The Merry Gentleman

In a recent trend, the film going public has favored a cinematic experience of what I like to call "Hand it Overs". These phenomena can be as creative as the "big reveal" at the end of early M. Night Shymalan films, or as effortless in reality as passing the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner. They give the majority of today's audiences exactly what they want, instant gratification. Imagine if we never saw Malcom Crowe's real fate completely unfold in "The Sixth Sense" or Elija Prince's true self-revealed in "Unbreakable". How would this change our perception and enjoyment of them? The Merry Gentleman marks Michael Keatons Directorial debut by chance due to the sudden illness of screenwriter Ron Lazzeretti who was originally slated to Direct. Keaton also stars as Frank Logan, a depressed hit man, alongside Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald) a woman who has just escaped from an abusive relationship. As the plot unfolds, Frank and Kate end up mysteriously crossing paths, which spawns an unconventional, often uncomfortable and strained romance between these two mixed up individuals from different worlds.

Keaton's first shot at direction does everything but fall into a "Hand It Over". His pacing is agonizingly slow, yet unbelievably careful. Discerning and seasoned viewers will appreciate his intricate placement and organization of scenes for the greater purpose, if not during the film then certainly after the credits roll. Others will become fed up with his unconventional style a third of the way through, and if they haven't walked out of the theater before the final scene may let out a strained, "That's It?" and huff out the door unsatisfied. For me it took a good fifteen minutes after the picture ended before everything clicked and I was blindsided by the sheer brilliance of what I had seen; deep themes rich in symbolism of religion and redemption and the overall feeling that Keaton felt no responsibility as an artist to spell it out for us.

Performances all around play it safe but are always believable and gratifying to watch. As a virtual no name, Macdonald holds her own quite well, even while sporting an Irish accent that can sometimes border on a tad annoying and contrived. In front of the camera, Keaton never fails to please and continues to frustrate me when I realize that he has been almost entirely absent from view since the mid nineties. Supporting cast gets the job done and Bobby Cannavale delivers a poignant, gripping and short-lived scene stealing performance as Kate's boyfriend.

The question that will remain on many of our minds is, "what exactly is the fine line between complete obscurity and masterpiece, and did Keaton cross it?" That's for each of us to decide individually, but it is in the opinion of this reviewer that said line is imaginary. As an art form, film should have no boundaries, regardless of how many cookie cutter, "How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days" burnt offerings Hollywood Studios continuously try to force down our throats. After all is said and done, it does feel good to sink your teeth into a double quarter pounder, but on occasion, Yellow Tail Sashima can prove to be extremely rewarding. After all, grandma always said try everything once.

Not quite a thriller, not quite a comedy nor romance but a blend of each. And the better for it. I didn't find this film slow as so many reviews say, just subtle. It wasn't action packed or scary but let you see the killer as a person, and a kind one at that which made the ending surprisingly sad.

I'd not have expected chemistry between Keaton and MacDonald but they worked.

I didn't like the ending... It left me wanting more!!! One I'll watch again.

No captions' flat affect unsatisfying ending

"The Merry Gentleman" is a very strange film. It also is a very unsatisfying one because I liked so much of it and the film's ending really did not deliver.

The film is about an unlikely friendship that develops between a suicidal assassin (Michael Keaton) and a woman, Kate (Kelly MacDonald), who has been abused by her partner. What links them is tenuous and the ending really, really not at all what I'd hoped. This is a real shame, as the movie, up until that point, has terrific and highly original. It also never really delved into Keaton's character well enough. His motivation, in particular, is confusing to say the least.

Overall, had the ending been better, this would have been an excellent film. As it is, the story could really have used a bit of work...though there is still enough to this story to make it worth seeing.

"I'd say we've been pretty good for one another," Kate (Kelly Macdonald)

Well, not quite, but that statement is consistent with naïve young Brit Kate's cluelessness since she's talking to an accomplished assassin, Frank (Michael Keaton), whom she recently befriended and believes to be a good Samaritan. But that sense of being just a bit out of it is characteristic of Michael Keaton's first directorial effort, The Merry Gentleman, as well.

I could feel Keaton struggling to offer a thriller in the David Mamet tradition (without his caustic language) with minimalist dialogue and exposition and a concentration on character. Without Mamet's poetic language, Keaton is left with spare dialogue that barely explains the motivations for abuse and murder involving more than one character.

It is, however, mostly Kate I wanted to know, and I was not fulfilled because of her limited capacity to speak loud and clear. Caught as she is between the growing interest of Detective Dave Murcheson (Tom Bastounes) and Frank, and her abusive husband, this woman causes a great deal of trouble by just being beautiful, caring, and out there. And ignorant of her charm and the kind of rogue male she is attracted to.

Among the several motifs Keaton rams through, the idea of "good" appears regularly. Calling someone good who is not is a cheap way of doubling up on irony but doing little to expand the meaning of "bad." Most of all I am disappointed in the ending. Some closure is necessary in most fiction.

Not a bad film; just not great.

The Merry Gentlemen has the makings, and perhaps even the trappings, of a predictable neo-noir involving a hit-man (Michael Keaton), a detective (Bastounes) and the woman that they're both eying (Kelly MacDonald), and the elements of crime floating all about. But Keaton brings to the table as a first-time director an absolutely unbreakable grasp of what makes the scene(s) work from an actor's stand-point. Ironically for an actor who usually makes his mark in movies as someone with a lot of nervous energy or something that makes him quirky or mysterious (i.e. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Beetlejuice, Jackie Brown), here he's subdued, almost like Alain Deleon in Melville's movies. He doesn't say much, but when he does you listen, especially as his character Logan has pneumonia or carries a Christmas tree.

On his own end Keaton's got his character covered wonderfully. That leaves the other two, and one other actor that should be noted. MacDonald is quickly becoming an example of a perfect character actress. It's hard for me to see her becoming a full-blown A-list star, even a decade or more after she hit the scene in her debut in Trainspotting, but when she comes into a role, usually in the supporting variety (most recently No Country for Old Men and Choke) you feel her presence incredibly. She's so vulnerable and adorable, so keen on how her character should be in every moment, as someone who's fragile, been messed with by her husband, but wants to have her space while at the same time being friendly to both the lonely hit-man and the desperate cop. It's hard for me to see a flaw in her performance, and maybe helps elevate things another notch or two. Ditto for Bastounes, one of those actors you swear you've seen somewhere else but actually has only been in one (or none) features before this. He, too, makes a mark playing off both MacDonald like at the restaurant or Keaton in a pivotal scene at the tailor.

There's another actor I should also credit, though at the moment I forget his name: he plays MacDonald's character's husband, and he appears out of the darkness in a scene, a recovering abuser with a newfound Jesus addiction who tries to win back his wife's heart as she holds a knife to him. It's one of the best, creepiest dramatic scenes I've yet seen this year. And while I praise his and the other principles performances, the rest of the film around them is... well, good, watchable, though nothing wholly remarkable. At times Keaton is still finding his footing with style, keeping some shots engaging and others just doing a big pan or reveal where it wouldn't be necessary. It's competent work, though, and I would hope to see something else from him; at the least he reveals himself such a fantastic director of his fellow actors (not least of which himself, though as Eastwood shows that's easier done than said) that he may have found a new calling. It's an A-grade acting job amid a decent little B-movie. 7.5/10