Forest Whitaker plays a parolee, who finds Allah inside, and tries to get his life on track after 18 years. He's off to a good start with a job, a bank account, and a good woman. Of course his old partner in crime tries hard to get him to come back to his old ways, but the real problem is the sheriff in town who won't let him forget his dark past. Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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After 18 years in prison, William Garnett (Forest Whitaker) is released on parole and sent back to the town in which he committed his crimes. Now a new and reformed man he must tackle his demons and the prejudice brought on by the locals, including the well decorated Sheriff Agati (Harvey Keitel).

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kosmasp
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My summary line making the point that this is a remake many years removed from its (french) original. I haven't watched the original, so I cannot tell you how the two movies compare. I can only judge this by its own merits (and faults). What I can say, is that Whitaker is giving an excellent performance. It's also nice to see Harvey Keitel in a bigger role, even if it sometimes turns a bit comic evil, he has the gravitas to pull it in.

The age old question within this movie is: can we escape our pasts? Can we change and become someone/something different? Can we ever truly repent and is there such a thing as forgiveness? Those are heavy topics and the movie does not stay away from other topics as well (like religion, though it's not really made a big strong point, other than being there). You can tell early on, if this is the kind of "entertainment" you like to watch or not ... the rhythm/pace stays the same throughout (occasional outbursts excluded)

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dbdumonteil
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José Giovanni often found inspiration in his own life for his screenplays :he knew jail as the sound of his own name and he was once sentenced to death.His "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was first a plea against death penalty (after André Cayatte's "Nous Sommes Tous Des Assassins "(1952) and Claude Lelouch's "La Vie L'Amour La Mort " (1968)).The end of his movie depicted an execution in lavish details,with the sinister guillotine.This finale has remained memorable .

Whitaker takes on Alain Delon's part ,Dolorès Heredia Mimsy Farmer's ,and Harvey Keitel Michel Bouquet's.The probation officer who was a man in the French movie(Jean Gabin)with a whole family ,including a "May 68 " son,becomes a bachelor (which is perhaps a mistake ,cause the French hero becomes friend with all of them and it urges him to have his own family) vigorous woman.

As the background is entirely different from Paris,I had not even established the connection between the two movies ,although the sheriff reminded me of his French equivalent.And I was amazed when I noticed that the human officer -who tries in vain to let a terminally-ill man return and die in his native Ohio- listened to French singer Barbara .

Whitaker gives one of the most restrained performances of his career,most of the time straight-faced ,even when he is humiliated : in jail ,the convict often redeems himself by finding Bible and Jesus :here ,maybe influenced by Malcolm X or Mohammed Ali,he found Allah ,but it does not make a big difference .Keitel's part is not very interesting,being repetitive and finally dull:the actor deserved better material.On the other hand,Brenda Blethyn makes all her scenes count. Mrs Burstyn's short appearance is ,as usual,a lesson in acting ,but is she really credible as the hero's mom?

The desolate landscapes near the Mexican border are at least as impressive as the urban background of the French movie.It enhances Garnett's longing for a simple life ,and his desire to have a wife and children.That the ex-prisoner finds his sweetheart as soon as he is out of jail is somewhat unlikely,but it was already one of the flaws of the French model (Mimsy Farmer was also a bank employee in Paris).

This is not for action-packed movies buffs;it is actually more austere and slow-moving than Giovanni's original movie ;violence is kept to the minimum and sex is almost absent;it's certainly underrated,although the raison d'être of the 1972 version is wasted .

NB:As "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was a huge success in France,the title of the remake was changed into " La Voie De L'Ennemi" (the enemy's way)

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David Ferguson (fergusontx@gmail.com) from Dallas, Texas
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Greetings again from the darkness. Director Rachid Bouchareb, a long time festival favorite, has taken the general story of writer/director Jose Giovanni's 1973 film of the same title and relocated it from France to a New Mexico border town. It touches on many elements such as rehabilitation of criminals, small town justice, human personality traits, freedom and justice, and conversion to Islam.

Opening with the silhouette of a brutal murder against the sunset in a New Mexico desert, the film has a western feel replete with the sense of doom and impending showdown. Forest Whitaker stars as Garnett, a paroled man who has just been released after serving 18 years for killing a deputy. Despite a life of crime that began when he was 11 years old, Garnett was a model prisoner who obtained his GED and mentored others while becoming a converted Muslim. His words make it clear he wants to put his old life behind and start fresh – however, his actions show he still struggles with explosive anger issues.

In a move that seems counterintuitive, Garnett is confined while on parole to the county in which he killed the deputy. The local sheriff (Harvey Keitel … who else would it be?) sets about making things difficult for Garnett, and expresses anger at his release while the "deputy is still dead". The idealistic parole officer is played by Brenda Blethyn, so the stage is set for the clash of philosophies: trust and rehabilitation vs historical behavior and justice. Adding one more challenge to Garnett's new world is the presence of his old crime boss played by Luis Guzman, who of course, wants him back in the business.

While many folks all over the globe struggle endlessly to find love; Garnett is 2 days out of prison when he falls for the local banker played by Delores Heredia. Herein lies the problems with the movie. The love connection just happens too quickly. Guzman is never the ominous presence of a truly bad guy. Keitel only gets to offer glimpses of his disgust at Garnett's freedom. These three characters are all severely underwritten despite the efforts of three fine actors.

If not for the terrific performance of Forest Whitaker, the film would fall totally flat. It's his screen presence that keeps us watching, hoping against all odds that he will find the peace he so desperately seeks. There is a wonderful scene with Whitaker and Ellen Burstyn, and a couple of the scenes with Whitaker and Blethyn are powerful, but the other pieces just never pack the punch necessary for this one to fully click.

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GUENOT PHILIPPE (philippe.guenot@dbmail.com) from France
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As a remake of the Jose Giovanni's film made forty years ago, this movie is a true achievement. A superb crime drama that would be better than the genuine material.

The characters are all very well shown: good and evil ones as well. I particularly love the female parole officer. I fell for her in the first minutes, in the sequence where she cleans her Glock up, whilst listening a Barbara song. So cute. Yes, yes, I love this character, so unusual, so lonely too, who fights with all her guts for what she believes in. Her character reminds me some ones from the Coen brothers' films. Remember FARGO.

Besides, Tommy Lee Jones could have made this film. The settings, characters, way of filming, everything here reminds me Tommy Lee Jones.

A true poignant film, devastating, that hit you in the face.

And, once and for all, Forrest Whitaker is one of the best actor in the world, and unfortunately too often underrated.

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JvH48 from Amersfoort, The Netherlands
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I saw this film at the Berlinale film festival 2014, where it was part of the official competition. It allows us sufficient time to get acquainted with the five main characters: (1) Garnett who is just released from prison after an 18 years sentence, (2) the sheriff whose deputy was killed by Garnett some 18 years ago, (3) an underworld-er who wants to enlist Garnett for a shady job, (4) Garnett's new girl friend who he met after his release while opening a bank account, and (5) last-but-not-least his assigned parole officer who takes her job very seriously, and even ruffles the sheriff's furs when the need arises. We also meet several side characters who are portrayed very well, in spite of their much shorter appearance. Yet, the full two hours running time stretches our patience unnecessarily.

The plot itself is not new in essence (ex-convict tries to keep on track), but this variant offers many novel directions given the ingredients included. The finale is not fully predictable, which is a good thing. Yet, I was not very satisfied with the chosen outcome (no details to avoid spoilers), preferably something more optimistic could be thought of. Further, I'm not sure about the need for some side tracking sub-plots, e.g. Garnett's conversion to Islam, the issues around the Mexican border, and amply showing off the landscape. Not all these are necessary for the core story, maybe even deemed redundant and better left out to get a more concise story.

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leonblackwood from United Kingdom
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Review: I really wasn't a big fan of this movie because it takes ages for something to happen and when it does, it still isn't that great. Its basically about a man who gets released from prison after killing a police officer and he tries to fit back into everyday life. The cops make his life hell because he murdered one of there own, so he struggles to fight against his violent impulses whilst staying true to his new found Islamic faith. When he finally gets pushed to the edge, he is forced to take matters into his own hands which goes against his trusty parole officer rules and his new found religion. All the way through the film, Forest Whitaker is being his usual moody self, trying to make an honest life for him and his girlfriend. Harvey Keitel is only in a few scenes so you stuck with a moody movie which really gets boring after a while. Once Whitaker reaches breaking point, the showdown at the end wasn't that great but I did like his parole officer who was played by Brenda Blethyn. Anyway, I personally got fed up with the movie after a while and I didn't find it that entertaining. Disappointing!

Round-Up: Forest Whitaker has become one of the most moody actors of all time. He very rarely cracks a smile in any of his films, except for films like Our Family Wedding, Phenomenon and Good Morning Vietnam which were made earlier on in his career. He has put in some amazing performances in the Butler, the Last King of Scotland, Phone Booth and the Panic Room but I still find his acting quite hard to watch at times. Anyway, I didn't find his acting that great in this film and the script didn't help matters. It was made by the French director Rachid Bouchareb who brought you London River, Little Senegal and Just Like A Woman which were all low budget movies which didn't make it into the mainstream. Although this film had 2 big named stars, it still didn't get the big Hollywood distribution treatment because the concept was poor and quite depressing after a while.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their deep dramas about a violent man who finds religion in prison and finds it hard to deal with day to day life when he gets released. 2/10

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Larry Silverstein from United States
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A strong cast carries this rather absorbing but depressive drama, although some of the major plot elements do stretch credibility, at times. There was enough in the movie though to maintain my interest throughout, and wonder how it would all turn out.

Set in the New Mexico border town of Deming, the fine actor Forest Whitaker stars here, as William Garnett, just out of prison (and facing 3 years on parole) after serving 18 years of a 21 year sentence, for killing a deputy sheriff. Although we never really find out what actually happened in the death of the deputy, we are told that William at least partially took the rap for his former partners-in-crime.

Having converted to the Muslim faith in prison, William now just wants to start a new life and build a future. However, he'll begin to face enormous pressure from the long-time Sheriff (Harvey Keitel), whose deputy was killed by Garnett, and will do whatever it takes to harass William and put him back in jail. Also, William's former cohort in crime Terence, chillingly portrayed by Luis Guzman, is also constantly pressuring him to return to a life of crime.

While all of this is going on, William is trying to forge a relationship with a bank officer, Teresa (Delores Heredia), that he met by chance while opening an account. Additionally, the acclaimed and terrific British actress Brenda Blethyn is assigned as William's parole officer, Emily Smith. She can be quite tough, but is also fair and really tries to help William make a go of it, despite all the odds against him succeeding.

You can see the film, directed by French director Rachid Bouchareb, is progressing towards getting really nasty and dark, and it doesn't disappoint in that regard. If you can overlook some of the stretches of credibility and don't mind its depressive nature, you may find this film engrossing, with some fine performances by its most solid cast.

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bbickley13-921-58664
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For those of you who are fans of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, than I recommended you check this one out.

Whitaker plays a man on parole after 18 years of prison, and with the help of Allah, who he finds inside, he makes a great attempt to follow the path and get his life right, but too many things are pulling him down, especially the town sheriff that can't forgive him for killing his partner.

Harvey Kitel plays the Sheriff, adding a little more star power to this small picture. Luis Guzman plays the role of Whitaker's ex-partner who wants to repay him for his loyalty by getting him back in the life.

Kitel and Guzman are fine actors but their purpose is truly just to support Whitaker who barely needs it. It's the type of realness that you would expect from a academy award winning actor, who convinces you of being a man on the verge of redemption without hitting you over the head with a needless moral campus.

The movie itself is not put together as well as Whitaker's award winning turn in The Last King of Scottland. It's all about pointing the camera at this man and watching him go. That's what you want to see and he gives it 100 percent.

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Bento de Espinosa from the companion galaxy just below Andromeda
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OK, this movie has some (minor) problems, but which movie doesn't have them? Yet, at the end of the day it's a very powerful and poetic movie that gets under your skin and makes you think.

Forest Whitaker is unrecognizably slim and his performance is just brilliant, as always. Harvey Keitel, looking much older than I expected, is as sovereign in this role as he always is. No surprise, he being such an experienced actor.

Cinematography is beautiful. The ugliness and isolation of the town and the aridity of the landscape, building an unmerciful natural wall against desperate Mexicans, contribute immensely to the feeling of loneliness and hopelessness of Whitaker's character.

Can a man change and leave his past behind him, or will it stick with him for the rest of his life?

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Stuart Davies from Ireland
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All the way through I watched Forest Whitaker with glee, making me want his character to keep going in-spite of all the challenges he faced. The acting from all those involved was marvelous and although the story is not new, ex-con tries to go straight, the variations where enough to make it interesting. Playing his parole officer, I found Brenda Blethyn's characterisation quite refreshing and not what I'm familiar with from her previous roles. Harvey Keitel does a wonderful job playing the sheriff, who starts on the familiar path of persecution of Garnett, but seems to have second thoughts towards the end of the film.

I suppose the start of the movie makes you wonder who is having their head bashed in and that stays with you till the end, but it's the downfall of Garnett and his acceptance of it, that affected me the most. I expected him to give in to his old ways, but half expected some sort of showdown, which is what made the film more a reflection of real life, when it didn't happen. A lesser man would have given in entirely to his criminal past, a greater man perhaps would have asked for more help from the authorities. As it happens Garnett, like the rest of us, is something in between. I was therefore left with a feeling of disappointment tinged with sadness at Garnett's actions and their inevitability in that situation. All together a splendid movie.

muslim|parole officer|parole|mother son relationship|adoptive mother|old friend|police arrest|arrest|motorcycle|television set|noisy neighbor|love|bank employee|bank|car wash|car washing|loss of job|cow|farm|looking for a job|past|redemption|release from prison|convicted of murder|convict|mexican american border|sheriff|immigration|immigrant|number in title|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Switzerland:12 / USA:R