Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

murray_johnc Most of David Mamet's movies have been better scripted and relied on far fewer star actors. I wonder why this movie got the star treatment when other Mamet movies have done fine with the usual stalwarts - Ricky Jay, Rebeca Pigeon, William H. Macy, etc? The casting is unusual in having no women in the sales office (since female real estate agents far outnumbered male real estate agents back when the screenplay was written). For the movie Mamet added the Baldwin character, so theoretically he could have added a hard, aggressive bitch to the sales team to spice things up. The dialog is typical Mamet fare, it adds punch and pizazz but in real life I've never ever witnessed people verbally exchange like that! There are some plot events that simply don't make sense. The hapless Jack Lemon thinks he's hit the sales jackpot only to be deflated when told that the couple who signed his $80,000 sales contract have a history of being insolvent wackos; office manager Williamson (Spacey) already knew all about this, yet he assigned Shelley a complete time-waster. Why? managers are supposed to optimize business efficiency not sabotage it. Did Williamson do it out of malice or carelessness? We later learn he and Shelly intensely disliked one another? Most people (myself included) would rather clean toilets for a living than face that bleak future of endless sleaze, stress and abuse on all sides, but as this DVD's supplementary piece "Always Be Closing" showed, there are real-life real estate saleswomen who actually love cold-calling! It takes all kinds to make the world turn.

ericventura Every aspect of this film should have received an award nomination. Every aspect of this film is done to a point. It's a play on the big screen, but it's an intense and introspective search of human desperation in an isolated incident, filmed so perfectly and naturally that the viewer can't doubt its realism. In the style of Arthur Miller, we have a story that may seem to desire the reform of the real estate industry, but that's absurd. It is an examination of the human reaction to having their back to the wall. Calm; negotiations; bribery; dirty deals; thievery; crime; and desperation.We have a film of immensely emotional and carefully constructed dialogue. Mamet builds the characters and feelings of the real estate agents through each line of dialogue. The screenplay dictates more a character study than a plot. The slow reveal of events only works to further characterize and emphasize personality.With such great characters in the film, they need great performances to make them come alive. Jack Lemmon leads the pack by far. Cheated out of a nomination, it feels like Lemmon is playing himself – a washed up character who once was the best. You can see the pain, the desperation, and the raw emotion on his face, but you can hear it in each line delivered. Lemmon leads the film and drives the character study, and he is the main subject. Al Pacino delivers a finely tuned and seasoned role that supports Lemmon' character through his downfall. Alec Baldwin punches out a brief performance with an intensity that the catalyst for the entire film needs. Alan Arkin is the pathetic one that was always pathetic. Arkin reads between the lines and conveys a convincing character. Ed Harris plays the character of rage and revenge, the one who has always been cheated, maybe an alcoholic – and Harris gets it right. Kevin Spacey, unfortunately, is dull and blah. His character is supposed to be a stone statue, but even a statue can have a fire in his eye.James Foley directs a monster of a cast through a delicate screenplay, turning in a beautiful film. The piece takes place in a naturally built production design, complete with a Chinese restaurant and a real estate office. But everything is buried too deep under the natural realism of the film. The emotions are perfect, but somewhat stale. It feels like a sweet glazed jelly donut without the jelly. There's a beautiful film that has substance, but no essence. Here, we have the 'Death of a Real Estate Agent', but just one notch below "Death of a Salesman."

Matthew_Capitano Pretty cool movie written by one of my favorite writers, David Mamet.A group of untalented salesmen are pressured by their company to hike their production numbers or else lose their jobs. Somewhat unbelievable script, but solid acting all around.Here are some of the film's inconsistencies:1. 'Blake' (Alic Baldin) asks if all those required to be at the meeting are present. Office manager Williamson (Kevin Spacy) says one guy, Roma (Al Pastinko), is absent, but Roma is the top salesman and he does not need to be there. Still, Blake says "Well, I'm starting with the meeting anyway". Later, Moss (Ed Haris) questions Williamson, "Roma doesn't have to be here because he's the top man on the board?", to which Williamson answers, "That's correct!").2. 'Blake' boasts of being a great salesman, but the 'leads' (prospective clients) which he speaks highly of, are, in fact, worthless, as Williamson states later ("Those clients are insane.... would you like to see the memo from the main office?").3. Roma goes to the barfly's private home to meet the loser's wife. It makes sense that Roma would get the inebriated loser in the bar to sign a contract to buy unseen land, but the loser's wife is the smart one, as she sends the barfly to see Roma the next day to cancel the contract, therefore, why would the barfly's wife sign the contract, too?4. Roma accuses Williamson of losing him his bonus Cadillac for being 'Number 1' in sales for the month, and of ruining a deal Roma was working on which cost him his 10% cut from the deal, which is true... Roma would have lost that, but the bonus Cadillac Roma would get for being the top salesman in the office would still be his.5. How could the competition (developer Jerry Graff who works "across the street"), be so stupid as to risk his business reputation and personal welfare by purchasing the stolen 'Glengarry Leads'?Also featured is the competent Jack Lemon and Alan Arken portraying a down-trodden soul. If Al Pastinko had any balls, he would have wanted to play the part of the loser, Levine (Lemon's character), instead of the 'top salesman', Roma, who is 'respected' while he walks around with a wad of money in his pocket. And of course, Roma doesn't have to be around for Blake's caustic verbal tirade, which is part of the reason Pastinko opted to play Roma).One question over-rides the entire proceedings: Why would these idiots stay with this terrible excuse for a job in the first place?

LeonLouisRicci Scatthing, Scarring, and Scary Film that exposes Capitalism and its Destructive Dogma. People are Expendable at the Expense of Greedy Ghouls feeding off the Savings and Hard Work, Gullibility and Weaknesses, of Victims too Uninformed, Polite, or Nice to say "No". God Help Them if the Check is Cashed before They change Their Minds.Nothing is Sacred except the Dollar. Human Beings are Stripped of Their Dignity and Their Souls in Pursuit of the Payoff. David Mamet's Screenplay from His Pulitzer Winning Play, uses Words like Weapons destroying the Fabric that holds "Civilized" Society together. The Salesman, in this case Real Estate but it could be Anything, is the Modern Alpha Male as Dangerous to Society as any Crime Lord. These Sales "People" play within the Law and that makes Them even more Dangerous because They can Hide more Easily.It's Frightening that this Film and its Philosophies, like Ayn Rand, is used by "Business" Students and at Seminars to "Motivate". Motivate? Inspiration to become like these "Lost Souls" and "Flesh Feeders".Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Jonathan Pryce, and Alec Baldwin "Lead" the Great Acting Ensemble with James Foley's unobtrusive Direction. This is Dialog Driven to say the Least, as is all of Mamet's Work and some say that this is His Best. Unnerving, Never Compromising, and Relentlessly Riveting, the Movie is too Painful to be Loved but must be Admired. Trouble is, it is sometimes Loved and Admired by all the Wrong People for all the Wrong Reasons.