Brainsbell
The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
KrakatoaEnt317
Are you fan of dark comedies? Do you enjoy films about Hit men? If you answered yes to these questions you will most likely enjoy this film. This movie shows the rise & fall between these two cold blooded characters. It's really fascinating to see how they both change with each kill. There is a great mix of violence & humor in "Jerry and Tom". Written by Rick Cleveland based on his play (Runaway Jury & Six Feet Under) & directed by long time actor Saul Rubinek (Frasier, The Contender, Death Wish V, True Romance, & Unforgiven) in his debut. It really stands out from all those other flicks about contract killers. You need to check out this unknown gem....Now on to the cast/characters....First we got Jerry played by Sam Rockwell (Choke, Matchstick Men, Welcome to Collinwood, Heist, The Green Mile, Safe Men, Lawn Dogs, Box of Moon Light, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, & Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) he's a newcomer to the contract killer business who ends up loving his job a little too much plus he's not that smart. Then we got Tom played by Joe Mantegna (House of Games, The Godfather: Part III, Homicide, Bugsy, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Airheads, Albino Alligator, Thinner, The Last Don 1/2, Joan of Arcadia, Criminal Minds, & The Simpsons -Fat Tony-) he's the veteran of the duo who teaches Jerry everything he knows about contract killing. Then there's the supporting cast of Maury Chaykin (Death Hunt, The Hunt for the BTK Killer, Nero Wolfe Mystery, Sugartime, Devil in a Blue Dress, & Twins) as Billy, he's the boss who sets everything up plus he owns the car dealership they work at when their not killing people. Then there's his long time partner Vic played by Charles Durning (The Sting, Breakheart Pass, Sisters, Dog Day Afternoon, The Fury, When a Stranger Calls, The Hudsucker Proxy, Evening Shade, State and Main, & Rescue Me) who's a former contract killer himself who actually taught Tom everything he knows. He may or may not have killed JFK, Elvis, and a bunch of other celebs plus he wants to write a book about it. Plus we get some great cameos from their victims such as Ted Danson, William H. Macy, Peter Riegert, & Sarah Polley.
ratsky
Great cast, even good performances, could not save this film. It's like the director tried to emulate Mamet and Tarantino at the same time, and failed at both. The dialogue was good, but the pace dragged and the timing was awkward. To emulate Mamet, it needed denser dialogue. Danson and Macy were at their best, and Durning's performance was great, but all were wasted. The technique used to transition from one scene/time to the next was clever the first few times, but became tiresome. The Rockwell character lost credibility after a few years of his boss still saying he was a good kid. He was a loser from the start, and anyone could see that he could never be a professional at anything, even that profession. I love the genre, and I genuinely tried to like this film, but I felt like I wasted my time.
barberoux
Jerry and Tom are two hit men who engage in clever banter before brutally killing people. This movie has been described as a black comedy. I found it brutal and distasteful. It treated cold blooded murder lightheartedly. The audience is subjected to short, repetitive vignettes featuring the violent ways used to kill the victims. We are also lured in to care for the victim and their plight before the killers kill them. The killers show no remorse for their actions. Are we in turn taught to have no remorse for brutality? Are we to be charmed by the killers and ignore the unfeeling, inhuman treatment of the victims? What did the victims do to deserve their fate? We are never told. Is it no surprise that young people can kill and exhibit no remorse for their actions. To them isn't a High School just another vignette. Joe Mantegna plays his usual Mafia-type hood and Sam Rockwell plays a slovenly, moronic thug who becomes increasingly mean through the movie. This could have been a much better movie if the killings and the various inhumane methods used were kept off screen. We know they were hit men and we know, from their frequent inclusion in Hollywood films, what they do, so why dwell on the act instead of on the story. Maybe the story was the brutality. This movie's celebration of killing and matter-of-fact brutality combined with its light tone desensitizes its audience. We are victims of this movie.
screamin' hamster
I saw this on a premium channel and thought my wife and in-laws might actually enjoy it. But even though it's become a family joke, i liked it. The one charac- ter that has a development "arc" is played by the talented Sam Rockwell. No one seems to know how to cast this actor, so we may never see him in a major role in a movie with an actual budget, but he and the others (i particularly liked Ted Danson's contribution; funny stuff) do a great job with a low-key directing style by first time feature director Saul Rubinek. Think Brian DePalma in reverse. If you're here, you know what the movie's about, so i'll just say that, though not a Hall of Fame candidate, this is an enjoyable dark comedy with some excellent visual touches in transitions from scene to scene.
