Glengarry Glen Ross

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Tagline: "A story for everyone who works for a living."

Length: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language

I love sparkling dialogue delivered by top-notch actors, and that's what you get when you watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992), now available on DVD in a two-disc Special Edition put out by Artisan. The dialogue was written by the great American playwright David Mamet and delivered by a dream-team ensemble cast that includes Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey.

In the movie, Shelley Levene (Lemmon), Ricky Roma (Pacino), Dave Moss (Harris), and George Aaronow (Arkin) are salesmen who work for Premiere Properties. Their desks are in a small, shabby office managed by John Williamson (Spacey). The location of the office is never mentioned in the film, but its proximity to an elevated train and the remark by one of the salesmen that he "had a woman in White Plains on the hook" seem to imply that it is in the New York City area.

About eight-and-a-half minutes into the movie, there's a dramatic scene where the salesmen attend a meeting conducted by a disagreeable man (Baldwin) who drives an $80,000 BMW and has been sent by the management. He tells them, "Only one thing counts in this life—get them to sign on the line which is dotted!" He also admonishes them: "A-B-C. A—Always, B—Be, C—Closing. Always be closing." But what gets the salesmen's undivided attention is that the man notifies them that they are in a sales contest where first prize is a Cadillac, second prize is a set of steak knives, and "third prize is you're fired."

After the meeting, the office manager hands each salesman two "leads," which are cards containing the names and telephone numbers of prospective buyers. Moments later we see Shelley on the phone telling a Mrs. Nyborg, "I'm calling from Consolidated Properties of Arizona. Our computer has chosen you from all of the many thousands who write in requesting information on our properties. Now by federal law, as you probably know, the prize must be awarded to you even if you are not engaged in our land development plan. The only stipulation, of course, is that you and your husband must sign at the same time for the receipt of your prize. Now, I will be in the area tonight, possibly tomorrow. What do you think might be a convenient time to meet with both you and your husband?"

We watch the salesmen try to sell parcels of land in Arizona and Florida to reluctant prospective investors, but much of the film is taken up by the salesmen talking among themselves. Their big complaint is that the leads they are given are weak, and they become obsessed with the fact that there are premium leads locked up in the office that are to be given later to those who prove themselves to be closers. Soon the office is robbed and the premium leads are stolen, and the police are brought in to investigate.

What I like best about "Glengarry Glen Ross" is the way it captures the attitudes of men working at unglamorous jobs. Al Pacino exudes the easy arrogance that success can bring, Ed Harris shows us an edgy bitterness, and Jack Lemmon and Alan Arkin both seem like beaten older men who can't keep up with changing times. The movie is brilliantly successful as a psychodrama, yet I got a lot of laughs from its dark humor.

The film version of "Glengarry Glen Ross" was adapted from a 1980s Broadway play, and I have to admit that the movie remains pretty stagy. Nevertheless, the cinematography does have its moments, mainly through the use of unusual camera angles and unexpected use of color. Also, I suppose some viewers will find the plot of "Glengarry Glen Ross" less than compelling, but for me, the inherent drama in the film's many closely observed moments more than compensates.

The "Glengarry Glen Ross" two-disc DVD set comes with both widescreen and full-screen versions of the film. There's an audio commentary by director James Foley for part of the widescreen version, but his commentary doesn't run anything like the full length of the movie. There are also commentaries for part of the full-screen version by Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía, and production designer Jane Musky, but each of these is rather short. The DVDs come with some other nice bonus materials as well, and I have listed them below.