In the mid-1990s, following the success of Tarantino, independent films were seen as a refreshing alternative to mainstream Hollywood. However, as time passed, even the most sympathetic critics couldn't deny that many independent films were starting to look mainstream. One such example can be found in Safe Men, a 1998 comedy written and directed by John Hamburg.
The protagonists of this film are Sam (played by Sam Rockwell) and Eddie (played by Steve Zahn), two terribly untalented musicians who slowly realize they will never make it as entertainers. One night, they are approached by a mysterious individual called Veal Chop (played by Paul Giamatti), who offers them a part in a small-time burglary. Unbeknownst to them, Chop actually works for Big Fat Bernie Gayle (played by Michael Lerner), the local leader of the Jewish criminal underworld. Things take a complicated turn when they realize they have been mistaken for a pair of top safecrackers, and their target happens to be a safe belonging to Good Stuff Leo (played by Harvey Fierstein), a local fence and Bernie's main rival. During their mission, Sam meets Leo's attractive daughter Hannah (played by Samantha Kirk).
With a criminal enterprise gone wrong, quirky characters, flamboyant mob leaders, and pop culture references, Safe Men seemed like another attempt to exploit the formula established by Tarantino's films. Unfortunately, John Hamburg's inexperience shows, as he fails to deliver a decent example of a Tarantino knock-off. The script is filled with incredibly stupid characters that fail to engage the audience, the dialogues are lackluster, and the film showcases Hamburg's need for improvement in directing. Safe Men is poorly edited, and many scenes are incomprehensible. Despite a promising cast on paper, Rockwell and Zahn come off as bad Keanu Reeves impersonations, while Harvey Fierstein is unconvincing as a Jewish gangster. Even the talents of Paul Giamatti are wasted in a thankless role as the gangster's sidekick. Those who value their time should steer clear of Safe Men.
RATING: 2/10 (-)
Original text posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on July 1st, 2004.
Blog in Croatian: Drax Blog
Blog in English: Drax Review
Rising Star Game: Join Rising Star Game
BTC Donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH Donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7