Customer Reviews

The Gingerbread Man

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I can remember seeing this movie in an almost empty theater when it came out. It's a shame because this is really a well-made, intriguing thriller that only Robert Altman could make. Rumour has it, he completely demolished John Grisham's original story and basically did his own thing--which is what Altman is famous for. The results? An unusual mystery that gets under your skin with characters that are flawed and always interesting to watch.

Much was made about Kenneth Branagh's Southern accent... or lack thereof. To tell you the truth, it really didn't bother me all that much and I think he pulled it off. He certainly is a flawed character, vain, self-absorbed but through the course of the movie he certainly learns his lesson as his whole world gets tossed upside down.

This movie really is about human behaviour as opposed to a concrete A to B to C linear plot. The mystery is really just window dressing to get all of these characters together and see what happens.

As always, Altman has assembled a top notch cast with the likes of Daryl Hannah (?!) and Tom Berenger plucked out of obscurity for solid performances. Robert Duvall also turns up as a crazed hobo character. He makes the most of his limited screen time. And of course, good ol' reliable Robert Downey, Jr. turns in another wonderfully eccentric turn as a slightly-sleazy private detective who's buddies with Branagh's character. He steals every scene that he's in.

The DVD is quite good. The audio and video is excellent. As another reviewer pointed out, if you have a surround sound set-up it feels like the tropical storm in the movie is all around you. Altman really knows how to build atmosphere and suggest a specific place.

This is a really good movie. Very underrated and worth a look.

This review refers to the DVD edition(Universal) of "The Gingerbread Man"....

Director Robert Altman almost always has a way of keeping us involved in the characters and storylines of his films. That is the case with the "Gingerbread Man" as well. This one though is a huge departure from his usual brand of comedy and satire that makes us smile from first frame to last. This one is a fast past thriller, based on a story by John Grisham, that will keep you on the edge of your seat and not wanting to miss a moment of what twist or turn may come next. As a matter of fact, if you didn't already know that this was an Altman film, you may not recoginze it as such. One thing for sure that remains the same is his intuitive ability to put together the perfect ensemble cast that work well together and all have impeccable timing.

The story revolves around golden boy Southern defense attorney Rick Magruder,who becomes romantically involved with a beautiful but mysterious client. Her deranged father and his co-horts are stalking her, and Magruder gets so deeply invovled that pretty soon his own family is put in danger as well. The same justice system that helped make him the success that he is, is now working against him at every turn.He's left to his own wits to keep himself, his family and his client safe.

Not only is this film something very different for fans of Altman, but even the stars seem cast very much against type. Kenneth Branagh, trades in his Shakespearian tones for a Southern drawl, and becomes somewhat of an action hero as our man Magruder. The usually alluring Daryl Hannah, is now a somewhat dowdy(while still looking good!) and uptight legal assistant, and Robert Duvall takes a turn at at being one of the most deranged lunatics you may ever meet! Of course there is also Robert Downey Jr, who treats us to his always fabulous brand of charm, and Embeth Davidtz and Tom Berenger round off this mega cast wonderfully.Once you get past Branagh and his accent it all seems to work surprisingly well!(hey.. if we could handle Kevin Costner doing an English "Robin Hood", why not Branagh as a Savannah lawyer???)

The DVD is a pretty good buy. The price is right for this package that gives you a choice a widescreen or standard formats,Dolby Dig 5.1, English captioning,and French and Spanish subtitles. You will also find several cast bios and filmographies, a theatrical trailer and there is commentary by the director, but may only be accessed on the widescreen side of the disc.The sound is excellent. There is a huge storm going on through most of the story and if you have surround sound, you will think it is happening right there in your living room. The picture in a matted widescreen format is good but not the most crystal clear I have seen.

A highly entertaining thriller/mystery that will almost certainly keep you guessing. That is of course unless you are as sly as the fox that ate the Gingerbread Man!...Get the popcorn ready and catch him if you can.....Laurie

I haven't anything to say on the movie as a whole - it's a grade-B thriller, creaky and contrived - but I wanted to add my 2 cents' worth on the phenomenon of Branagh the impersonator. I live in central east Georgia, and it has been my misfortune to spend quite a lot of time in the company of Savannah lawyers; Kenneth Branagh's character in this movie could have slipped into one of those practices like hair into hair oil. The look, the walk, the gestures, the speech - all of it seemed to me perfect. I am not native to Georgia, it's true, but I've lived here for 6 years, and usually accents bother me. Branagh's art - his ear, his technique - is something special.
So, if you're interested in him, or in mimicry in general, you will get something out of this over-all low-grade film.

I am not a big fan of either Robert Altman or John Grisham, but I was going out with some friends and this was the only movie in town that none of us had seen. I was riveted. The use of the color red is reminiscent of the great movie "Don't Look Now." Branagh gives a wonderful performance as a great lawyer who was a so-so husband and becomes a good father through the course of the movie. There isn't a pretentious moment in it. As a southerner by birth, I was the only one of my friends to laugh through the party scene at the beginning. It was dead accurate.

I am inclined to like Robert Altman. I like the way he paces his movies, with dialog overlapping and little quirky comments. I like that. I like the impressive cast that he always gathers. And I liked this film well enough.

I thought the storm element in this film was perfectly appropriate. It added a noir touch that I appreciated. The dialog has a sense of humor that was a treat. Cinematography is excellent, and I loved the moody score by Mark Isham. The story is well-paced, and intriquing. I was engrossed until the end.

The cast is impressive and everyone does a great job. Branagh does a great Southern accent, and his character was believable as a somewhat cocky lawyer. I especially liked Robert Downey Jr.'s character-he was just right as Branagh's easy-going, flirty bar-hopping associate. Robert Duvall is also wonderful as a creepy old coot who doesn't like to wear shoes. An excellent, well-chosen cast.

A well-told mystery film. A solid offering.

Rick Magruder (Kenneth Branagh), a rather arrogant, womanizing lawyer in Savannah, Georgia, has just won a big case against some allegedly overzealous cops. Which is jolly good for his career, unless of course he should develop the sort of problems in life where having the local police hate you might prove a handicap. Which is exactly what he goes and does. A casual sexual entanglement with Mallory Doss (Embeth Davidtz) gets him involved professionally in a conflict with her father (Robert Duvall) who appears to be stalking her. Then when the latter escapes from a psychiatric hospital things start to get complicated. And nothing, it will turn out, is quite what it seems.

Robert Altman, of course, just doesn't do mainstream, run of the mill Hollywood movies. Which makes this an intriguing project for him as what could be more mainstream, run of the mill Hollywood than a hot and sweaty Southern-based legal thriller from a John Grisham story? The result is certainly interesting, though not helped by the casting of one of my least favourite actors, the consistently lacklustre Kenneth Branagh, in the lead role. On the plus side, the cinematography by Changwei Gu (who had earlier shot`Red Sorghum' and `Farewell My Concubine') is superb and the long opening shot of the Savannah River is altogether breathtaking.
The film as a whole is certainly well worth a look: dark, shadowy, intriguing and twisty but somehow less than wholly satisfying. Here everything depends on your choice of comparison class. As Grisham adaptations go, it's brilliant, surely the best. As Altman movies go it's only so-so.

The "film noir" lives in the '90s! GREAT characterizations and suspense right up until the final, crashing denouement!

The cinematography is outstanding, and the skilful use of the impending "descent" of a hurricane only adds to the urgency with which the script effectively and satisfyingly "bustles" you along.
'
Robert Duvall's performance brings to mind an older, but basically unchanged "Boo Radley."

Branagh, Duvall, Downey, Hannah, Jansen.........great cast!

Four and 1/2 stars from me!

Leonard Maltin had it right, this movie is ridiculous. Whoever said that Robert Altman is great director is equally ridiculous. This movie deserves about as much acclaim as his other hits - Kansas City, Ready to Wear, Short Cuts. This movie was awful - the storm was contrived and the plot idiotic.

The Gingerbread Man should be a better noir than it is. A primary flaw is its inability to get us behind its protagonist in any way- Rick MacGruder (Kenneth Branagh) is pompous, vain, and tempestuous. As an attorney, he is the polar opposite of Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch, willing to sink to any level in order to win a case. When MacGruder helps a young woman deal with her mentally unstable father, we know he is doing so out of a desire to get in her pants rather than any sort of altruism. It is simply hard to care for him as his situation deteriorates- indeed, one almost gets the feeling that karma is simply at work.

Another issue is the plot. While twists and turns are fine, this film saves all of them for the final thirty minutes, and they feel a little overwhelming. While you are trying to figure out how one twist happened, the next one barrels onto the screen.

Stylistically, the film has some interesting and cool moments. The slick opening shot, accompanied by the discordant score, takes us over the Georgia coastal plain and eventually tracks MacGruder's car over the Talmadge Bridge and into Savannah. It hardly matters that traveling from Jacksonville to Savannah (as we are told) doesn't take you over said bridge. The setting is an important part of the story, and Savannah is a location that never fails to lend its uniqueness to a film.

On the whole, The Gingerbread Man has some genuinely suspenseful moments (Duvall is particularly menacing) but it is otherwise disengaging. I was waiting for it to end.

I really enjoyed this film. It thought the plot was extremely gripping and the twist at the end was incredibly thrilling. There was a slow spot or two, but the acting really made up for it. Kenneth Branagh was absolutely superb, as usual. He portrayed the southern lawyer personality to a T and the accent was dead on. Plus, I didn't mind having to stare at him for two hours. Even if you don't like the movie, watching Branagh is well worth your time.