Diamond Men (2000)
After 30 years on the road, a veteran jewellery salesman is forced to show his young replacement the tricks of the trade. But when the kid introduces him to the ladies of the "Altoona Riding Club," the old dog is introduced to a whole new set of "tricks."
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That was an excellent one.
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Eddie (Robert Forster) is a top jewelry salesman for his Pennsylvania company. As he carries diamonds quietly to the small cities of the state, a great many mom-and-pop jewelry stores buy his wares. Until one fateful day, that is. Eddie has a heart attack and, although he recovers, his company wants to let him go because he is a liability for guarding the precious gems he carries with him. Begging for his job as a source of stability for this new widower, his firm finally relents. The catch? He must train a new, brash underling named Bobby (Donnie Wahlberg) in the ways of selling to smaller operations. Its a mismatch from day one. Eddie favors jazz, Bobby likes rock. Eddie is a reserved, quietly attractive man while Bobby, fairly cute, chases various woman while getting inebriated. But, when push comes to shove, Bobby breaks down and tells Eddie he needs this job desperately, so could they just "get along"? Slowly, a relationship builds. But, is Eddie only training Bobby as his eventual replacement? Will noble Ed still have a position? We shall see but in the meantime, several unexpected events occur. Do you like surprising endings? This slow moving, reflective film is a jewel, truly, for those who don't need non-stop thrills. Forster gives the performance of a lifetime as good guy Eddie, someone very admirable in a world of conniving jerks. Wahlberg, too, surprises with a strong, sensitive turn. Bess Armstrong and Jasmine Guy provide great support. Its an unusual treat to visit small cities in PA while the outstanding script and sure direction enchant the viewer. Truly, this film is a precious stone among many zircon-like movies.
"Diamond Men" is a wonderful slice of Americana.Arthur Miller's indelible use of a salesman as a symbol of much that's wrong with American capitalism and families so influenced cinematic imagery that it was continued corrosively by David Mamet in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and imitatively by Roger Rueff in "The Big Kahuna." (Yet, somewhat diabolically, salesmen are now more and more being used as role models for fund raising for nonprofit organizations.)First time auteur, and diamond business scion, Daniel Cohen, has taken a similar situation of an aging road warrior (brilliantly subtle Robert Forster) and his apprentice (Donnie Wahlberg, with his brother's smiling charm and with NKOTB far behind) and the women they love and leave, and brought forth the shining humanity.The small towns of Western Pennsylvania and their store owners, waitresses, and schemers provide an authentic background (well, maybe except for the brothel -- though I did get a kick out of the touch that had the madam scoring very high on the corporation's "customer service" exam) and the dialog, particularly about jewelry stores and diamonds, sounds completely genuine.Even if the finale is a bit Hollywood, it feels redemptive, unlike other salesmen movies.(originally written 10/6/2001)
I am shocked by all the good reviews on the cover of this movie and on IMDb. It belongs in the $2 bin at your local video store. To say that this is a B movie is extremely generous.Besides lacking a single redeemable character, only slightly better than average acting, and an ugly 80's style picture quality, the script for this film is dull and lifeless. This film is not only boring--it is pathetic. (Admittedly, there is occasionally some mildly interesting chemistry between the two main characters.) Even the final plot twist--rather, the only plot twist--does not save this film.Rent "Diamond Men" if you must, but do not hesitate to turn it off once you become appraised of its worthlessness. 2 out of 10.
Went into this movie not expecting much but came out very satisfied. Lots of cliches but all characters very well portrayed. Moves along well without slowing down. If you liked Robert Forster in "Jackie Brown", you'll like this movie.