Review of Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) by Seto K — 09 Jan 2016

What an endlessly witty film this is. With its ensemble cast of performances that range from heartbreaking to downright hilarious at times, I was constantly engaged by David Mamet's script in terms of not only dialogue but also character.

Each person in this film has clearly defined edges, which is mostly done through the performances of each actor. Lemmon is a fast talking, slightly desperate sounding man with a family to feed, Pacino is incredibly smooth and appears to have not a care in the world while still maintaining an air of professionalism, the viewer believes he is good at his job despite being told time and again its just a lucky streak.

James Foley's direction matches the wit of Mamet's screenplay, as his camera cuts between characters at a speed to rival the dialogue flying out of the actors mouths, which allows him to create immense amounts of tension in the viewer when all that is really happening is two men talking in an office.

The way the film is shot is an asset to the movie as well, we are never given any glimpses of the characters home lives or homely settings, it is kept strictly businesslike, adding to the cutthroat atmosphere of the world they are trying so hard to stay in.