The Man (2005 film)
Encyclopedia
The Man is a 2005 comedy crime film
starring Eugene Levy
, Samuel L. Jackson
, and Miguel Ferrer
.
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 United States on September 9, 2005.
Filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
.
) is in his bathroom, preparing a speech. He works for a dental supply company, and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. He will soon be giving a speech to investors in Detroit.
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 is 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. 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. Vann explains to Kate that he is on assignment. He 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 they are put in the pool in case they are wired. 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 suspended, and his boss (Susie Essman
) tells him that Andy was setting him up. Andy, now wired, enters Vann's office and says they need to talk. Vann starts driving to the exchange with Andy in tow. Recognizing Andy acting agitated, Vann asks him straight out if he is wired. Andy admits he is.
They enter the barn where the exchange is going to go down. Joey is skeptical and pulls a gun on Vann. The police enter, after hearing everything through the wire. Andy manages to disarm Joey before Joey gets shot, and Vann gets shot in the buttocks.
Vann then takes Andy to the airport, and they say goodbye. However, Vann sets off the metal detectors escorting Andy through customs. He blames it on Andy, and the last shot of the film is of a protesting Andy being led away for a cavity search.
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.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
starring Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
, Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, and Miguel Ferrer
Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
.
The Man is directed by Les Mayfield
Les Mayfield
Les Mayfield is an American film director. He has directed the films Encino Man, Miracle on 34th Street, Flubber, Blue Streak, American Outlaws, The Man and Code Name: The Cleaner.- External links :...
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
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
released The Man in Canada (through Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...
) and the United States on September 9, 2005.
Filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Plot
A man named Andy Fiddler (Eugene LevyEugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
) is in his bathroom, preparing a speech. He works for a dental supply company, and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. He will soon be giving a speech to investors in Detroit.
At Detroit, ATF agent Derrick Vann (Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
), 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
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
) (who is later gunned down), he sets up a buy. He is to go to a diner and be reading a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. Unfortunately, Andy is in the diner, and his favorite newspaper is USA Today. A menacing Englishman (Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
) 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 is 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. After quickly exiting the car, Vann gets a call from his ex-wife Dara (Rachael Crawford
Rachael Crawford
Rachael Crawford is an actress known primarily for her role in Show Me Yours as Dr. Kate Langford...
), who reminds him about his daughter Kate's (Tomorrow Baldwin Montgomery) dance recital. Vann explains to Kate that he is on assignment. He 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
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
), 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 they are put in the pool in case they are wired. 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
Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
) 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 suspended, and his boss (Susie Essman
Susie Essman
Susan "Susie" Essman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television producer, and voice artist. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on the HBO television sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm...
) tells him that Andy was setting him up. Andy, now wired, enters Vann's office and says they need to talk. Vann starts driving to the exchange with Andy in tow. Recognizing Andy acting agitated, Vann asks him straight out if he is wired. Andy admits he is.
They enter the barn where the exchange is going to go down. Joey is skeptical and pulls a gun on Vann. The police enter, after hearing everything through the wire. Andy manages to disarm Joey before Joey gets shot, and Vann gets shot in the buttocks.
Vann then takes Andy to the airport, and they say goodbye. However, Vann sets off the metal detectors escorting Andy through customs. He blames it on Andy, and the last shot of the film is of a protesting Andy being led away for a cavity search.
Cast
- Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as Agent Derrick Vann - Eugene LevyEugene LevyEugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
as Andy Fidler - Luke GossLuke GossLuke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
as Joey Trent/Kane - Miguel FerrerMiguel FerrerMiguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
as Agent Peters - Susie EssmanSusie EssmanSusan "Susie" Essman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, television producer, and voice artist. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on the HBO television sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm...
as Lt. Rita Carbone - Anthony MackieAnthony MackieAnthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
as Booty - Gigi RiceGigi RiceGigi Rice is an American actress in movies and television shows.-Early life:She graduated from the Ohio State University, and majored in Theatre. Gigi Rice has enjoyed a career on television, gaining national attention when she was added to the cast of the The John Larroquette Show in 1993...
as Susan - Rachael CrawfordRachael CrawfordRachael Crawford is an actress known primarily for her role in Show Me Yours as Dr. Kate Langford...
as Dara Vann - Philip AkinPhilip AkinPhilip Akin is a Canadian actor who has been active for over thirty years in stage, film, and television. He has had featured roles in major American films such as The Sum of All Fears, S.W.A.T., and Get Rich or Die Tryin’...
as Second I.A. Agent - Lindsay Ames as Waitress
- Randy Butcher as Precinct Cop
- Michael Cameron as IA driver
- Kevin Rushton as Thug
- Joe SaccoJoe SaccoJoe Sacco is a Maltese-American comics artist and journalist. He achieved international fame through the 1996 American Book Award-winning Palestine, and his graphic novel on the Bosnian War, Safe Area Goražde.- Biography :...
as Rookie Cop - Horatio SanzHoratio SanzHoratio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
as Santos - Nestor SerranoNestor SerranoNestor Serrano is an American film and television actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law.Serrano began his acting career in off-Broadway plays in the late 1970s. His first film was the 1986 Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit...
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 United States and Canada and $12,382,362 worldwide.Reception
The Man received less than enthusiastic reviews from critics. It was considered a derivative clone of better buddy-comedies like 48 Hrs.48 Hrs.
48 Hrs. is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and convict, respectively, who team up to catch a cop-killer. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime. This was Eddie Murphy's film debut , and Joel...
and Midnight Run
Midnight Run
Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film starring Robert De Niro as a bounty hunter and Charles Grodin as his prisoner....
. Critics were somewhat enthusiastic towards the performances by Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
and Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
, though the latter received a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.