This is a brilliant work by David Mamet in what is a Pullitzer Prize
winning script  of great insight into the world of high pressure
sales environments - where strictly being paid by "commission"
takes its toll on the individuals involved.

It is clear that Mamet has his mind well tuned to the brilliantly
insightful nuances through well scripted glimpses into the human
psyche around such situations as are similarly themed to some
extent across such of his works as I mention here.

His genius is done justice with the brilliant acting too of Al Pacino,
Jack Lemmon and a nice show as well by Alec Baldwin and the rest
of the crew in this great movie offering. This script would be a
great idea for a permanent run on Broadway too perhaps!

If you want to learn more about the sort of people who are the
sorts often drawn into the high stakes game of "large ticket"
commission sales such as real estate and fancy cars and what
have you, or in any event want to gain more insight into the human
condition with this well acted well scripted play, you wont want to
miss out. By the way it certainly does in my opinion, fall into the
category of deserving a "cult following" of sorts - as did "The
house of Games" a movie that is also one of my favorites too.

Michael Rizzo Chessman
michael@moviesbyrizzo.com

One of the two best movies ever made dealing with the people of
the Sales profession - the other being "Tin Men" my other greatest
favourite of this genre of tale

Being is commissioned sales is no way to live. Everyone should
have a steady assured source of income with bonuses based on
performance that are reasonable in order to make the model
economical to sustain. Feast or famine is no way to exist and in
fact it drives many to acts of desperation in all it is that they
get involved in whether at work or relationships at home.

Then of course there is the predatory mindset that teaches the
derogation of the human spirit so as to spawn a devourer of
sorts bent on feeding his own needs of ego gratification and
monetary gain at the expense of good folk that they might end
up preying on. Alec Baldwin's Character in speaking to a salesman
under his command says "you are nothing - as my watch costs more
than your car". Many shallow superficial leadership types think
this works and is a valid way to look at people. How sad. as a
formidable former Sales Trainer and Human Relations coach, I
can tell you intuitively that this guy is out to lunch in the business
of keeping his people rightly motivated. Fear itself never motivates
- it deters and it degenerates - but its never rational in
comparison as an approach to making people perform when
better tactics are available. As such "the bottom of the list
gets automatically fired every month" is a stupid way to exist
equally as some of the best do have an off month too now and then
I can say from first hand experience of what I saw while in the
Computer industry PC Corporate marketing sector in particular.
(I earned my licence potentially to sell Real estate at the age of
19 - however didn't follow through back then despite an offer from
a Commercial Real Estate firm who offered a draw against
commissions to get me to leave my job as manager of a Stereo
store).

This movie is the best look at such issues and since the plot
revolves around high-roller Real estate sales types, it certainly
should be of interest to many millions of people around the world
caught up in the life of sales that often has no real meaning to it
when there is nothing there in the way of secure other than last
months sales as nothing means anything until you sell again. The
movie "death of a salesman" similarly speaks to this illness that it
breeds in feeling mainly exploited, exploitative and not truly a
valued member of the community outside from being a commodity
as it were.

There are many great people drawn to sales, and many get very
rich at it. More power to you! few are well motivated around the
likes of the character in this movie of Kevin Spacey as his human
warmth is suspect of being only a gimmick as it were. As such, you
should pick who you work with and work under with care as all you
do will be affected by it in all aspects of your life.

Jack Lemmon gives us the clearest idea of a poor salesman in what
is his complete lack of genuine care in his approach to customers
as "an easy enough mark every time". This approach deserves to be
a dismal failure and that is mainly what is the result as we see in
the show.

Making men desperate drives them to desperate acts potentially
and that is what we see occurs when some of the men decide to
resort to outright theft to bring down their abusive employer
and earn a better living elsewhere perhaps - as naive as that is
to think could occur after such a false start.

The most magnificent performance in this movie and the bulk of the
kudos belong most sincerely to Al Pacino's character. He is the
most intelligent and humanly warm and caring of the crew with
intuition and wisdom second to none. He is the best of men here as
it were. That is clearly so despite a script that often doesn't seek
to do justice top what are his real ideas views attitudes and
feelings on matters at hand being discussed. Then again the wicked
always seek to win at the expense of their betters and man hasn't
yet overcome this fault of nature in a clear enough victory so as
to change this truth forever more in what remains of human
existence on this earth potentially.

There is a reference to the failings of multicultural bliss as
al Pacino rejects being given a lead bearing the name of "Patel"
as he ribs Spacey's own character in the movie

No to belabour, Enjoy the show and please seed to everyone you
know in this great profession of ours along the way!

Michael Rizzo Chessman
(moviesbyrizzo)