The Bag Man
Starring: John Cusack, Rebecca Da Costa, Crispin Glover, Dominic Purcell and Robert De Niro
Director: David Grovic
First time Director David Grovic assembles an all star cast for his debut. Formerly titled ‘Motel’, newly titled ‘The Bag Man’ follows Hitman/Bagman Jack (John Cusack) as he bides his time waiting for criminal mastermind Dragna (Robert De Niro) at a seedy motel. His assignment is to deliver a bag of which he is never supposed to open and wait. During his stop Jack comes in contact with a bevy of eccentric characters that would make David Lynch proud. None of which appear to be whom or what they seem. This cavalcade of misfits includes wheelchair bound motel worker Ned (Crispin Glover) A track suit wearing Serbian Midget named after bat shit Guano(Martin Klebba) his one eyed partner in crime Lizard (Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones), A helpful working girl Rivka (the delicious Rebecca Da Costa), and a nosy police officer Larson (Dominic Purcell). All of which make for a long night for Jack.
To think that sitting in a Motel with a bag would be a walk in the park is a huge misnomer. When Jack takes in the Leggy Rebecca Da Costa the scenery and the story gets more interesting and complicated, now people after both the bag and the girl. Motivations are never disclosed and you don’t know who is a friend or foe. The only thing for certain is the body count will rise.
I knew I was in for an oddly entertaining crime caper when I saw alums Cusack and Glover were reunited again. Everyone else falls quickly in line chewing up the scenery as required by the pulpy material, pushing right up against the limit. There are moments where it gets a bit indulgent most notably De Niro spouting Sun Zhu but the overall vibe is never lost.
It’s not enough to have a good cast if the story is weak and the pacing is slow. The best actor in the world can’t make a bad project enjoyable. Good thing Grovic doesn’t have that problem. He delivers a film that is highly entertaining and darkly comedic with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
This doesn’t deserve to fly under the radar its dark, gritty, fun and violent.
Grade – 83
