Men of Respect (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Sep 16, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
William C. ReillyRelease Date(s)
1990 (August 9, 2024)Studio(s)
Columbia Pictures (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: D-
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
Shakespeare’s plays have often been the basis of Hollywood films, such as West Side Story (Romeo & Juliet), 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew), Forbidden Planet (The Tempest), and Get Over It (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Among them is Men of Respect, a picture that reimagines Macbeth as a modern crime drama.
The film opens with bullets flying. Mike Battaglia (John Turturro, The Big Lebowski) is a hit man working for mob boss Charlie D’Amico (Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night). Mike and some henchmen enter a bar where some of Charlie’s top enemies are meeting and annihilate them all.
Running from gunmen intent on killing him, Mike chances on an elderly woman, Lucia (Lilia Skala, Lilies of the Filed) who, for a price, looks into his future. She says that he has been touched by good luck that will protect him. Mike’s skepticism is shaken by the fact that this complete stranger addresses him by name and refers to other personal details about him that she should have no way of knowing. That skepticism soon disappears as an important prediction she gave him comes true.
Charlie is pleased to learn that some of his adversaries are dead and praises Mike’s loyalty in front of his key gang members. Though gratified by the praise from his colleagues, Mike is disappointed that Charlie, whom he sees as a father figure, hasn’t appointed him as his successor.
At home, Mike’s wife, Ruthie (Katherine Borowitz, Internal Affairs), accuses him of lacking ambition and convinces him that now is the right moment to advance in the mob. Ruthie contrives a plan for Mike to do just that. She helps and goads him and their plot succeeds, leading to murder, increased violence, suspicion, repercussions, and vengeance. Gang members feel Mike isn’t suited to lead them. He can’t control his temper and acts impulsively. Ruthie uses sex and flattery to persuade Mike to secure his position by murdering other potential heirs to the crime throne.
Writer/Director William Reilly has created an exciting crime drama using the plot of Macbeth and its characters, particularly Lady Macbeth, as its basis. The film will remind viewers of The Godfather, though it lacks the operatic feel of that film. The themes of family, loyalty, disregard for human life, killing in the name of business, and violence as a means to advance are all present in Men of Respect. The excellent cast features Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Peter Boyle (Young Frankenstein), Dennis Farina (Get Shorty), Michael Badalucco (The Hard Way) and deadpan comedian Steven Wright (Desperately Seeking Susan) as the modern counterpart of the Fool. Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos) has a small role as a gang member.
Turturro’s performance is intense. He has the ability to convey equally well both aspects of Mike’s character—apprehension and uncertainty with Ruthie, manic cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness on the job—and it’s clear why the gang members are reluctant to challenge him. He’s quick to violence and leaves no room for explanations. If he’s crossed or senses an enemy, he lashes out. Turturro’s eyes reveal a twisted sense of morality and an ego that blinds Mike to dangers.
Borowitz is a chilling Ruthie/Lady Macbeth despite not going far enough to convey the character’s own ambition. She’s a little too subtle, and that’s likely the way director Reilly wanted the role performed.
Dennis Farina plays the Banquo role as Mike’s sidekick and friend until he’s perceived as a threat. Farina has played gangsters numerous times and falls into the role comfortably. Natural, never overplaying, he’s totally believable. Stanley Tucci plays D’Amico’s son Mal, a small role that could have been expanded to more fully exploit Tucci’s talent. Steiger is strong as gang big-wig D’Amico, though his delivery tends to be more theatrical than natural. His character comes off as so urbane that he seems out of place with the wiseguys he commands.
Lilia Skala brings to her role of old Lucia the soothsayer authority, wisdom, impatience, and a bit of contempt for those who lack second sight. She adds stature to the part, even though it’s fairly small, but she’s memorable and her Lucia is a key part of Mike’s story.
Men of Respect was shot by director of photography Bobby Bukowski on 35 mm color film with spherical lenses, processed photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Region-Free Blu-ray from Imprint Films features a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Clarity is good, for the most part, but scenes set in darker locations sometimes lose definition. Early in the film, there appears to be a yellowish cast that eventually disappears. The color palette tends toward darker tones, especially blacks, greys, deep greens, and browns. Killings are violent, with blood splattered everywhere. Katharine Borowitz’s dresses are well delineated and one, black and gold from top to bottom, is especially eye catching. Details such as perspiration on characters’ faces, decor in Mike’s house, tables and lighting fixtures in the bar, assorted guns, and signs in a butcher shop are well defined. Shadows are used to create atmosphere, particularly those cast by window blinds, giving the film a noir touch.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 LPCM. English SDH subtitles are an option. Dialogue is clear and is laced with strong language. Sounds associated with the murders enhance the suddenness and drama of the actions. The score by Misha Segal is functional but not distinctive. Action scenes come off effectively, with volleys of gunshots dominating.
Men of Respect is contained in a Limited Edition slipcase. The only bonus extra on the Region-Free Blu-ray from Imprint is the Theatrical Trailer (1:34).
A problem with Men of Respect is its predictability. Viewers who have read Macbeth will know how the plot will develop. Reilly’s screenplay seems a natural parallel to this classic. Macbeth is an ambitious general trying to advance by killing others, a course of action not unknown to real-life mobsters. The film’s third act is troublesome in that it resorts to crime flick cliches. Though Men of Respect starts with an elaborately staged shooting, audiences who prefer gangster films that concentrate on action might be put off by its talky exposition.
- Dennis Seuling