Glimmerubro
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
jdeureka
"Two Men in Town" (2014)" is a brilliant blend of acting, directing, cinematography and setting. Why isn't this film better known? It's a real sleeper that ranks up there with series noir classics of the US Southwest -- from "Bad Day At Black Rock" (1955) through "No Country For Old Men" (2007). Yet one can see why this gets a low IMDb rating, probably low US Box Office too. This is not a happy film. This is not sunny, funny New Mexico. Another "Milagro Beanfield War" with a magically satisfying ending. "Two Men in Town" is richer; traditional and innovative at the same time. Acting A+; equally the DP work. This is both Cop Show and Western. Bigger than a single genre. Here be the desert -- of the soul. Here be echoes of Camus' "The Stranger". Here be an austere foreboding world from which man or woman cannot escape. God has left. Check it out. Good luck.
dbdumonteil
José Giovanni often found inspiration in his own life for his screenplays :he knew jail as the sound of his own name and he was once sentenced to death.His "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was first a plea against death penalty (after André Cayatte's "Nous Sommes Tous Des Assassins "(1952) and Claude Lelouch's "La Vie L'Amour La Mort " (1968)).The end of his movie depicted an execution in lavish details,with the sinister guillotine.This finale has remained memorable .Whitaker takes on Alain Delon's part ,Dolorès Heredia Mimsy Farmer's ,and Harvey Keitel Michel Bouquet's.The probation officer who was a man in the French movie(Jean Gabin)with a whole family ,including a "May 68 " son,becomes a bachelor (which is perhaps a mistake ,cause the French hero becomes friend with all of them and it urges him to have his own family) vigorous woman.As the background is entirely different from Paris,I had not even established the connection between the two movies ,although the sheriff reminded me of his French equivalent.And I was amazed when I noticed that the human officer -who tries in vain to let a terminally-ill man return and die in his native Ohio- listened to French singer Barbara .Whitaker gives one of the most restrained performances of his career,most of the time straight-faced ,even when he is humiliated : in jail ,the convict often redeems himself by finding Bible and Jesus :here ,maybe influenced by Malcolm X or Mohammed Ali,he found Allah ,but it does not make a big difference .Keitel's part is not very interesting,being repetitive and finally dull:the actor deserved better material.On the other hand,Brenda Blethyn makes all her scenes count. Mrs Burstyn's short appearance is ,as usual,a lesson in acting ,but is she really credible as the hero's mom?The desolate landscapes near the Mexican border are at least as impressive as the urban background of the French movie.It enhances Garnett's longing for a simple life ,and his desire to have a wife and children.That the ex-prisoner finds his sweetheart as soon as he is out of jail is somewhat unlikely,but it was already one of the flaws of the French model (Mimsy Farmer was also a bank employee in Paris).This is not for action-packed movies buffs;it is actually more austere and slow-moving than Giovanni's original movie ;violence is kept to the minimum and sex is almost absent;it's certainly underrated,although the raison d'être of the 1972 version is wasted .NB:As "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was a huge success in France,the title of the remake was changed into " La Voie De L'Ennemi" (the enemy's way)
David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. Director Rachid Bouchareb, a long time festival favorite, has taken the general story of writer/director Jose Giovanni's 1973 film of the same title and relocated it from France to a New Mexico border town. It touches on many elements such as rehabilitation of criminals, small town justice, human personality traits, freedom and justice, and conversion to Islam.Opening with the silhouette of a brutal murder against the sunset in a New Mexico desert, the film has a western feel replete with the sense of doom and impending showdown. Forest Whitaker stars as Garnett, a paroled man who has just been released after serving 18 years for killing a deputy. Despite a life of crime that began when he was 11 years old, Garnett was a model prisoner who obtained his GED and mentored others while becoming a converted Muslim. His words make it clear he wants to put his old life behind and start fresh – however, his actions show he still struggles with explosive anger issues.In a move that seems counterintuitive, Garnett is confined while on parole to the county in which he killed the deputy. The local sheriff (Harvey Keitel … who else would it be?) sets about making things difficult for Garnett, and expresses anger at his release while the "deputy is still dead". The idealistic parole officer is played by Brenda Blethyn, so the stage is set for the clash of philosophies: trust and rehabilitation vs historical behavior and justice. Adding one more challenge to Garnett's new world is the presence of his old crime boss played by Luis Guzman, who of course, wants him back in the business.While many folks all over the globe struggle endlessly to find love; Garnett is 2 days out of prison when he falls for the local banker played by Delores Heredia. Herein lies the problems with the movie. The love connection just happens too quickly. Guzman is never the ominous presence of a truly bad guy. Keitel only gets to offer glimpses of his disgust at Garnett's freedom. These three characters are all severely underwritten despite the efforts of three fine actors.If not for the terrific performance of Forest Whitaker, the film would fall totally flat. It's his screen presence that keeps us watching, hoping against all odds that he will find the peace he so desperately seeks. There is a wonderful scene with Whitaker and Ellen Burstyn, and a couple of the scenes with Whitaker and Blethyn are powerful, but the other pieces just never pack the punch necessary for this one to fully click.
dr_bonone
I just have finished to watch this film and it was quite good. Probably best Witaker role in years. He looks great on this movie. Also he has lost some pounds and he remembered me Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction. I have to say that is not an excellent film because the ending. It is a slow good film. Harvey is quite good too. On the other hand the ending was open to imagination. I do not why, all the movies I watched lately, has an open ending. The movie finishes and you do not know what is going to happen between the main character, the sheriff or the police woman. I do not like how it ends. That is all. To add I love the backgrounds and photography.