Customer Reviews

Gingerbread Man (Widescreen)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
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.

One could see this as 'Short Cuts' correlative
opposite. That was a movie with great ambitions, that - while good -
fell just short. This is a movie of much lesser aim (just a good tense
thriller/mystery), that's much more successful on it's own terms.

The acting is very good throughout. It may be my favorite Kenneth
Branagh performance; understated and subtle. And a number of the scenes
really are tense. Altman finds some clever ways to create suspense with
sound and image that aren't just retreads of what we've seen before.

Admittedly, some of the twists are pretty creaky and predictable, the
logic sometimes questionable, and the moral POV of the film is a bit
confusing. But this still blows most modern Hollywood thrillers out of the
water.

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 just got done watching this movie, and I'm a bit torn on which side of the discussion I'm going to come down on.

I was curious to see how Branagh (whom I usually love) was going to do a Southern accent. I think he struggled on this. He did an OK accent, but being a Northerner, I'm going to have to defer on others on how good his accent was. At least he didn't have a broad drawl.

The plot was pretty suspenseful. One did feel a definite sense of foreboding when Branagh's children were involved. Unlike other reviewers, I thought the subplot about the storm added an interesting twist.

Two other great actors, Robert Duvall and Robert Downey, Jr. were good in the film, although neither had a lot of screen time.

I must confess that it was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen, so the ending wasn't a giant surprise. Films these days all seem to offer a twist at the end, so I think we are all trying to out-guess the filmmakers. It was pretty easy this time.

Moderately recommended. The film's actors bail out what really should have been a better film. Pick a rainy day to watch it (it really does rain all the time).

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.

THIS IS ONE GREAT MOVIE,AS YOU CAN SEE IT IS HARD TO FIND.I
PLAN TO ORDER IT WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

FRANKIE H.HARRIS

I cannot believe that a Robert Altman film based on a John Grisham manuscript could be so completely ridiculous. Three of the major characters do things that are simply stupid. Kenneth Branagh plays attorney Rick Magruder. How in the world this guy ever passed his bar exam is beyond me because he is about as intelligent as most farm animals. One of my favorite parts in the movie comes when he is supposed to be protecting his kids from a psycho killer. How does he do that? Let's see...he doesn't ask for any help from the authorities. He doesn't make sure that he isn't being followed. He then takes his kids to a hotel and puts them alone in an unlocked room with the drapes open so anyone can look inside and come inside. Real smart.

There were two other HUGE plot holes. I would really like to share them but they happen toward the end of the movie and I don't want to ruin anything if you actually decide to watch this film. However...please be warned! If you are expecting an intelligent suspense movie since it has the Grisham name attached to it then you will be gravely disappointed. Branagh ends up becoming the equivalent of Rambo with a nicer wardrobe. This film takes a long, boring time building up to a silly and unbelievable ending. Making this movie was the real crime.

Kenneth Branagh is a divorced Savannah lawyer, who is attracted to a waitress in an office party. By going over to her house, he gets more than some casual sex. He immediatelly involves himself in defending her from her unstable father, and goes in over his head because things are not as they seem.

The movie, acting, and plot are great, and are very impressive on the first watching. But after watching it for the first time, once you know all the plot twists, you can watch the movie a few more times to get some more depth before it gets boring and predictable... So you might give buying this DVD (instead of renting it out) another thought...

alright, i've read some of the reviews and i have to disagree with most of the comments. i came into this movie, thinking it wouldn't be all that good, but i was blown away! i mean i admit it was SORT OF a drag @ FIRST...but then it REALLY sped up! i mean, who woulda thought that it would twist the way it did i didn't suspect what would happen til the very end. seeing as to embeth davidtz is british, her accent was FABULOUS!!! i can't say anything about the accents being STRAIGHT on, cuz i mean i'm not a dialect coach or anything, but they sounded good to me. no one said anything about necessity as far as the accents and the rain go. the rain added for complications in the end...like the whole cell phone bit (he woulda heard the cell on the phone if the rain hadn't been comin' down and wind blowin' so hard...plus the accents add flavor to the story. it's like, what's the point of making ppl speak with british dialects when they're in london, ya know what i mean?! okay, kenneth branagh, best known for his wonderful adaptations of shakespeare...did a REALLY good job in something different for him. i liked his performance a lot. daryll hannah...she was fabulous as alwayz...she seems to alwayz do the best with her characters. she's definately a favorite of mine. famke janssen...needs to do more work...good of course, but not enough in this to see her actual acting potential. robert duvall...pyscho no shoe man...hehehe....it would be interesting to see him in more psychotic roles, don't you all think?! robert downey jr....last but not least. i have to say he's a personal fave of mine...alwayz has been. he has a way with roles...where he would make an otherwise boring lifeless role and bring it to life. as an aspiring actress myself...it does me well to watch and learn. he did that with his character. i mean, you could SOOO tell he was a drunk! and i mean he didn't walk funny or anything like that, but you could tell...it was good. ~anywayz~ all in all good movie. it occasionally comes on usa, i would catch it if you can. i really liked it! :)

A Savannah lawyer is defending a beautiful client from her father. He got involved with the client. The plot twist is quite predictable but nevertheless this is quite entertaining film based on John Grisham story. Another high point of the DVD is the exceptional sound quality in 5.1. Even though this movie doesn't have many action scenes, but the sound of passing trucks, rains and so on are very realistic.