Review of In the Company of Men (1995) by Olaolu A — 30 Jun 2011

An uncompromisingly bleak and cynical drama about deceit and manipulation in relationships and the horrible extremes to which the "alpha-male" complex can be taken, especially in corporate America.

There's enough twisted humor here to qualify this as a dark comedy but if you're on the hunt for some full-bellied laughs, you might wanna consider checking out something else. This film pulls no punches in its depiction of the emotional devastation that the two main characters wreak on their unsuspecting victim and in the grand scheme of things, the comic relief does little to dispel the sense of disquiet that most viewers are likely to feel by the time the end credits roll.

This is definitely *not* what most would consider to be a "feel-good" experience (unless of course their personalities are as irreparably skewed as that of the two male leads) but it is a powerful one that keeps the viewers' attention until the bitter, devastating end.

Films like this that aren't afraid to tell it like it is and refuse to cave in to Hollywood conventions are as rare now as they were back in 1997, when this film was released (and announced director Neil LaBute and his leading man, Aaron Eckhart, as talents to be reckoned with).