He Was A Quiet Man (2006)

79% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(19,340 ratings)

A man at the end of his emotional rope finally explodes, but not in a way anyone would have expected in this offbeat independent drama. Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is a middle-aged nebbish working in an office building where few people know who he is and fewer still care. Bob has developed a… More A man at the end of his emotional rope finally explodes, but not in a way anyone would have expected in this offbeat independent drama. Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is a middle-aged nebbish working in an office building where few people know who he is and fewer still care. Bob has developed a seething hatred and resentment of those around him, and has taken to carrying a gun to work in the hope that one day he'll have the courage to take down some of his co-workers. However, one day another man working in the office snaps and opens fire; Bob grabs his weapon and kills the shooter, but not before the gunman wounds Vanessa (Elisha Cuthbert), a pretty girl who works there. Bob unwittingly becomes a hero, and is applauded for stopping the menace and saving Vanessa's life. However, as Bob keeps an eye on Vanessa at the hospital (where she may now be paralyzed for life), his sudden transformation in the eyes of others only leaves him more unsettled and disturbed. Also starring William H. Macy and Jamison Jones, He Was A Quiet Man received its world premiere at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Frank A. Cappello
Written By: Frank Cappello
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 30, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jan 15, 2008
Studio: Mitropoulos

Critic Reviews

Lou Lumenick, New York Post
He's [Christian Slater] still a capable actor, but seems to be having as much trouble finding good scripts as his Heathers co-star Winona Ryder.
S. James Wegg, JWR
Cappello's brilliant script and expert storytelling would merely be interesting if anyone other than Christian Slater had been cast as Bob Maconel.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
He Was a Quiet Man devolves near the end, but it has enough memorable moments (a comic-turned-horrible karaoke sequence is a highlight) to merit a cautious recommendation.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
Occasionally works as a black comedy, but there's nothing real or true in it
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com
The nightmare is enhanced by Slater's gonzo performance. It's great to see the once mighty king of cool challenged in Quiet Man with a complex role that Slater bites down hard on.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Slater really sells Bob's tormented inner soul in a very appealing way; he feels like a real person inside his insane world.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
With the right audience He Was a Quiet Man might well play as black comedy. But Slater, disappearing into his role, brings a note of earnest desperation to his performance that's hard to laugh at, and hard to look away from.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
An absorbing and well-made indie drama.
Anthony Quinn, Independent
It's dark and too relentless for the comedy it would like to be.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
A real oddity of a film: a satire of corporate office despair.
, Sun Online
At the end you are just left admiring one of Slater's best ever performances.
Tristan Burke, Film4
Christian Slater's dedicated performance aside, He Was A Quiet Man tries to be both a black comedy and a drama, each ultimately undermining the other.
, Daily Mirror [UK]
Although the budget is low and the plot uneven, it's got a certain cultish charm that should appeal to disaffected office workers.
, BBC
Combining the mordant observations of The Office with the twisted romance of Boxing Helena, this macabre farce is an acquired taste, whose fantastical flourishes and toilet humour merely heighten the unsettling perversity of the whole.
Cath Clarke, Time Out
Slater does well to soften the lines of his no-hoper caricature, but writer-director Cappello steers his film to nowhere particularly memorable.
Kat Brown, Empire Magazine
An enjoyable satire is let down by a third act that juggles too many ideas for its own good.
Jonathon Williams, Little White Lies
Above average (just) comedy drama.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
Imagine Marty if Marty had turned out to be the Unabomber and you'll have the gist of writer-director Frank Cappello's oddly compelling, pitch-black comedy.
Amy Nicholson, Boxoffice Magazine
With its dreamlike flourishes and unrelenting despair, Frank A. Cappello's pitch-black dramedy feels distinctive even if it recalls bits from Falling Down, Office Space and even Boxing Helena.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Good movie. I actually did not recognise Christian Slater here - definitely not a glamour role for him, playing a downtrodden, henpecked office employee who is near to flipping, when someone beats him to it... There was a lot to like here. Elisha Cuthbert was the best I have ever… More
Good movie. I actually did not recognise Christian Slater here - definitely not a glamour role for him, playing a downtrodden, henpecked office employee who is near to flipping, when someone beats him to it... There was a lot to like here. Elisha Cuthbert was the best I have ever seen her. She plays the attractive co-worker that Christian Slater's Bob has always admired from afar, and they become friends when she is shot by someone else, and paralysed. The ending is a little open ended, so not everyone will get it - I know for me, I had to do a little online research to see what others thought, though I won't reveal it here and ruin it for anyone. (Or maybe I am just a little slow to register!). I enjoyed this movie. It stayed interesting all the way through. The talking fish was also a nice touch and an indication of how far removed from reality Bob had become!
♥˩ƳИИ &

Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is about to have a bad day. Another eight hours of sitting in a dull grey cubicle, ignored by his co-workers, existing in a world where he feels completely out of sync. On this particular bad day Bob… More
Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, William H. Macy Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is about to have a bad day. Another eight hours of sitting in a dull grey cubicle, ignored by his co-workers, existing in a world where he feels completely out of sync. On this particular bad day Bob crosses the line from potential killer to inadvertent hero and in the process saves Venessa's (Elisha Cuthbert) life. This invisible nobody saves the object of his desire only to have her ask him to end her life. The story was just OK for me. Seemed to drag for me a bit. Didn't care for the characters. But the best thing about the film was Christian Slater's performance. He really threw himself into his character. Thought Elisha Cuthbert was great as well. Just not my kind of movie maybe.
Wahida K

He seemed like such a nice guy.. He pretty much kept to himself...
Derek D

I wasn't incredibly interested in this movie, just kind of intrigued about it since reading the synopsis. Cubicle drone gets tired of his life and plans to kill his coworkers. When he actually gets set to do it, someone else in his office beats him to it, Slater kills the guy and… More
I wasn't incredibly interested in this movie, just kind of intrigued about it since reading the synopsis. Cubicle drone gets tired of his life and plans to kill his coworkers. When he actually gets set to do it, someone else in his office beats him to it, Slater kills the guy and becomes a hero. Then it turns into a love story before a not-at-all surprising ending. Slater is actually a great actor, so the problem isn't him. Macy seems kind of wasted somehow. The film just isn't that good. Pretty good idea, bad how it came out.
Leigh R

Totally odd...
Lorenzo v

He Was a Quiet Man draws on one of the most morbid aspects of our society and describes it perfectly. It leads us down a path of insanity and through the surreal, morbid, and sickened world of Slater's character almost flawlessly; and delivers a thought provoking, eye opening… More
He Was a Quiet Man draws on one of the most morbid aspects of our society and describes it perfectly. It leads us down a path of insanity and through the surreal, morbid, and sickened world of Slater's character almost flawlessly; and delivers a thought provoking, eye opening take on the mind of a psychotic would be murderer. Great performance by Christian Slater with the assist of William H. Macy and Elisha Cuthbert. I quite enjoyed it although some scenes were a bit boring and dull and it forced me to close my eyes but alas, when Elisha's character flaunted her assets, I was immediately drawn back to the film. Watch it.
Gordon A

Captivating study of the 'little man' with a restrained performance from Slater and gutsy support from Cuthbert. Some of the surreal touches are a bit obvious and literal and the ending is a bit of a cop out but it should be praised for trying something different.
A.D. V

Not for everyone but those who enjoy quirky, dramatic black comedy-ish films will find it to be satisfying. And Christian Slater is brilliant in his portrayal of a downtrodden company drone.
Brian D

Not bad Christen slater give a ok performance. The film just says Straight to video.
Curtis L

Christian Slater once again plays a psycho. This time he looks absolutely disgusting/awesome as a middle aged guy that works in cubical hell, and goes home to his pet fish that tells him to kill everyone after he drinks apple juice surrounded by humming birds. I won't give… More
Christian Slater once again plays a psycho. This time he looks absolutely disgusting/awesome as a middle aged guy that works in cubical hell, and goes home to his pet fish that tells him to kill everyone after he drinks apple juice surrounded by humming birds. I won't give anything away, but it feels much like the movie 'Stay' as much of the entire film is a big allegory that you have to watch several times to catch anything, which I love since it keeps me thinking about it for days.
Nani V

I enjoyed this movie. I had to think about the ending for a bit, but I think I got it! It's a serious movie, but, I also found a bit of humor in certain parts.
Jacob P

I saw this movie on Chiller, not a horror. It's not that good either. From random sequences of burning buildings to talking fish, this film fails to be a successful film or even a drama film.
Sol C

This film really surprised me. It has been a long time since I have seen Christian Slater in a great film role. Slater does an amazing job in this film. Elisha Cuthbert also does solid work and William H. Macy also provides solid supporting work in the film. I did predict the big… More
This film really surprised me. It has been a long time since I have seen Christian Slater in a great film role. Slater does an amazing job in this film. Elisha Cuthbert also does solid work and William H. Macy also provides solid supporting work in the film. I did predict the big twist of the film, early on, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the film. It kind of reminded me of Fight Club and American Psycho. I was surprised to see John Gulager, who was the 3rd season winner of Project Greenlight, in an acting role in this film. I definitely recommend this film.
Daniel P

Christian Slater leaves behind most of his usual eccentricities and eyebrow raising to give a pretty good, quite restrained 'uglified' performance in this bizarre mishmash of Falling Down and Clockwatchers. An uncertain tone that leers… More
Christian Slater leaves behind most of his usual eccentricities and eyebrow raising to give a pretty good, quite restrained 'uglified' performance in this bizarre mishmash of Falling Down and Clockwatchers. An uncertain tone that leers uncomfortably between heartfelt drama, surrealism and black humor prevents He Was A Quiet Man from being entirely successful. In addition, the contrivance which sets the plot in motion is difficult to get past and the visual effects are so overblown that suspension of disbelief is a bit out of the question. It is though, a film with some surprisingly moving and effective moments. Best of all is a pretty damn stunning performance from a cast against type Elisa Cuthbert, leaving her usual vanity behind and giving her all. Previously having only seen her work as the vacuous Kim Bauer in 24 and in various plays on that character in redundant films, I was very impressed. She clearly has potential to be a great actor if she chooses her projects with care.
Mike T

Christian Slater performs very well within the confines of a flawed script. Despite the film's respectable attempts to be unique, it ends up pulling itself apart by heading in too many directions. Original and interesting at times, but an uneven movie.
Marcus W

Definitely one to watch as a curio. It's part black comedy, part romance, part drama, and part something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
Adam M

Lonely office worker Bob wants to kill his fellow workers but gets beaten to it and is instead hailed a hero and gets a top job at the company as well as an opportunity to get to know a beautiful PA that works there and who he saved but can Bob stay sane? This is a very interesting… More
Lonely office worker Bob wants to kill his fellow workers but gets beaten to it and is instead hailed a hero and gets a top job at the company as well as an opportunity to get to know a beautiful PA that works there and who he saved but can Bob stay sane? This is a very interesting film, darkly funny at times, well acted with some surreal moments. Worth a look.
deb .

"I...am not...a spoon!" Remarkable performance by Christian Slater, who plays the "quiet man", Bob Maconel. From the outside, Bob is barely noticed, so quiet and meek, but inside he's almost ready to explode. Some… More
"I...am not...a spoon!" Remarkable performance by Christian Slater, who plays the "quiet man", Bob Maconel. From the outside, Bob is barely noticed, so quiet and meek, but inside he's almost ready to explode. Some scenes seemed too long and drawn out, but it was still worth the watch. "You may ask why I did what I did. But what choice did you give me? How else could I get your attention? All I wanted to do is exist in your world. Just one person, would take time to actually see me. Help me find a way out."
Chosen 7

Interesting film.
Sarah P

Christian Slater really dove deep into this role. The twist at the end was pretty good, but I don't think it's a movie I would watch again.