The Man (film)

Infobox_Film
name = The Man


caption = Theatrical poster for "The Man"
writer = Jim Piddock
Margaret Oberman
Stephen Carpenter
starring = Samuel L. Jackson
Eugene Levy
Miguel Ferrer
Luke Goss
director = Les Mayfield
producer = Kent Alterman
Toby Emmerich
Robert N. Fried
distributor = New Line Cinema
released = September 9, 2005
runtime = 83 minutes
language = English
music = John Murphy
awards =
budget =
imdb_id = 0399327
amg_id = 1:306977

"The Man" is a 2005 comedy crime film starring Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson.

"The Man" is directed by Les Mayfield and produced by Rob Fried from a screenplay by Jim Piddock, Margaret Oberman and Steve Carpenter, based on the story by Jim Piddock and Margaret Oberman. New Line Cinema released The Man in Canada (through Alliance Atlantis) and the U.S. on September 9, 2005.

Filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Hamilton,+Ontario,+Canada |title=Internet Movie Database - List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario|accessdate=2008-01-29]

Plot

A man named Andy Fiddler (Eugene Levy) in his bathroom, preparing a speech. He works for a dental supply company, and lives in Milwaukee. He will soon be giving a speech to investors in Detroit, and is very nervous.

At Detroit, ATF agent Derrick Vann (Samuel L. Jackson), whose partner was recently murdered, is trying to retrieve some guns that were stolen from a federal armory, and are soon to be sold. After a visit to his informant Booty (Anthony Mackie) (who is later gunned down), he sets up a buy. He is to go to a diner and be reading a "USA Today". Unfortunately, Andy is in the diner, and his favorite newspaper is "USA Today". A menacing Englishman (Luke Goss) sits next to him and hands him a paper bag with “his taste” in it then leaves. Andy pulls a cell phone out of it, then a gun, which the waitress sees and thinks Andy's holding the place up. That's when Vann walks into the diner and cuffs him. Soon, Vann realizes that the gun traffickers mistook Andy for him, and drags Andy along with him. The cell phone that Fiddler receives rings, with the menacing Brit, whose name we later find out is Joey, is on the other end of the line. He wants “Turk” (the pseudonym that Vann used when setting up the buy) to drop $20,000 dollars in a certain trash can. Vann reveals that he has the money, and needs Fiddler to drop it.

Andy tries to perform the drop plain and simple. Unfortunately, a homeless guy screws this up, and the traffickers just drive by. Andy gets another call asking him what happened. He tells them that there were complications. Joey says he will call back in about an hour. Meanwhile, Andy tries to get away, only to have Vann graze him with a gunshot to the rear. Before Vann picks him up, Andy gets word to 9-1-1 via the cellphone, running a make on Vann's license plate numbers. Vann then suggests Andy use the taco sauce in his glove compartment to ease the pain of the bullet wound. Andy's 9-1-1 call proves effective and a group of squad cars pull them over, much to Vann's dismay, and he is furious at Andy for running a make on his plate. The police discover that Vann is ATF and move aside.

Vann tells Andy that he is going to make a stop at a friends house. The “friend” is a gun dealer that Vann knows named Manny Cortez. He finds Manny shot dead on his toilet seat. The killer was Joey. At the same time, Andy, who is handcuffed to the passenger door, attempts to drive the car with one hand. Vann chases after him in a car he “borrows” and eventually pulls him over.

When back in the car, Andy complains that he is hungry. Vann takes him to a burger joint, where Fiddler complains that red meat doesn't agree with him, but he eats the burger anyway. Back in the car, Fiddler gets extremely gaseous. After quickly exiting the car, Vann gets a call from his ex-wife Dara (Rachael Crawford), who reminds him about his daughter Kate's (Tomorrow Baldwin Montgomery) dance recital in a few hours. Vann takes a quick break from the gun busts for this brief visit. On the way there, Andy teaches him how to curb his use of the “f” word.

When they arrive, Vann explains to Kate that he's on assignment, and can't come. She is dismayed. Then Andy shows Kate some pictures of "his" family. Vann gets distracted when the phone that Joey gave to Fiddler rings.

Joey says he wants to meet Turk in a restaurant, where they will make the exchange. However, Joey says he wants $500,000 for the whole batch. Vann goes to his confiscated items buddy Santos (Horatio Sanz), who eventually gives into his requests. They head to the restaurant, and Andy enters. Fiddler sits down with Joey and discusses the deal. After some inquests by Joey about how he got the money so fast he throws Joey the money saying it means nothing to a powerful trafficker like him. He also gives Joey back the cell and tells him that he makes the calls now. When Andy tells Vann what he did, he is furious, but Andy explains that they now get to decide where the meeting takes place, and get backup there. He also tells Vann that they should let Joey simmer for a bit before calling him. Fidler suggests that they go to Vann's daughter's dance recital, which they do.

After that, they leave and call Joey. They arrange for a meeting which they attend with no backup. Upon meeting Joey and his cronies, Joey asks who Vann is. Andy tells him that Vann will do anything that is told. After an embarrassing confession to this by Vann, they are taken to Joey's residence, where, for some reason, they are put in the pool. Joey tells them that he still thinks Vann is a cop. Vann admits this, and tells them that he is betraying the service to make some money. Joey is convinced, and Vann takes Andy to his hotel, and they say goodbye.

The next day, Andy gives his speech, and it goes well. When he exits the building, Internal Affairs agent Peters (Miguel Ferrer) grabs him and throws him in a surveillance truck. They tell him that Vann was lying to both him and them, and that he is actually trying to buy the guns and killed Booty, Cortez, and Vann's partner himself. They need him to wear a wire and get a confession out of Vann.

Meanwhile, back at ATF offices, Vann is fired for his actions for the past day, and his boss (Susie Essman), distrustful of Andy from the start, tells him that Andy was setting him up. At the same time, Andy, now wired, enters Vann's office, and says they need to talk. Vann says that they should talk in his car. Vann starts driving to the exchange with Andy in tow. Realizing the bizarre questions Andy is asking, he asks him straight out if he's wired only to get a deceptive answer, which tips him off. He uses the wire method, though, to both get a confession out of the real and call in for backup when the time arises.

They enter the barn where the exchange is going to go down. After Joey enquires where the money is, Vann tells him he'll show the money when Joey shows him the guns. Joey is skeptical, and pulls a gun on Vann. That's when the police enter. Joey and most of his goons get mowed down, and Vann gets shot in the rear. Andy says he will get the taco sauce. Both men are (presumably) cleared of any and all charges.

The next day, Vann, disabled from the bullet wound and walking with a cane, is accompanying Fiddler to his flight back to Milwaukee. They are in the elevator when Vann hears a noise. He enquires what Fiddler had for lunch...a steak sandwich (more red meat). Some nuns enter the elevator afterwards. After Fiddler has caused them severe discomfort with his gas, Vann and Fiddler go through security, where the guards insist that Vann have a body cavity search, since he still has a bullet in his rear. They go to find someone to search him. Vann says he doesn't want that kind of a search done, and he and Fiddler say their friendly goodbyes. The cavity search team arrives and Vann (in a joking reminder to Andy of who was really running things) directs them to Andy, who was already on his way. They approach Andy and, against his protests, haul him off-screen for the cavity search while Vann chuckles over it.

Cast

* Samuel L. Jackson as Special Agent Derrick Vann
* Eugene Levy as Andy Fidler
* Luke Goss as Joey
* Lindsay Ames as Waitress
* Randy Butcher as Precinct Cop
* Michael Cameron as IA driver
* Rachael Crawford as Dara Vann
* Susie Essman as Lt. Carbone
* Miguel Ferrer as Agent Peters
* Peter Kosaka as Man on the Elevator
* Anthony Mackie as Booty
* Gigi Rice as Susan
* Kevin Rushton as Thug
* Joe Sacco as Rookie Cop
* Horatio Sanz as Santos
* Nestor Serrano as Manuel "Manny" Cortez
* Andrew Stelmack as Conventioneer
* Beatriz Yuste as Nun

Box office

In its opening weekend, "The Man" earned $4,065,014 in 2,040 theaters. Altogether, the film did not do well at the box office, only earning $8,330,720 in the U.S. and $12,382,362 worldwide.cite web | work=boxofficemojo.com | title=The Man (2005) | url=http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=man.htm | accessdaymonth=23 April | accessyear=2006]

Reception

"The Man" received less than enthusiastic reviews from critics. It was considered a derivative clone of better buddy-comedies like "48 Hrs." and "Midnight Run". Critics were somewhat enthusiastic towards the performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy, though the latter received a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.

Goofs

* In most of the driving scenes Samuel L. Jackson has a red left eye, in many of the scenes between driving his eye returns to normal.
* Samuel L. Jackson's car has a Michigan front license plate, but cars registered in Michigan only have a single rear license plate.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.themanmovie.com/ Official site]
* [http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/newline/the_man/ Apple Quicktime trailers]