Two Men in Town (2014)

A Muslim ex-con forms a friendship with his parole officer.

Director:

Rachid Bouchareb

Writers:

Olivier Lorelle (adaptation), Yasmina Khadra (adaptation)

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Forest Whitaker, Tim Guinee

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ellen Burstyn	...	Garnett's mother
Forest Whitaker	...	William Garnett
Tim Guinee	...	Rod
Brenda Blethyn	...	Emily Smith
Harvey Keitel	...	Bill Agati
Luis Guzmán	...	Terence
Reg E. Cathey	...	Supervisor Jones
Sarah Minnich	...	Christina
Dolores Heredia	...	Teresa Flores
Matthew Page	...	Prison Guard
Stan Carp	...	Richard Wayne
Augusta Allen-Jones	...	Bartender
Michael Anthony Stone	...	Sheriff Deputy (as Michael Stone)
Robert Dean	...	Deputy
Cheo Tapia	...	Party patron

Storyline

Forest Whitaker plays a parolee, who finds Allah inside, and tries to get his life on track after 18 years. He's off to a good start with a job, a bank account, and a good woman. Of course his old partner in crime tries hard to get him to come back to his old ways, but the real problem is the sheriff in town who won't let him forget his dark past.

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Plot Keywords:

new mexico | new mexico desert | new mexico mexico border | muslim | parole officer | 

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Taglines:

One man's freedom is another man's obsession.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Forest Whitaker and Ellen Burstyn; and two Oscar nominees: Harvey Keitel and Brenda Blethyn.

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Quotes

Bill Agati: You can't break the law to enforce the law.

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Connections

Remake of Two Men in Town (1973)

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Soundtracks

Cambiara
Composed by Guy Boulanger, Jacquetes Roux
© et (p) Musique Cinema Television
Courtesy of Universal Publishing Production Music France

User Reviews

Where is my showdown?

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Rachid Bouchareb, a long time festival favorite, has taken the general story of writer/director Jose Giovanni's 1973 film of the same title and relocated it from France to a New Mexico border town. It touches on many elements such as rehabilitation of criminals, small town justice, human personality traits, freedom and justice, and conversion to Islam.

Opening with the silhouette of a brutal murder against the sunset in a New Mexico desert, the film has a western feel replete with the sense of doom and impending showdown. Forest Whitaker stars as Garnett, a paroled man who has just been released after serving 18 years for killing a deputy. Despite a life of crime that began when he was 11 years old, Garnett was a model prisoner who obtained his GED and mentored others while becoming a converted Muslim. His words make it clear he wants to put his old life behind and start fresh – however, his actions show he still struggles with explosive anger issues.

In a move that seems counterintuitive, Garnett is confined while on parole to the county in which he killed the deputy. The local sheriff (Harvey Keitel … who else would it be?) sets about making things difficult for Garnett, and expresses anger at his release while the "deputy is still dead". The idealistic parole officer is played by Brenda Blethyn, so the stage is set for the clash of philosophies: trust and rehabilitation vs historical behavior and justice. Adding one more challenge to Garnett's new world is the presence of his old crime boss played by Luis Guzman, who of course, wants him back in the business.

While many folks all over the globe struggle endlessly to find love; Garnett is 2 days out of prison when he falls for the local banker played by Delores Heredia. Herein lies the problems with the movie. The love connection just happens too quickly. Guzman is never the ominous presence of a truly bad guy. Keitel only gets to offer glimpses of his disgust at Garnett's freedom. These three characters are all severely underwritten despite the efforts of three fine actors.

If not for the terrific performance of Forest Whitaker, the film would fall totally flat. It's his screen presence that keeps us watching, hoping against all odds that he will find the peace he so desperately seeks. There is a wonderful scene with Whitaker and Ellen Burstyn, and a couple of the scenes with Whitaker and Blethyn are powerful, but the other pieces just never pack the punch necessary for this one to fully click.

Details

Country:

France Belgium Algeria USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enemy Way

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$213,204

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tessalit Productions, Pathé, Agence Algérienne pour le Rayonnement Culturel (AARC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1