The Last Rites of Joe May

I have always loved Dennis Farina's work, and I think he is one of our most underrated actors. I was drawn to this movie by the enthusiastic reviews of other Farina fans, and I was enthralled from the very beginning. One of the beauties of the film is its great understatedness. The dialogue plays a minimal part here in portraying where people are coming from; visual portrayal and facial expression are paramount here. Musical background is minimal, and what there is - in the form of Italian opera - is used masterfully. This is a sad but beautiful story of people in extremis, and like so many great stories - both literary and cinematic - it's a story of redemption. It's one of the few films I have seen that can be classified as great tragedies. Having said that, there's no question that the film is bleak and dark. This is the great role that was meant for Dennis Farina, and he hits it out of the park. Ave, atque, vale, Mr. Farina.

"The Last Rites of Joe May" has an excellent cast, headed by Dennis Farina, and wonderful screenplay (Joe Maggio). It's well directed and has quite an emotional impact on the viewer. Joe May is a man who has aspired to be more than he ever could be and refuses to accept the reality of his age and lack of achievements. He has few, if any, personal relationships, friendships or family. His arrival in the midst of Jenny and Angelina Rapp's lives is more important than any of them realize. Watching them interact and change and grow as people is both beautiful and painful. Truly realistic and moving. I was impressed with everything, from the portrayals of even the smallest parts to the details of Chicago streets and the understated score by Lindsay Marcus (not to mention Giuseppe Verdi).

I first saw Dennis Farina in the TV series Crime Story in the end of 1980s. And he stuck in my memory as a guy portraying sleazy cops and gangsters. In this sense The Last Rites of Joe May is not far away from that image.

There is one significant difference, however. Although we're still in the shady underworld of low-level criminals, his character glows with genuine repentance. For once in his lifetime, he's trying to make things right, but it seems to be harder than he expects.

There's also another TV darling from 1980s and 1990s in this one, namely Gary Cole. Overall this is a very good movie.

About 90% of this film is the main character walking down the street. He goes here and there, occasionally talking to various people in conversations that's never given as much screentime as the shots of him getting there by foot. The actual plot could have been cut down to a 15 minute short, but instead it's padded worse than the main character's leather jacket.

Maybe it's supposed to be a metaphor for the guy always being on his way to somewhere he'll never arrive. Or maybe, more probably, it's just terrible filmmaking that practically screams of student production from a director who thinks it's important to show where the protagonist is going, every foot of the way.

Only 8 other reviewers but everyone loved this little movie--kinda has the heart of Rocky1 and all the tragedy of Death of a Salesman (in Chicago vs NYC)--It's like I wish I didn't ever see this movie yet bec I always want the excitement you feel when you discover a gem like this--no scares, no SFX or faux artsy it's time to say Oscar BS---more people need to watch this great little movie