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Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

January 01, 1970

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead is a 1995 American crime film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Andy García, Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Fairuza Balk, and Gabrielle Anwar.

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGary Fleder
Written byScott Rosenberg
Produced byCary Woods
Starring
CinematographyElliot Davis
Edited byRichard Marks
Music byMichael Convertino
Production
company
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • December 1, 1995 (1995-12-01)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[citation needed]
Box office$529,677[1]

The film's title comes from a Warren Zevon song of the same name, recorded on his 1991 album Mr. Bad Example, which he allowed under the condition that the song be played during the end credits. The lead character's name, "Jimmy the Saint," comes from the Bruce Springsteen song "Lost in the Flood" from his 1973 album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

The film was a box office bomb and received negative reviews from critics, with many dismissing it as a "Pulp Fiction clone".[3]

Plot edit

Trying to go straight, ex-gangster Jimmy "The Saint" Tosnia runs Afterlife Advice in Denver, where dying people videotape messages for their loved ones. His business isn't doing well and his former boss, a local crime lord known as "The Man With The Plan," has bought up his debt in order to command a favor involving the crime lord's son, Bernard, who has been arrested for child molestation. The Man With The Plan, who was left a quadriplegic after an attempt on his life, wants Jimmy to persuade Bernard's ex-girlfriend Meg to come back to him; The Man With the Plan believes this will cure Bernard of his pedophilia.

A reluctant Jimmy recruits his friends Easy Wind, Pieces, Big Bear Franchise and the rage-prone Critical Bill. The plan is to have Pieces and Critical Bill pose as police officers, intercept Meg's current boyfriend, Bruce, and intimidate him until he agrees to break up with Meg. Things go wrong when Bruce grows suspicious of the two men's identities and mocks them, whereupon Critical Bill stabs Bruce in the throat. The commotion wakes up Meg, sleeping in the back of Bruce's van. Meg's appearance startles Pieces, who accidentally shoots her dead. The Man With The Plan is furious at the outcome of their botched mission. He informs Jimmy that he will allow him to live, as long as he leaves Denver, but his crew have been sentenced to "buckwheats" – to be assassinated in a gruesome and painful manner.

Jimmy's friends come to terms with their impending deaths as they are stalked by a hit man, Mr. Shhh, who never fails. Pieces accepts his fate, with Mr. Shhh providing a quick death. Easy Wind goes into hiding with a gang lord called Baby Sinister, but is given up after Mr. Shhh infiltrates and kills most of Sinister's entourage. Because Franchise has a family to raise, Jimmy pleads with The Man With The Plan to spare his life. The Man With The Plan agrees to Jimmy's terms but betrays him anyway by having Franchise killed. The betrayal makes Jimmy vengeful; in turn, Jimmy is also sentenced to die.

Mr. Shhh finally locates Critical Bill holed up in his apartment, but is ambushed by Bill and the two end up killing each other. In the wake of Mr. Shhh's death, the contract on Jimmy falls to a trio of Mexican brothers. In his final hours, Jimmy says goodbye to a young woman he had fallen in love with, Dagney. Knowing that he will most likely be killed, Jimmy murders Bernard for all the misery he indirectly brought upon the group. He also impregnates Lucinda, a prostitute, in order to fulfill her wish of becoming a mother. In a pre-recorded Afterlife Advice video, Jimmy gives life advice to his unborn child. The trio of killers catches up to Jimmy and he takes his death gracefully. The Man With The Plan is seen mourning his son's death. Jimmy and his friends are then seen together having "boat drinks" in the afterlife.

Cast edit

Reception edit

Produced on a budget of $8 million, the film made under $530,000 upon its limited release.[1]

On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 37% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Just watch a Tarantino movie instead—and buy a Warren Zevon record while you're at it."[4] On Metacritic it has a score of 46% based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "On balance, I think it's an interesting miss, but a movie you might enjoy if (a) you don't expect a masterpiece, and (b) you like the dialogue in Quentin Tarantino movies."[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  3. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (June 16, 1995). "The World According to Harvey and Bob (Smoke, The Glass Shield)". Chicago Reader.
  4. ^ "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  5. ^ "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead". Metacritic.
  6. ^ Ebert, Roger (1996). "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead". Chicago Sun-Times.     

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead at IMDb  
  • Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead at AllMovie
  • Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead at Box Office Mojo

January 01, 1970
things, denver, when, dead, 1995, american, crime, film, directed, gary, fleder, written, scott, rosenberg, film, features, ensemble, cast, that, includes, andy, garcía, christopher, lloyd, treat, williams, steve, buscemi, christopher, walken, fairuza, balk, g. Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead is a 1995 American crime film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg The film features an ensemble cast that includes Andy Garcia Christopher Lloyd Treat Williams Steve Buscemi Christopher Walken Fairuza Balk and Gabrielle Anwar Things to Do in Denver When You re DeadTheatrical release posterDirected byGary FlederWritten byScott RosenbergProduced byCary WoodsStarringAndy Garcia Christopher Lloyd William Forsythe Bill Nunn Treat Williams Jack Warden Steve Buscemi Fairuza Balk Gabrielle Anwar Christopher WalkenCinematographyElliot DavisEdited byRichard MarksMusic byMichael ConvertinoProductioncompanyWoods EntertainmentDistributed byMiramax FilmsRelease dateDecember 1 1995 1995 12 01 Running time115 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 8 million citation needed Box office 529 677 1 The film s title comes from a Warren Zevon song of the same name recorded on his 1991 album Mr Bad Example which he allowed under the condition that the song be played during the end credits The lead character s name Jimmy the Saint comes from the Bruce Springsteen song Lost in the Flood from his 1973 album Greetings from Asbury Park N J The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival 2 The film was a box office bomb and received negative reviews from critics with many dismissing it as a Pulp Fiction clone 3 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 References 5 External linksPlot editTrying to go straight ex gangster Jimmy The Saint Tosnia runs Afterlife Advice in Denver where dying people videotape messages for their loved ones His business isn t doing well and his former boss a local crime lord known as The Man With The Plan has bought up his debt in order to command a favor involving the crime lord s son Bernard who has been arrested for child molestation The Man With The Plan who was left a quadriplegic after an attempt on his life wants Jimmy to persuade Bernard s ex girlfriend Meg to come back to him The Man With the Plan believes this will cure Bernard of his pedophilia A reluctant Jimmy recruits his friends Easy Wind Pieces Big Bear Franchise and the rage prone Critical Bill The plan is to have Pieces and Critical Bill pose as police officers intercept Meg s current boyfriend Bruce and intimidate him until he agrees to break up with Meg Things go wrong when Bruce grows suspicious of the two men s identities and mocks them whereupon Critical Bill stabs Bruce in the throat The commotion wakes up Meg sleeping in the back of Bruce s van Meg s appearance startles Pieces who accidentally shoots her dead The Man With The Plan is furious at the outcome of their botched mission He informs Jimmy that he will allow him to live as long as he leaves Denver but his crew have been sentenced to buckwheats to be assassinated in a gruesome and painful manner Jimmy s friends come to terms with their impending deaths as they are stalked by a hit man Mr Shhh who never fails Pieces accepts his fate with Mr Shhh providing a quick death Easy Wind goes into hiding with a gang lord called Baby Sinister but is given up after Mr Shhh infiltrates and kills most of Sinister s entourage Because Franchise has a family to raise Jimmy pleads with The Man With The Plan to spare his life The Man With The Plan agrees to Jimmy s terms but betrays him anyway by having Franchise killed The betrayal makes Jimmy vengeful in turn Jimmy is also sentenced to die Mr Shhh finally locates Critical Bill holed up in his apartment but is ambushed by Bill and the two end up killing each other In the wake of Mr Shhh s death the contract on Jimmy falls to a trio of Mexican brothers In his final hours Jimmy says goodbye to a young woman he had fallen in love with Dagney Knowing that he will most likely be killed Jimmy murders Bernard for all the misery he indirectly brought upon the group He also impregnates Lucinda a prostitute in order to fulfill her wish of becoming a mother In a pre recorded Afterlife Advice video Jimmy gives life advice to his unborn child The trio of killers catches up to Jimmy and he takes his death gracefully The Man With The Plan is seen mourning his son s death Jimmy and his friends are then seen together having boat drinks in the afterlife Cast editAndy Garcia as Jimmy The Saint Tosnia Christopher Lloyd as Olden Pieces Polymeros William Forsythe as Francis Big Bear Franchise Chiser Bill Nunn as Earl Easy Wind Denton Treat Williams as Bill Critical Bill Dolittle Jack Warden as Joe Heff Steve Buscemi as Mr Shhh Fairuza Balk as Lucinda Gabrielle Anwar as Dagney Christopher Walken as The Man With The Plan Michael Nicolosi as Bernard Bill Cobbs as Malt Marshall Bell as Lieutenant Atwater Glenn Plummer as Baby Sinister Don Stark as Gus Willie Garson as Cuffy Jenny McCarthy as Blonde Nurse Buddy Guy as House Band Josh Charles as Bruce uncredited Sarah Trigger as Meg Don Cheadle as Rooster Tiny Lister as House Wiley Harker as Boris Carlotti Bill Bolender as Stevie s Dad Bill Erwin as 70 Year Old Man Christopher C Romero as MontirezReception editProduced on a budget of 8 million the film made under 530 000 upon its limited release 1 On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 37 based on reviews from 30 critics with an average rating of 5 30 10 The site s critical consensus states Just watch a Tarantino movie instead and buy a Warren Zevon record while you re at it 4 On Metacritic it has a score of 46 based on reviews from 16 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 5 Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote On balance I think it s an interesting miss but a movie you might enjoy if a you don t expect a masterpiece and b you like the dialogue in Quentin Tarantino movies 6 References edit a b Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead at Box Office Mojo Festival de Cannes Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead festival cannes com Retrieved 2009 09 07 Rosenbaum Jonathan June 16 1995 The World According to Harvey and Bob Smoke The Glass Shield Chicago Reader Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved 2023 08 21 Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead Metacritic Ebert Roger 1996 Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead Chicago Sun Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp External links editOfficial website Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead at IMDb nbsp Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead at AllMovie Things to Do in Denver When You re Dead at Box Office Mojo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Things to Do in Denver When You 27re Dead amp oldid 1202705528, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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