He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

80% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

A frustrated office worker becomes a reluctant hero after saving a woman's life.

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He Was a Quiet Man

Critics Reviews

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He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Moira MacDonald Seattle Times With the right audience He Was a Quiet Man might well play as black comedy. But Slater, disappearing into his role, brings a note of earnest desperation to his performance that's hard to laugh at, and hard to look away from. Rated: 3/4 Jan 4, 2008 Full Review He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Anthony Quinn Independent (UK) It's dark and too relentless for the comedy it would like to be. Rated: 2/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Peter Bradshaw Guardian A real oddity of a film: a satire of corporate office despair. Rated: 3/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Kaleem Aftab The List In this audacious crime caper, written and directed by Frank A Cappello, Slater finally gives a leading-man performance that delivers on his early promise. Rated: 3/5 Nov 3, 2018 Full Review He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (5) James Wegg JWR Cappello's brilliant script and expert storytelling would merely be interesting if anyone other than Christian Slater had been cast as Bob Maconel. Rated: 4.5/5 Jul 23, 2009 Full Review He Was a Quiet Man | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Christopher Null Filmcritic.com He Was a Quiet Man devolves near the end, but it has enough memorable moments (a comic-turned-horrible karaoke sequence is a highlight) to merit a cautious recommendation. Rated: 3/5 Jun 30, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mary R If I had seen this movie in a theater, I would have headed for the door. I barely made it to the end. I must have missed the comedy part - it was so subtle to be nonexistent; or the discomfort of Slater's character's existence blotted out anything comedic, except maybe the animated talking fish, which actually wasn't funny, and belonged in a Pixar kid's film, not this one. The end was horrible, it didn't really do the "dream" justice, or was the entire scenario what played back in his head while he was dying? It wasn't really clear. But perhaps that's because by the end I no longer cared. I didn't like the female lead's character, I didn't like William Macy's character, and well, can we just say Bob was loathesome and irredeemable? Agree with those who said there was nothing memorable about the movie - but I guess it stuck with me at least 12 hours since it prompted me to actually write a review. Irritation will do that... Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review Andrea C Se c'è un film che può aver ispirato nella sceneggiatura Shutter Island, è questo.Christian Slater alle prese con uno dei ruoli più importanti e complessi della sua carriera, in cui è costretto ad inventarsi un personaggio con una psiche estremamente complessa e senza poter sfruttare il suo innegabile fascino.La sceneggiatura è semplice eppure molto efficace, segue il suo personaggio in quella che sembra una redenzione verso la gioia per poi vederlo sprofondare in un abisso senza fine quando si scopre la verità sulla sua storia.Un racconto triste e malinconico, vicino alla realtà di tutti i giorni seppure piuttosto che appesantire con elementi di dramma, ci si rifugi in una realtà alternativa ed in una storia d'amore innovativa. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/23 Full Review isla s This is a dark, chilly watch. Ultimately I think its about being belittled at work and about a deepening feeling of loss of control. Its a tense and gripping film and it has some plot twists. I felt that Christian Slater gave a very good performance as the main character, Bob Maconel, who appears to be very much the average; middle aged, officer worker type. This is quite a memorable film and I'd recommend it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave s Bob (Christian Slater), a meek office worker with a mundane job, is tired of being bullied by his co-workers. In his desk is a revolver loaded with six rounds, five for those who have tormented him and one for himself, but can he muster the courage to exact his revenge? He Was a Quiet Man is a truly unique film in all respects. Is it a black comedy? A satire? Perhaps a romance? A thriller? It's a bit of each. While it's sometimes hindered by its weirdness (the talking goldfish, for example), it's worth watching for its compelling storyline, a tour-de-force performance from Slater, and a wildly clever ending that is difficult to see coming. And remember, in the words of Bob, ‘I am not a spoon!!' Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review tom m I like the main actors so I wanted to give it a try. It was one of those very odd sorts of stories. Odd like "Brazil" was odd. I found it entertaining enough. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member it's kind of incredible how much Christian Slater isn't himself in this film; he played his part perfectly. even though it's not a new concept, i really like the premise of "office horror" where one disgruntled employee decides to get revenge from the big man... but this one played out a little differently & i'm not sure how i feel about it, actually. i think there's a deeper meaning to the end that requires a little thought - i heard rumblings about an alternate ending & a few possible theories on it that are definitely intriguing; i'm actually surprised how much time i've spent looking into it/thinking about it to be honest. so i guess that's a good sign. i'd recommend this one, for sure! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

He Was a Quiet Man

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Cast & Crew

Frank Cappello Director Christian Slater Bob Maconel Elisha Cuthbert Vanessa William H. Macy Gene Shelby Sascha Knopf Paula Jamison Jones Scott Harper
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Synopsis A frustrated office worker becomes a reluctant hero after saving a woman's life.

Director
Frank Cappello

Producer
Michael Leahy

Screenwriter
Frank Cappello

Distributor
Mitropoulos Films

Production Co
Neo Art & Logic

Genre
Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 2007, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
May 25, 2020

Runtime
1h 39m
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