183 - Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

DVD Box

Four salesmen compete for a car, with the loser being awarded the sack.

In the sales game, leads are everything. In a Chicago office selling land, Shelley Levene (Jack Lemmon), Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), Dave Moss (Ed Harris), and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin) have been told that they must sell as much as they can - or face the sack.

The stakes are high, and someone is willing to break the law and in order to get at the golden "Glengarry" leads, stealing them from under the nose of office boy John Williamson (Kevin Spacey).

Just remember the ABC of sales techniques - Always Be Closing.

Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia

My family watched Glengarry Glen Ross when I'd left the DVD lying around and told me that it was utter trash. Naturally, I was a little deterred by the film after such scathing reviews, but a challenge is a challenge and if it's on the list, then I've got to watch it!

First up, Glengarry Glen Ross is nowhere near as bad as they made out. Granted, not much happens during the film, but then it only takes place over two days. The film prefers to focus more on the character struggles and the difficulty faced by salespeople on a daily basis than providing much action.

That really, is the crux of the film. Often salespeople are those that phone up to irritate you, and more often than not have nothing of interest to sell. If you are willing to open your mind and see the cutthroat world that they live in to get results, then you'll probably enjoy this. Also, if your favourite word is "lead", you're in for a treat.

I should also point out that it also has an all star cast. Together they don't really perform (something my family pointed out), but individually they shine. Oddly, the least well known of the salespeople's actors, Jack Lemmon, has the best part to play; watching him flit between smooth-talker and desperate man was utterly absorbing. Similarly, Al Pacino's suave confidence is a mindset he finds easy to slip into - but then, he is the Don.

Overall then, not so bad. So, as much as it pains me to go against those that raised me...

• Empire Review
• Internet Movie Database
• Wikipedia