The Merry Gentleman (2008)

Such a frustrating disappointment

A Major Disappointment

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I did like the movie, I rated it 7... there is a lot of human insight and I always enjoy when characters seem like real, but interesting people, and for the most part they do. Keaton not usually my favorite (although I loved Pacific Heights), and he's uneven in this role as well, overacting.Still all the foundation was there for this to be not just a good but great movie and, for me at least, it wasn't.

As the movie opens we see a brief scene of a man and woman in the bedroom, and it is clear that he has some anger issues, and at least this time, probably not the first, he has hit her. Then we see her packing some things and leaving. He will eventually track her down, after a long time, and this plays into the overall thrust of the story.Kelly Macdonald is the young woman, Kate Frazier. She starts a new life, a new job, and a new small apartment. Seems everyone asks about where she got the black eye, and each explanation is different.It is nearing Christmastime, and as she exits work one evening looks up at the snow and sees a man standing on the edge of the top of the building across the street. Frightened for him she yells, and he jumps to safety on the roof. She doesn't think too much of it until the police come to talk to her, someone in her building had been shot about that time (we actually see the hit, he called the man's phone to get him at the right place for a clean shot) and they suspected it might have been the same man she saw (it was).Michael Keaton is Frank Logan, who works as a tailor in an upscale shop, but his main occupation is contract hit man. He had seen Kate that night through his rifle scope, perhaps was touched that she called to him, and unknown to her he looked her up. They actually met when she had fallen at the entrance to her building and was trapped under her too-big Christmas tree. He helped her and soon they became good friends. His skill serves well when Kate's abusive husband finally tracks her down.This isn't a very savory topic, but overall Keaton and Macdonald make this a drama a cut above most. The police suspect, and tell her, but she never finds out for sure who he is, and then he disappears.

Frank Logan (Keaton) is a hit man and he suspects Kate (MacDonald) can place him at the scene of his last hit. This is slow moving, but if you look at it as a cat and mouse game it's a non-issue. The thing that really saves this movie is Kate's Scottish accent. You cannot get enough of it regardless or what else is going on. Okay, the movie would save itself anyway, but when Kate speaks, you listen because you really don't know anything about her, and that accent is pure heaven. Maybe it is the accent. The title is somewhat misleading. There is nothing merry about Frank Logan as you will see. Merry is used because it is Christmas time and he does act the part of a gentleman. See? Seems it is all a matter of some misdirection, but only in the title, not in the story. This is Michael Keaton's first attempt at directing and since I enjoyed the movie, I'd say he did a good job of it. He brought the right amount of suspense and tension throughout the story. And, to have selected Kelly MacDonald to play Kate, with that accent is pure genius. I guess you can tell I really like the Scottish accent. Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, some

I really don't understand these reviews. Obviously, everyone has their own opinion and I guess I'm odd man out on this one. I found it to be incredibly slow most of the time. I saw a few of the key plot points coming a mile away.Seriously, the minute Frank showed up and heard about her ex being there, was there ANYONE in the theatre who didn't know Frank was about to go kill the ex? I mean ANYONE? Also, you knew the detective was going to catch on the second he saw Frank standing there. The second she fell with the Christmas tree.. in fact, no, the second it was clear that she was having trouble with the tree, you had to know Frank was going to end up showing up to help her out. The whole movie was entirely predictable. None of it exciting.It was a 110 minute movie that felt four hours long. I really wanted to like it before I sat down, but I seriously couldn't wait for it to end.