Review of The Gingerbread Man (1998) by Anna C — 08 May 2009

Robert Altman did a legal film, based upon an abandoned manuscript by John Grisham, (who also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym of Al Hayes). It is very suspenseful crime thriller, and not alot of it is spent in the courtroom.

It does have the odd flourish of Altman's trademarks of overlapping dialogue and inventive, spur-of-the-moment directing, but it feels different to his other films, but it is an underrated film in his career.

Set in Savannah, Georgia, this one has successful lawyer Rick Magruder (Kenneth Branagh), getting involved in a one night stand with waitress Mallory Doss (Embeth Davidtz), who is being threatened by her insane father Dixon Doss (Robert Duvall), Magruder's firm has him put away, only to escape, and with people's lives at risk, things are not what they seem.

It's a well made film, and it deserves to be seen more. It's a suspenseful pot-boiler, it won't be to everyone's taste, Altman made a good hash of a legal film here, and it does have a good supporting cast to it's name, including Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah and Robert Downey Jr.

If you come across this one, check it out...