THE MERRY GENTLEMAN

Micheal Keaton has aged very well. He even seems taller than he used to be. He’s in great physical shape, and for the first time in his life, can play sexy. “The Merry Gentleman” hits a note that’s hard to capture – its initial set up makes you think it will be a thriller, however it smoothly transitions into a character piece. There are devices and scenes that encourage the audience to find humor, without disrupting the overall dramatic tone.

I recently saw Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” and I feel he tried to do a very similar thing, with just the opposite results. That film was so disjointed and meaningless, that I wasn’t even inspired to write a review. But I digress…

The idea behind “The Merry Gentleman” came from a question: What’s worse, a good person who treats you badly, or a bad person who treats you with kindness?

Kelly MacDonald, plays Kate, whose lovely lilting Scottish accent and unassuming wholesome beauty is just the combination that flawed men seem to find ever so appealing. She’s on the run from her abusive cop husband (Bobby Canavale) She’s the object of attention for a divorced, recovering alcoholic investigator (Tom Bastounes [and Producer]) and the savior and potential lover of a suicidal hitman (Keaton).

We know off the bat, that Keaton’s character, Frank Logan is a cold killer and we aren’t clued into much more than that about him, and yet somehow, Kate and Frank’s slowly developing romance is very touching. She is unaware of his true profession, she seems to be drawn to his loneliness. His initial motives for seeking her out are left up to the audience. However, it becomes easy to understand why such a private man would allow her in.

Personally, it hit home for me because I’ve led a very clean-cut, wholesome, uncomplicated life and I often wonder if I might find someone who would look at me as the antithesis of all he’s been through and would cherish the simplicity that I would represent. Problem being, I’m not the type to be attracted to the “bad boy”.

This film is Michael Keaton’s directorial debut. He actually was only set to be the lead, until the writer/director, Ron Lazzeretti fell ill. In order to take advantage of the spring Chicago weather, Lazzeretti felt it was best not to hold up production.

I have a feeling most critics are going to say the movie feels long. And that they are going to complain that not enough background story is revealed or that the crime plot is too vague. I would agree, except I was completely engaged, so therefore, do those things matter if it works?