An Intriguing Film About Life Lessons

Filmed in Chicago two years ago, “The Merry Gentleman” isn’t exactly merry, as it’s a portrayal of a hit man in crisis and an abused wife (Kate, played by Kelly Macdonald) who tries to make a new life for herself. Michael Keaton’s the director and co-star Logan, who plays the depressed hit man. It’s always great for the arts in Chicago when a major production is filmed in our city and this one’s no exception. I enjoyed its quiet, slow, almost lingering pace. The film has a different tone as does the subject matter, therefore slow and still worked for me.

They say that the opportunity that presents itself to you may not always be the one you were looking for, as possibly was the case here. Keaton had signed on for the mysterious dark leading role of the hired assassin and screenwriter Ron Lazzeretti, who was originally slated to direct, fell ill. Keaton decided to try his hand at the directing helm. In this case, it played in his favor as the film is really great.

Cinematographer Chris Seager provided the cold, wintry backdrops of Chicago. “The Merry Gentleman” completed production in April 2007 and went on to screen at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Chicago audiences first saw it at the Midwest Independent Film Festival this past April. The film is currently playing in most major theaters.

The film begins as we view Kate (the superb Kelly Macdonald, also memorable as the wife in “No Country for Old Men”) flees her abusive husband (Bobby Cannavale) and lands in a new city. One night, while talking with a co-worker and walking along the street, she looks up and sees a man on the top of a tall building. Is he on the brink of suicide? She screams out a warning, he stumbles backward. He is saved. He just so happens to be Logan the professional killer. He is startled and falls back onto the roof. He knows she has seen him. Now what?

A Hitchcock feel at times as we are never really sure where the film is going. Is the movie at this point about Logan’s intention to kill Kate before she can identify him? It's certainly reasonable to think so. Although Logan goes through the motions of preparing for that, there is also the possibility that he might have committed his last murder. That’s the lingering tone, we don’t know. Kate does report the incident to the police. Then the dead man is found, and the cop named Murcheson (Tom Bastounes) realizes she must have seen the killer.

Murcheson is a recovering alcoholic and overweight to boot. He’s smitten with Kate and wants to date her. They end up going to dinner and Kate is not really interested as she ends the date early. Murcheson, a nice enough guy is persistent. Meanwhildst Logan discovers the woman who saw him on the roof is dating the policeman on the case. There are lots of angles and ways for this film to go, very cleaver and refreshing to view.

Kate eventually ends up meeting Logan and she’s actually smitten with him. The husband returns for an intense dramatic scene with Kate. All and all, the film is so different that I found myself not wanting it to end. I enjoyed the strong performances, directing and script. Check it out if you’re in the mood for a Hitchcock style thriller.

Sarah Adamson © 2009