Disappointing
Added 4/1/2008
It's not as if Men of Respect is a poor tranposition of the play Macbeth; it's just a bad mob movie. I was hoping to find a Godfather meets Macbeth, but instead got a Carlito's Way meets Macbeth. There was a reason I had never heard of this movie until recently. I should have known from the lame title.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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a little more on shakespeare in the movie
Added 7/26/2006
Just an addition to what some people have already said: part of the wonder of this movie is that it is so clearly based on Shakespeare's Scottish play, but--to my recollection at least--not one line is from Shakespeare. Yet they get the pacing and feel, the essential creepiness even, down pat. When the underling comes to report the shoot out towards the beginning (ie the "bloody man" who comes to tell Duncan the news of the battle at the beginning of Shakespeare's play), even the rhythm seems to carry through. Wonderful job. Eerie.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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shakespeare on the mean streets
Added 3/23/2006
This film is a very good interpretation of Shakespeare's MacBeth, transplanting it into the New York Italian American mafioso setting. John Tutturo is intense as usual as Mikey Battaglia. Peter Boyle as Irish mob boss Duffy (MacDuffy) is the final obstacle that Mikey can't clear. Especially good is the way in which Shakespeare's language has been preserved, if modified, into current day vernacular. "He has honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions..." becomes "He's given me honor and respect here, and people are sayin' good things about me. I want it should last." Even the off beat humor of the Porter has been preserved, with a nice low key turn by Steven Wright. Students who enjoy the Sopranos will dig this film.
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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Men of Respect
Added 3/18/2004
Men of Respect is an excellent movie. It has so many similarities and some differences to the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by Shakespeare. I would have to say the number one similarity of the two would be the characters' names. Such as Macbeth, in the movie Men of Respect, his characters' name is Michael Battaglia, and the similarity would be they have the same initials. Then there is Banquo who is Bankie Como, Macduff is Duffy, Lady Macbeth is Lady Battaglia, and so on. In the movie, as in the play, there are witches who give Macbeth and Michael prophesies. The only difference is that in the movie they are called fortunetellers. There are still three of them but instead of the three weird sisters it is a mom, pop, and son, and they are in a backroom fortuneteller's parlor, and they watch a television show on cooking a lambs head, where in the play the witches have a cauldron, which is a large kettle or boiling plot, and they actually cook a lambs head in it. Some more would be the murder of King Duncan, or as in the movie Padrion D' Amico, who is the Godfather of the mafia. Lady Macbeth and Lady Battaglia both persuade Macbeth and Michael into mudering him and are both power hungry. Lady Battaglia has visions of stains of blood, as did Lady Macbeth, but instead of saying "Out, out damn spot!" when Lady Macbeth sees the blood, Lady Battalia starts throwing linen from the tables of the restaurant off and onto the floor saying that they are dirty and have stains on them. The only real big difference is when Macduff's family is killed. He is there and the murdereres are with him, and he is on the pone while the mom and son are in the are and they start the car and it blows up. Then there is when Lady Battaglia kills herself, Michael actually cares, where Macbeth did not care too much. Other then that, there was a lot of similarities as of what they said and did throughout the movie. I recommend the movie to anyone who does not understand Macbeth because this movie truly helps and gives better definition and understanding to the play The Tragedy of Macbeth.
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A brilliant reworking--don't listen to the "experts"
Added 11/17/2001
John Turturro pulls out all stops here in this gangster version of Macbeth in the 'title' role (Michael Battaglia), ably complemented by his real-life wife, Katharine Borowitz as Lady Macbeth/Mrs. Battaglia. Also contributing with great performances are Rod Steiger as the aging mob chieftain (the King), Peter Boyle, Dennis Farina, Stanley Tucci, and, in an inspired bit of casting, comic Stephen Wright. The performances are truly riveting. It's a shame that the 'expert' critics can't see the power and ingenuity of this film. Far more than a shlock version of Shakespeare's masterpiece, it's an intense, flawless work, updating the Bard's lines with the brutal lingo of the mob. William Reilly, the writer-director, also co-wrote Mortal Thoughts, another sadly overlooked razor-sharp film. And he really knows how to write; the script here allows the performances to be as great as they are. Don't pay attention to Leonard's totally-missing-the-boat words of condemnation. In fact, I would say, Out, out, damned Leonard. Rent this movie--better yet, buy it. You won't be disappointed.
8 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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Disappointing
Added 4/1/2008
It's not as if Men of Respect is a poor tranposition of the play Macbeth; it's just a bad mob movie. I was hoping to find a Godfather meets Macbeth, but instead got a Carlito's Way meets Macbeth. There was a reason I had never heard of this movie until recently. I should have known from the lame title.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
a little more on shakespeare in the movie
Added 7/26/2006
Just an addition to what some people have already said: part of the wonder of this movie is that it is so clearly based on Shakespeare's Scottish play, but--to my recollection at least--not one line is from Shakespeare. Yet they get the pacing and feel, the essential creepiness even, down pat. When the underling comes to report the shoot out towards the beginning (ie the "bloody man" who comes to tell Duncan the news of the battle at the beginning of Shakespeare's play), even the rhythm seems to carry through. Wonderful job. Eerie.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
shakespeare on the mean streets
Added 3/23/2006
This film is a very good interpretation of Shakespeare's MacBeth, transplanting it into the New York Italian American mafioso setting. John Tutturo is intense as usual as Mikey Battaglia. Peter Boyle as Irish mob boss Duffy (MacDuffy) is the final obstacle that Mikey can't clear. Especially good is the way in which Shakespeare's language has been preserved, if modified, into current day vernacular. "He has honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions..." becomes "He's given me honor and respect here, and people are sayin' good things about me. I want it should last." Even the off beat humor of the Porter has been preserved, with a nice low key turn by Steven Wright. Students who enjoy the Sopranos will dig this film.
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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