The Gingerbread Man
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.15 You Save: $6.79 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.75 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Gingerbread Man
Movie Review: Interesting
Summary: 4 Stars
Whether doing Shakespeare or otherwise, Kenneth Branagh is an awesome actor. Sure, TGM is not exactly a "movie of the year" or anything but it was entertaining enough to be worth watching. Like with all these types of movies, there's a twist. For me, the test for a good movie is: can I figure out the twist before the movie reveals it. On this one, I didn't. There were some big-name actors in this one but most of them seemed to have relatively minor roles. Strange.
Anyway, overall, TGM was an interesting movie.
Recommended.
Movie Review: ok thriller
Summary: 3 Stars
let me first say that i'm not a big fan of robert altman.i don't know what it is but his films seem to be all predictable and drawn out.and that's exactly how this film plays out.about 15 minutes into the film i knew what was going to happen.that's not giving myself all that much credit because if you've seen as many films as i have you'll get the movie cliche business as well.2 of the stars in the film are only in it for 5 minutes which is a big disappointment.otherwise the rest of the cast does pretty well.robert downey jr. just makes me laugh doing ordinary things so that was a big plus and kenneth brannagh puts on a good georgia accent.another complaint i have about the film is the music.it seems out of place.a perfect example how music is so important in that it sets the mood, but here it doesn't.it trys to make the film more thrilling than it really is.a one time only view.Movie Review: Branagh in Savannah
Summary: 3 Stars
I haven't anything to say on the movie as a whole - it's a grade-B thriller, creaky and contrived - but I wanted to add my 2 cents' worth on the phenomenon of Branagh the impersonator. I live in central east Georgia, and it has been my misfortune to spend quite a lot of time in the company of Savannah lawyers; Kenneth Branagh's character in this movie could have slipped into one of those practices like hair into hair oil. The look, the walk, the gestures, the speech - all of it seemed to me perfect. I am not native to Georgia, it's true, but I've lived here for 6 years, and usually accents bother me. Branagh's art - his ear, his technique - is something special.
So, if you're interested in him, or in mimicry in general, you will get something out of this over-all low-grade film.
Movie Review: Not Quite Good
Summary: 2 Stars
The Gingerbread Man should be a better noir than it is. A primary flaw is its inability to get us behind its protagonist in any way- Rick MacGruder (Kenneth Branagh) is pompous, vain, and tempestuous. As an attorney, he is the polar opposite of Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch, willing to sink to any level in order to win a case. When MacGruder helps a young woman deal with her mentally unstable father, we know he is doing so out of a desire to get in her pants rather than any sort of altruism. It is simply hard to care for him as his situation deteriorates- indeed, one almost gets the feeling that karma is simply at work. Another issue is the plot. While twists and turns are fine, this film saves all of them for the final thirty minutes, and they feel a little overwhelming. While you are trying to figure out how one twist happened, the next one barrels onto the screen.
Stylistically, the film has some interesting and cool moments. The slick opening shot, accompanied by the discordant score, takes us over the Georgia coastal plain and eventually tracks MacGruder's car over the Talmadge Bridge and into Savannah. It hardly matters that traveling from Jacksonville to Savannah (as we are told) doesn't take you over said bridge. The setting is an important part of the story, and Savannah is a location that never fails to lend its uniqueness to a film.
On the whole, The Gingerbread Man has some genuinely suspenseful moments (Duvall is particularly menacing) but it is otherwise disengaging. I was waiting for it to end.
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh's Sticky and Sweet Tour
Summary: 2 Stars
"The Gingerbread Man" was a departure for the late auteur Robert Altman. As David Mamet made a successful entree in costume drama was "The Winslow Boy",so did Altman made a less-than-successful entree in a mainstream,John Grisham thriller. It's heavy-handed,silly,and in its own way,an unlikely cult classic.
"Gingerbread Man" is about a successful Savannah attorney (Kenneth Branagh) Branagh's hammy take on a Southern accent is as sappy as a sugary mint julep. He finds himself smitten with a client (Embeth Davidtz) who claims that her father (Robert Duvall) is a violent cult leader. There are some hilarious love scenes,that arouse... laughter. The minor characters,however,turn in some good performances that make the movie watchable. Duvall is excellent as the violent father, Daryl Hannah is great as the dowdy assistant,and Robert Downey,Jr. is credible as an alcoholic attorney. They keep the movie going even when the plot is ludicrous. The closing scene,in an odd way,is an interesting meditation on gun control laws when Branagh realizes he's in a legal trap. It's open-ended when it comes to his fate.
"Gingerbread Man" is a sugary cookie.