The Bag Man

Last updated
The Bag Man
The Bag Man.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Grovic
Written by
  • David Grovic
  • Paul Conway
Produced by
  • Peter D. Graves
  • Antony Mitchell
  • Warren Ostergard
Starring
CinematographySteve Mason
Edited by
  • Devin Maurer
  • Michael R. Miller
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 28, 2014 (2014-02-28)
Running time
108 minutes
Countries
  • The Bahamas
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$461,780 [1]

The Bag Man (also known as Motel or The Carrier) is a 2014 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by David Grovic. It is based on an original screenplay by James Russo and a rewrite by David Grovic and Paul Conway and an inspiration of The Cat: A Tale of Feminine Redemption by Marie-Louise von Franz. [2] The film stars John Cusack, Rebecca Da Costa, Crispin Glover, Dominic Purcell, Robert De Niro, and Sticky Fingaz. [3] The film premiered on February 28, 2014, in New York and Los Angeles.

Contents

Plot

Elderly gangster Robert Dragna recruits professional killer Jack to pick up a bag and wait for his arrival at a motel. Robert Dragna stresses that Jack is not to open the bag or allow anyone to view its contents under any circumstances, illustrating his point with a piece of broccoli. Confused as to why Dragna wants him to do such an apparently easy job, Jack presses for more details, but Dragna only reiterates the rules. When Jack acquires the bag and a henchman of Dragna's shoots him in the hand (not shown on screen due to budgetary reasons), Jack kills him and stuffs the body in his car's trunk. Dragna is unsympathetic when Jack calls him and instructs Jack to stick to the plan.

At the motel, Jack meets several random people: Ned, the desk clerk who uses a wheelchair; Rivka, a tall prostitute; and Lizard and Guano, a pair of bald men who are perpetually agitated about something. Jack requests room number thirteen, and Ned cautions him that it is a deathtrap, as it is unconnected to any other rooms. When two random suited men become curious about Jack, he abruptly breaks into their room and kills both for no apparent reason. A subsequent search reveals FBI badges and a briefcase. Jack sets the briefcase aside and leaves to dump the corpse poorly stored in his car, but promptly returns upon being spotted, only to discover that Rivka has broken into his room. Fearful that Lizard will kill her for some unexplained reason, she requests that he allow her to stay.

Jack initially demands that she leave, then detains her when he cannot be sure whether she opened the bag, which would have little consequence overall. Rivka points out that the briefcase contains a photo of the bag, and Jack becomes worried that others may attempt to acquire it. When Jack attempts to drive Rivka to a bus station, she spots the corpse in the back of his car and becomes agitated. Lizard and Guano first question Jack about Rivka and later, on the road, attack him and they are killed. On their corpses he finds another photo of the bag. Unsure what to do with Rivka, or of her involvement, he returns to the hotel with her to await Robert Dragna's arrival.

Ned becomes suspicious that Jack has a guest in his room and calls the sheriff. Sheriff Larson briefly questions Jack, and, after Larson leaves, Jack threatens Ned. Increasingly worried about the safety of the bag, Jack buries it near the motel carpark only to be caught by Ned, who is now out of his wheelchair. Jack kills Ned and returns to the motel, where Larson arrests him under suspicion of Ned's very recent disappearance. It is unclear who reported Ned as a missing person as he was gone 15 minutes.

As Larson prepares to torture Jack for information, Rivka shows up. Larson threatens to rape her, but she overpowers a deputy and frees Jack, who then kills Larson. When Rivka demonstrates detailed knowledge of the bag, Jack becomes suspicious of her again, but she points out that she has saved his life. Somewhat mollified, he retrieves the bag and waits in room fourteen. Dragna finally appears, disappointed in Jack's apparent lack of trust. Nonetheless satisfied that Jack has not looked in the bag, Dragna explains that the whole situation was a test of Jack's skills and character, as he doubted Jack's resolve in the wake of Jack's fiancee's unsolved murder some months earlier. The motel and the local cops are all on Dragna's payroll, and were all (unwittingly) part of the test.

As Dragna prepares to leave, Rivka spontaneously tells Jack that she looked in the bag. Frustrated, Jack points out that Dragna will now kill them both. Jack dutifully reports Rivka's action to Dragna, who orders her killed. Jack instead kills Dragna's bodyguard, who wounds Rivka. Jack hunts down Dragna, and both are wounded. Jack looks in the bag and discovers the head of his fiancee, whom Dragna had killed in order to prevent Jack from quitting the murder-for-hire business. Trying to persuade Jack to surrender, Dragna destroys the hotel (where Rivka supposedly is) with remote-detonated explosives. Moments later, Rivka appears and saves Jack by killing Dragna, but she is shot again. Later, in Dragna's lawyer's office, Rivka reveals herself as Dragna's mistress and personal assassin who was sent to the motel to ensure things went Dragna's way. She collects a five million dollar reward for Jack's assassination, and she and Jack drive off together.

Cast

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 10% of 42 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 3.4/10. [4] Metacritic rated it 28/100 based on 18 reviews. [5] Scott Foundas of Variety called it "a tedious, self-consciously quirky postmodern noir". [6] Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "If it weren't for the touches of cruelty, this might have been a passable B-movie, but Bag Man ends up wasting the A-list talent caught up in the lurid exercise." [7] Stephen Holden of The New York Times described the plot as "a protracted and increasingly tedious cat-and-mouse game" that "pathetically tries to build up expectations about what might be in the bag". [8] Mike D'Angelo of The A.V. Club called it a Quentin Tarantino knock-off made two decades too late. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Bates</span> Fictional character from Psycho and Bates motel

Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 horror novel Psycho. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, who in his daily life runs the Bates Motel.

<i>Bugsy</i> 1991 biographical film by Barry Levinson

Bugsy is a 1991 American biographical crime drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by James Toback. The film stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, and Joe Mantegna. It is based on the life of American mobster Bugsy Siegel and his affair with starlet Virginia Hill.

<i>The Grifters</i> (film) 1990 film by Stephen Frears

The Grifters is a 1990 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Stephen Frears, produced by Martin Scorsese, and starring John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, and Annette Bening. The screenplay was written by Donald E. Westlake, based on Jim Thompson's 1963 novel of the same name. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and was declared one of the Top 10 films of 1990 by The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

Edward Rogers is a Los Angeles–based musician and composer for film and television. He has written the music for several television series, including Bloodline (Netflix), Warehouse 13 (Syfy), NYPD Blue (ABC), Over There (FX), and Alphas (Syfy) as well as numerous films, advertising spots and television movies. In 2014 he co-wrote the score for The Bag Man starring Robert De Niro, John Cusack and Crispin Glover with composer Tony Morales. He collaborated with Morales again on the first season of Bloodline, released in March 2015.

<i>Harum Scarum</i> (film) 1965 film by Gene Nelson

Harum Scarum is a 1965 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings, with additional footage shot on location at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino's 1921 movie The Sheik.

<i>Hammerhead Ranch Motel</i> 2000 novel by Tim Dorsey

Hammerhead Ranch Motel is a novel by Tim Dorsey published in 2000. It continues the story, started in Florida Roadkill, of blithe psychopath Serge A. Storms and his pursuit of five million dollars in cash hidden in the trunk of a car. The book is non-linear, with some scenes occurring at the same time chronologically but told out of order with later scenes.

<i>Kill Me Again</i> 1989 film by John Dahl

Kill Me Again is a 1989 American neo-noir thriller film directed by John Dahl, and starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Michael Madsen.

<i>Bruiser</i> (2000 film) 2000 French film

Bruiser is a 2000 French-Canadian horror-thriller film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Jason Flemyng, Peter Stormare and Leslie Hope. Bruiser was filmed in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Bompensiero</span> American mobster (1905–1977)

Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero was a Sicilian-American mobster who was a longtime caporegime in the Los Angeles crime family. In 1956, with the death of boss Jack Dragna, Bompensiero was demoted to the rank of soldier by the new boss, Frank DeSimone. He was the older brother of associate Salvatore "Sam" Bompensiero. Bompensiero made a name for himself for the many killings he committed on the orders of his superiors. Jimmy Fratianno, a close associate, once said that Bompensiero "had buried more bones than could be found in the brontosaurus room of the Museum of Natural History."

<i>The Nature of the Beast</i> (1995 film) 1995 American film

The Nature of the Beast is a 1995 American direct-to-video mystery horror film written and directed by Victor Salva and starring Eric Roberts and Lance Henriksen.

<i>The Enemy</i> (Child novel) 2004 book by Lee Child

The Enemy is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It is narrated in the first person.

<i>Cold Weather</i> 2010 American film

Cold Weather is a 2010 American mystery film directed by Aaron Katz and written by Katz, Brendan McFadden, and Ben Stambler. The film stars Cris Lankenau as a former forensic science student investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. The film was shot and set in Portland, Oregon. Cold Weather premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2010 and was released in the United States by IFC Films in February 2011.

<i>The Frozen Ground</i> 2013 American thriller film by Scott Walker

The Frozen Ground is a 2013 American thriller film directed and written by Scott Walker, in his directorial debut, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens, Katherine LaNasa, Radha Mitchell, and 50 Cent. Based on the crimes of the real-life Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen, the film depicts an Alaskan State Trooper seeking to apprehend Hansen by partnering with a young woman who escaped from Hansen's clutches.

Rebecca da Costa is a Brazilian actress and model.

<i>Room</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Lenny Abrahamson

Room is a 2015 internationally co-produced survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years and whose five-year-old son was born in captivity. Their escape allows the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. The film also stars Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus and William H. Macy.

<i>Dying Room Only</i> 1973 television film by Philip Leacock

Dying Room Only is a 1973 American made-for-television horror mystery thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Cloris Leachman and Ross Martin. Written by Richard Matheson and based on his 1953 short story of the same name, the film follows a woman whose husband disappears after they stop by a rural diner in the Arizona desert.

<i>Free Fire</i> (film) 2016 British action comedy film

Free Fire is a 2016 British action comedy film directed by Ben Wheatley, from a screenplay by Wheatley and Amy Jump. It stars Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Riley, Michael Smiley and Noah Taylor.

<i>The Frontier</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

The Frontier is a 2015 American crime film directed by Oren Shai and written by Oren Shai and Webb Wilcoxen. The film stars Jocelin Donahue, Kelly Lynch, Jim Beaver, Izabella Miko, Jamie Harris, Liam Aiken, and A. J. Bowen. Donahue plays a drifter on the run who stops at a motel, only to find that several people there may be involved in a local heist.

<i>Message from the King</i> (film) 2016 film

Message from the King is a 2016 revenge-action-thriller film directed by Fabrice Du Welz, and written by Stephen Cornwell and Oliver Butcher. The film is produced by Cornwell, David Lancaster and Simon Cornwell and stars Chadwick Boseman, Luke Evans, Teresa Palmer, and Alfred Molina. The film's plot revolves around Jacob King (Boseman), a man from Cape Town, South Africa who travels to Los Angeles in order to find his younger sister and after finding out she is dead, he works to avenge her death.

<i>Looking Glass</i> (film) 2018 American film

Looking Glass is a 2018 American thriller film directed by Tim Hunter and starring Nicolas Cage. It was released in the United States by Momentum Pictures on February 16, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ "The Bag Man". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ Pais, Matt (March 6, 2014). "'The Bag Man' review: Actors anonymous". RedEye. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Crispin Glover Joins De Niro and Cusack in Indie Thriller 'Motel'". thefilmstage.com. July 4, 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ "The Bag Man (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Bag Man". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ Foundas, Scott (March 4, 2014). "Film Review: 'The Bag Man'". Variety . Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ Farber, Stephen (February 28, 2014). "The Bag Man: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  8. ↑ Holden, Stephen (February 27, 2014). "If You'd Like to Live, Best Not Look Inside". The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  9. ↑ D'Angelo, Mike (February 27, 2014). "The Bag Man is two decades late to the knockoff-Tarantino party". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.