Men Of Respect (1991)

I saw this movie for the first time last night on Encore. I missed the first few minutes of it but got into it quickly. To start, the cast in VERY impressive and each one, as I saw it, lived up to my expectations of what they would accomplish.Is this movie fast paced and full of excitement? I would have to say no, but if you filmed a movie version of "Macbeth", would it have you on the edge of your seat? Probably not and you might have a difficult time understanding just what the hell they were actually saying. Fantastic story, but you have to take your time with it, it not exactly an action drama is it? Some may feel its slow paced and flat. I could not disagree more vehemently. I found it well paced and with a cast like this one, who wants to rush anything? No, it's not everyone's cup of tea and some may compare it unfairly to "Richard the Third" with Ian McKellen (which was phenomenal AND in the original dialogue) but they're two very different movies. I'll just leave off by saying, if you have ANY interest in Shakespeare, give this a shot, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

This self-conscious adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' updates the stage play to an urban crime setting, largely as a vehicle for John Turturro, who gives an atypically overwrought performance in the title role. The film arrived late in what was, at the time, a cycle of big screen gangster dramas, giving it an uncomfortable sense of redundancy even without the blatant similarities to 'The Godfather' (the character of Macbeth is here named Michael, not without coincidence). Writer director William Reilly makes no effort to camouflage the source material, adding nothing new to either the original play or its adapted genre. Even worse, the film has little discernible pace or rhythm: it just sits on the screen like a cheap wax replica of a priceless heirloom.

This is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy the story of "Macbeth". The challenge of turning the characters into mobsters was met well. It was done creatively, and it follows all the main points without cheating. John Tuturro and Peter Boyle are good; everyone else is fine. If this was a completely original work, it would rate lower, but I think it is very good considering what they were trying to do, and that's why it is ultimately satisfying. The other comments posted by another viewer are undeservedly harsh. It's a bum wrap. Again, if you like "Macbeth", this is pretty cool. If you love iambic pentameter and period pieces, go rent Roman Polanski's version of "Macbeth", or something of Shakespeare's with Kenneth Brannagh.

Imagine the pitch: A classic tale of betrayal, murder, deception - taking power by any means necessary. It's Macbeth - but set in the ever attractive world of American gangsters! William Shakespeare's Goodfellas! The story does lend itself to the setting unfortunately it is very boring, poorly acted and no real flair or excitment that other gangster pictures manage. It's full of good actors - none of whom are any good because they are constrained by a poor script and poor direction.Don't watch this - go to the theatre and watch MacBeth instead.