Post by StevePulaski on Mar 26, 2011 16:03:38 GMT -5
Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy in The Man.
Rating: ★★
The Man is a knockoff of a many other successful buddy cop films like 48 Hrs, Beverly Hills Cop, and Lethal Weapon. Not too say it doesn't have a couple of funny moments thrown in it's just they aren't new or clever. I laughed once the whole film and that was the "farting in the elevator" gag. After laughing about it for a bout thirty seconds I asked myself "what the hell? Am I two?" and then stopped.
Yes, Samuel L. and Eugene Levy have a pretty good onscreen chemistry going for them, but it's not enough to award this film too much more. The leads are strong, but not strong enough. The Man isn't even too confident with itself because it's run time (without credits) is 79 minutes. That's the bare minimum qualifications to be a theatrical "film." I'm shocked this wasn't a TV film or didn't get the direct-to-Dvd treatment.
The plot: ATF agent Derrick Vann (Jackson) is looking for guns that were recently stolen from an armory. Meanwhile Andy Fiddler (Levy) is a dentist salesman going to a convention in Detroit. After visiting a diner and been given a bag with a phone and a gun, Andy is arrested by Agent Vann. Vann realizes that the henchman who gave Andy the gun really mistook Andy for himself. Andy becomes Vann's "bitch," and the two are now working together on the crime to get the stolen guns back.
Both Jackson and Levy are fit for their respective roles. Samuel L. is great at playing the bad cop with a deep voice and a no bulls--- attitude, while Levy is better at playing an always innocent guy or the talkative pushover. Jackson had cop experience in Pulp Fiction, and Levy had good innocence experience in American Pie.
This is by no means a horrible movie. It's halfway decent. The thing is, it's a shame something like The Man can be released in theaters when other underrated gems like Frozen and LOOK sit on the sidelines just wishing a wider release could've happened.
The Man didn't need to be made. It's nothing new or original. This review may have been short, but I don't know what else to say. I'm at a loss for words. Smiles are found in The Man, but they're found right when I decided on the review I was going to write for the film.
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy. Directed by" Les Mayfield.