The Bag Man (2014)
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THE BAG MAN is a taut crime thriller that follows the story of JACK (John Cusack), a tough guy with chronic bad luck but human touches. Hired by DRAGNA (Robert De Niro), a legendary crime boss to complete a simple but unusual task, the plot centers around the anticipated arrival of Dragna who has summoned JACK and a host of shady characters to a remote location for unknown reasons. Over the course of a long and violently eventful night awaiting Dragna's arrival, Jack's path crosses that of RIVKA … More- Rating:
- R (for violence, sexual content and language.)
- Genre:
- Drama
- Directed By:
- David Grovic
- Written By:
- Paul Conway
- In Theaters:
- Feb 28, 2014 Limited
- On DVD:
- Apr 1, 2014
- US Box Office:
- $48.8k
Cast
-
Crispin Glover
as Ned -
Dominic Purcell
as Larson -
John Cusack
as Jack -
Martin Klebba
as Guano -
Robert De Niro
as Dragna -
Rebecca Da Costa
as Rivka
Related News & Features
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Critics Consensus: Non-Stop is a Bumpy Ride
– Rotten Tomatoes
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Critic Reviews for The Bag Man
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (38) | DVD (1)
By the time the intricate plot and not particularly satisfying payoff are revealed at the film's end, many viewers will feel like they were the ones left holding the bag.
A noirish kill fest stocked with offbeat characters, lots of gunplay, unlikely plot turns and a lavishly coiffed Robert De Niro.
Whatever you do, do not look inside the bag.
There's much sub-Coenesque violence, corpse disposal and skulduggery with the underhanded De Niro always maintaining the upper hand.
"The Bag Man" has more attitude than panache. Yes, we eventually get to see what's in the bag. But by the time its contents are revealed, you may no longer care.
The film has a nihilistic tone and its gallows humor may turn off more viewers than it seduces. Not since Killer Joe has a film exerted this mix of attraction and repulsion.
Robert De Niro brandishes an epic white pompadour that looks like a prank on eternal producer Robert Evans.
With all of its time-wasting twists and gratuitous moments of sadistic silliness, it feels like a leftover Pulp Fiction wannabe from 20 years ago.
A violent film with an underlayer of comedy - it works for me big time.
There was a time when the possibility of Robert De Niro and John Cusack appearing in the same film would hold great promise. Not anymore.
Another failed attempt to revive film noir
Even if this is your bag, you can do better.
Cusack and De Niro never quite embarrass themselves, but the material is clearly beneath their talents.
Grovic doesn't address his ideas and tactics with enough seriousness to justify sitting through such visceral affronts.
David Grovic's directorial debut The Bag Man loves these clichés so much, there's hardly room for invention to breathe.
When thrillers are bad, it's usually for one of three reasons: Because they're ridiculous, boring, or disgustingly repulsive. "The Bag Man" is the rare thriller than manages to be all three.
Just Fleabag: The Movie, forcing you to watch this drivel instead of free HBO.
Grovic is lucky to have the professionals around, as this shabby mystery has little to offer audiences besides unintentional laughs.
Audience Reviews for The Bag Man
A dark, sharp and twisty thriller that's engaging, enjoyable and actually very entertaining with strange and shady characters, suspense and surprises. It's darkly funny, attractive and at times repulsive in its mood and attitude and has some very good dialogue. A consistently moving and tense thriller that's intense and exciting. John Cusack is excellent, it's always great to see him play an extremely different type of character that is out of his usual comfort zone and clearly shows he still loves his job. Rebecca Da Costa is such a gorgeous and refreshing face and looks to be fairly promising. Robert De Niro is brilliant, he looks like he's having a blast playing a bad guy and trying out some new looks. Dominic Purcell is terrific. A stylish, dark and gripping film noir that echos of Quentin Tarantino and Alfred Hitchcock.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Maybe you lead a dull existence, eh? Maybe you need a little spice, yah? Maybe seeing people die is just the thing you need? Maybe you want it even? That would be more honest, anyway, wouldn't it?
Well there's plenty of killing here in this thriller about a man holding a bag.
What's in the bag? Wait for it ... wait for it ... uhhh, its not that interesting in any case.
Anyway, not bad for noir. Some little stupid stuff, but don't let that keep you from enjoying this juiced up formula thriller.
Super Reviewer
Formulaic gangster film that wastes a good cast, The Bag Man will surely leave genre fans disappointed by its lacking script, recycled ideas and underwhelming story. This film should have been much better than what it turned out to be, and in the end, it simply wastes some good cast members on a lazy written script that just doesn't deliver what you'd expect from a well executed gangster film. This is a pure waste of time, and it's a boring film that doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. This film was riddled with genre clichés, and instead of trying to do something new and exciting with the formula, director David Grovic executes a film that just doesn't display anything that is worth seeing. The biggest problem with the film is that due to a lacking script, the film never becomes anything good or worthwhile. The Bag Man is a boring movie that is a train wreck due to the fact that its cast on a story that we've seen many times before. Add to that, that the dialogue is a cheaply done Tarantino knock off, and by doing so it tries way too hard at being a "smart" crime film, and it ends up just being a folly. Don't expect much from this film, you'll surely be disappointed, and it never is entertaining and exciting. The Bag Man plays out like a B movie with big name actors, and it fails to really stand out due to its clichéd storyline. If given a complete rewrite, then maybe this film would have succeeds, as there were a few interesting ideas that popped up here and there, but they are lost in the river of bad writing, and boring performances. The Bag Man is yet another bad film that isn't worth seeing, even by die hard crime film fans.
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Super Reviewer
The cat's in the bag.
Good Film! This is a memorable movie. It stays with you. In today's world of CGI nothingness this is a breath of fresh air. On one hand it's a story of trust and loyalty. On the other hand it's a love story. Either way it's a dreamlike fantasy. It's also a thriller. It keeps you spell bound on the edge of your seats. At each twist and turn there is another reveal. All the cast do an amazing job. The supporting cast of Crispin Glover and Dominic Purcell are fabulous. A typically strange Crispin and a very different but equally strange Dominic Purcell. It's hard to say enough about the three leads. Classic John Cusack. There's a depth to his performance that we haven't seen for some time. Truly, Robert De Niro gives one of the performances of his career. Breathtakingly menacing. Only De Niro could deliver a performance that is so off hand and yet so very chilling. Despite being surrounded by two icons at the very top of their game, somehow, someway Rebecca Da Costa steals the movie. Go see it!
Jack (Cusack) is asked to pick up a bag and deliver it to Dragna (DeNiro). Jack is told not to look in the bag but to just deliver it for a handsome reward. The movie starts with Jack already having the bag and having to wait for Dragna to pick it up at a run-down motel. Characters already staying at the motel, the motel manager, and the police all play a part in Jack's time protecting the bag for Dragna.
Super Reviewer
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