Ambition (1991)

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One of three short films made by Hal Hartley in 1991, along with Surviving Desire and Theory of Achievement, the nine-minute short Ambition is the shortest and most stylized film of the trilogy. (All three are available on a single videocassette, also entitled Surviving Desire.) Ambition begins with… More One of three short films made by Hal Hartley in 1991, along with Surviving Desire and Theory of Achievement, the nine-minute short Ambition is the shortest and most stylized film of the trilogy. (All three are available on a single videocassette, also entitled Surviving Desire.) Ambition begins with a perfect distillation of Hartley's deadpan style, as a bored man slowly pushes a coffee cup off a table; he then proceeds to break everything else in the kitchen. The film continues along these lines, alternating mundane, day-to-day details with comically exaggerated violence. After breakfast, the man leaves for work; on the way he gets into wordless, hand-to-hand combat with a variety of assailants. At his workplace, an odd, symbolic art gallery, the man is interviewed by a woman about his work. Immediately afterwards, he is chastised by his boss and beaten by two anonymous men in business suits. Hartley builds the film musically, using certain images and bits of dialogue as recurring motifs. The piece is structured as variations on a theme, explorations of the meaning and importance of work. The result is a pensive, sad meditation on frustrated ambition and regret, leavened by moments of witty dialogue and playful experimentation. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 9 min.
Directed By: Scott Goldstein
Written By: Lou Diamond Phillips
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: May 31, 1991 Wide
On DVD: Oct 24, 1991
Studio: Media Home Entertainment

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Cast

            Clancy Brown as Albert Merrick

            Cecilia Peck as Julie

            Richard Bradford as Jordan

            Willard E. Pugh as Freddie

            Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Merrick

            Katherine Armstrong as Roseanne

            Dr. Haing S. Ngor as Tatay

            Maria Rangel as Female Dancer

            Teresa Bowman as 1st Media Reporter

            Karen Landry as Woman in Bookstore

            Chris Mulkey as Man in Bookstore

            David Allyn as Nondescript Man

            Bert Conway as Gruff Man

            JD Cullum as Jack

            Maggie Egan as Anchor

            Wayne Federman as Wiseass

            Randy Hall as Male Dancer

            Robert Harvey as Merrick's Attorney

            Ken Kerman as 2nd Prison Gaurd

            Diana Michelle as Long-Haired Hooker

            Michelle Milantoni as Middle-Aged Woman

            David Burton Morris as Man in Corvette

            Anita Ortega as Hispanic Woman

            Daniel Robbins as Waiter

            Mik Scriba as 1st Prison Guard

            Aaron Seville as 3d Media Reporter

            Kevin Shaw as Co-Worker

            Steve Whiteford as 4th Media Reporter

            Celeste Yarnall as Beverly Hills Shopper

            Jake Jacobs as Suit and Tie Man

            Lou Diamond Phillips as Mitchell Osgood

            Rick Scarry as 2nd Media Reporter

            Cathy Sandrich
            
            Julie Hutchison
            
            Amanda Mackey-Johnson
            
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