I was surprised to see so many reviewers call it "boring", "bad" and "nonsensical", but then I realized that this film just isn't for everybody, but for some--like me--it's riveting. Almost the entire movie takes place during one night at a roadside hotel, where our protagonist, a contract killer (Cusack), is meant to go with a package and wait for pickup. Only everything and everyone around him seem to be set against him. The characters he meets and adventures he has there are fascinating, quirky, and surreal. The best way I can describe it is as a mix between "Identity", "Mulholland Dr.", and The Book of Genesis.

I think this movie has gotten so many bad reviews because it doesn't fit the mold. It defies expectations, and some people won't like that. But if you're looking for something different, something that can surprise you, watch "The Bag Man". And try to vanquish your expectations.

Special props to Crispin Glover for portraying the hilariously strange Ned. My favorite character!

Details

Official Sites:

Official iTunes Official site

Country:

Bahamas USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 2014 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Bag Man

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,231, 2 March 2014

Gross USA:

$56,574

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$461,780

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinedigm Entertainment Group, ALLaBorde Films, Red Granite International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1