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He Was a Quiet Man

Play trailer Poster for He Was a Quiet Man 2007 1h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A frustrated office worker becomes a reluctant hero after saving a woman's life.
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He Was a Quiet Man

Critics Reviews

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Moira MacDonald Seattle Times 01/04/2008
3/4
With the right audience He Was a Quiet Man might well play as black comedy. But Slater, disappearing into his role, brings a note of earnest desperation to his performance that's hard to laugh at, and hard to look away from. Go to Full Review
Anthony Quinn Independent (UK) 12/07/2007
2/5
It's dark and too relentless for the comedy it would like to be. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 12/07/2007
3/5
A real oddity of a film: a satire of corporate office despair. Go to Full Review
Kaleem Aftab The List 11/03/2018
3/5
In this audacious crime caper, written and directed by Frank A Cappello, Slater finally gives a leading-man performance that delivers on his early promise. Go to Full Review
Christopher Null Filmcritic.com 06/30/2008
3/5
He Was a Quiet Man devolves near the end, but it has enough memorable moments (a comic-turned-horrible karaoke sequence is a highlight) to merit a cautious recommendation. Go to Full Review
Marty Mapes Movie Habit 01/17/2008
1.5/4
Occasionally works as a black comedy, but there's nothing real or true in it Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Cork B Feb 8 Pretty good arthouse take on Walter Mitty. I liked the acting, and Slater was an interesting choice. Was it great? No. But it impacts emotionally. I wasn't a huge fan of the story, but some folks would probably get much more out of this. See more Mary R 01/04/2024 If I had seen this movie in a theater, I would have headed for the door. I barely made it to the end. I must have missed the comedy part - it was so subtle to be nonexistent; or the discomfort of Slater's character's existence blotted out anything comedic, except maybe the animated talking fish, which actually wasn't funny, and belonged in a Pixar kid's film, not this one. The end was horrible, it didn't really do the "dream" justice, or was the entire scenario what played back in his head while he was dying? It wasn't really clear. But perhaps that's because by the end I no longer cared. I didn't like the female lead's character, I didn't like William Macy's character, and well, can we just say Bob was loathesome and irredeemable? Agree with those who said there was nothing memorable about the movie - but I guess it stuck with me at least 12 hours since it prompted me to actually write a review. Irritation will do that... See more Andrea C 02/28/2023 Se c'è un film che può aver ispirato nella sceneggiatura Shutter Island, è questo. Christian Slater alle prese con uno dei ruoli più importanti e complessi della sua carriera, in cui è costretto ad inventarsi un personaggio con una psiche estremamente complessa e senza poter sfruttare il suo innegabile fascino. La sceneggiatura è semplice eppure molto efficace, segue il suo personaggio in quella che sembra una redenzione verso la gioia per poi vederlo sprofondare in un abisso senza fine quando si scopre la verità sulla sua storia. Un racconto triste e malinconico, vicino alla realtà di tutti i giorni seppure piuttosto che appesantire con elementi di dramma, ci si rifugi in una realtà alternativa ed in una storia d'amore innovativa. See more isla s 09/03/2022 This is a dark, chilly watch. Ultimately I think its about being belittled at work and about a deepening feeling of loss of control. Its a tense and gripping film and it has some plot twists. I felt that Christian Slater gave a very good performance as the main character, Bob Maconel, who appears to be very much the average; middle aged, officer worker type. This is quite a memorable film and I'd recommend it. See more dave s 04/06/2022 Bob (Christian Slater), a meek office worker with a mundane job, is tired of being bullied by his co-workers. In his desk is a revolver loaded with six rounds, five for those who have tormented him and one for himself, but can he muster the courage to exact his revenge? He Was a Quiet Man is a truly unique film in all respects. Is it a black comedy? A satire? Perhaps a romance? A thriller? It's a bit of each. While it's sometimes hindered by its weirdness (the talking goldfish, for example), it's worth watching for its compelling storyline, a tour-de-force performance from Slater, and a wildly clever ending that is difficult to see coming. And remember, in the words of Bob, ‘I am not a spoon!!' See more tom m 12/11/2021 I like the main actors so I wanted to give it a try. It was one of those very odd sorts of stories. Odd like "Brazil" was odd. I found it entertaining enough. See more Read all reviews
He Was a Quiet Man

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Movie Info

Synopsis A frustrated office worker becomes a reluctant hero after saving a woman's life.
Director
Frank Cappello
Producer
Michael Leahy
Screenwriter
Frank Cappello
Distributor
Mitropoulos Films
Production Co
Neo Art & Logic, Indelible Quarks
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 25, 2020
Runtime
1h 39m
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