Review of He Was a Quiet Man (2007) by Danielle S — 06 Jun 2008

Supply manager Bob Maconel goes to work each day, prepping himself for the moment he'll work up the courage to take the revolver he has stashed in a locked desk drawer and kill his office mates. The problem is, just as he's about to carry out his plan, he's beaten to the punch by another disgruntled coworker who goes on a shooting spree of his own.

When Bob sees the gunman turn to finish off Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert), a pretty young woman on whom he has a crush, Bob shoots the man dead, saving her life. Hailed as a hero, Bob finds himself the center of attention of local media, coworkers, and the company's CEO, Mr.

Shelby (William H. Macy), who gives him a big promotion. The only person who isn't happy, it turns out, is the woman he saved, the woman he loves. Paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, Venessa's furious that Bob didn't let her die, and she asks him to help her finish the job the gunman started.

Christian Slater (Bobby), who gives an amazing performance as the mentally unstable Bob Maconel. Gone is the young-Nicholson grin, replaced by crooked teeth, thinning hair, and oversized glasses. He does the difficult job of not only bringing the character to life, but making him sympathetic.

Elisha Cuthbert, shedding her teen dream persona, does a decent job as the volatile Venessa. There are times she struggles with the emotional weight of the role, and she never really manages to be credible as a claw-her-way-to-the-top executive, but given the physical demands put on her, she spends most of the film unable to move from the neck down, it's a performance that shows she can do more than run away from kidnappers and cougars.

"Quiet Man" is more intriguing as a document of a rotted mind, and thankfully Cappello hugs tight to this exploration. The film runs out of ideas toward the end, but it slows down the movie instead of stopping it in its tracks.