Review: Glengarry Glen Ross

       In the opening credits of Glengarry Glen Ross it is stated that the film is based on a play by David Mamet, and that he also wrote the film adaptation. Because this revelation happens before the movie begins, I viewed the movie in the context as a play on film. The small cast, and claustrophobic scenery make the film feel like a play, but I'm not sure that I would have made this connection had I not been informed that the movie was based on a play before the movie began. The cast and their interactions are at the heart of this movie. A small, but all-star cast deliver a compelling drama about the struggles of being a man in times of economic hardship.

       The great Jack Lemmon plays the main character of Shelley “The Machine” Levene, an aging real estate salesman who once was the best salesman in the company, but is now struggling to make a single sale. He's not the only salesman at the firm having trouble selling land that nobody wants. Fellow salesmen, George (Alan Arkin) and Dave (Ed Harris) are also having trouble making their sales quotas. The three of them all complain to their manager (Kevin Spacey) that they aren't making any sales because they aren't being given quality leads. The only salesman who is having any success at the firm is Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), but he doesn't hold it over the other salesmen's heads, they're a sort of brotherhood and they know that there are hot streaks and cold streaks. One day, Blake (Alec Baldwin), a hot shot from the central office, stops by and announces a sales contest to encourage the salesmen to perform better. First place gets a new car, second place gets a set of steak knives, third place gets fired. Blake also presents the new Glengarry leads, leads that are known to be of high quality and will certainly lead to sales. However, these leads are only for the top salesmen and they won't be handed out until after the contest is over. George and Dave discuss breaking into the office after hours and stealing the leads to sell them to a competing firm, and the next day the leads are missing, but who took them?

       Everyone in this movie gives a great performance. Shelley's desperation is palpable, but when he switches into sales mode he's suave and confident, but we, the viewers, can see through his facade. Pacino, Harris, and Arkin also give great performances showing tremendous anger and frustration with their situation. The dialogue is almost lyrical in the way the characters banter back and forth, although there are a few lines where I wasn't entirely sure what Al Pacino was saying, but that could've just been how he talks. This film stands as a modernized version of Death of a Salesman. In Miller's classic play, the salesman was depicted as self-employed, here the salesmen are part of a corporation and work together as a team. The story is actually a little weak, but that's not what is really important to this movie. What the movie focuses on is, the character, their relationships with each other, and how they react emotionally to the events that transpire. I usually prefer movies with a larger emphasis on plot and story, but I actually quite enjoyed this one.