Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
From left: Samuel L. Jackson as Derrick and Eugene Levy as Andy in a scene from the movie 'The Man'. - CONTRIBUTED
IF ONE is very easily amused or one's comedic standards are very low, then one might be able to find The Man occasionally, mildly amusing. Otherwise, this half-hearted attempt at comedy may seem to have been created by the Sandman or at least some of his most faithful acolytes.
Directed by Les Mayfield and written by Jim Piddock and Margaret Oberman, the film stars Samuel L. Jackson as 'tough cop' Agent Derrick Van and Eugene Levy as ultra-ordinary Andy Fiddler. From a theoretical standpoint, it can be seen that Jackson and Levy might have been paired together in comedic buddy movie heaven. Alas, in reality, the combination falls far below expectations.
Indeed, though there are some similarities, at least shade wise in Jackson's previous pairings either with Bruce Willis in Die Hard With a Vengeance or Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight, this movie is like neither, and not merely because The Man is not action driven. Neither the writing nor the direction of The Man can compare to either film.
This flick can cause one to be tempted into re-evaluating whether Jackson really is a good actor, merely because one would never expect such an enigmatic man to be so uninteresting. In fairness to him, Jackson seems to have played this type too many times (hopefully against his will because one would like to think that this is not voluntary). His forays into the tough cop/agent stereotype have only tattoos, hair and various scars to differentiate one character from the next. As such, it is easy to imagine that Jackson is bored with such roles by now, and it may well be that boredom that oozes out in The Man.
TYPICAL CHARACTER TYPE
Derrick Van is typical of that character type to the extreme. He appears to bear scars inside and out, but the inner ones are barely hinted at as this role has as much emotional depth as an Arnold Schwarzenegger character (especially from the Commando and Terminator years). Van cusses continuously and believes in the dividend-paying power of brutality but he is extremely uninteresting.
It would appear then that when a case of mistaken identity brings a dental equipment salesman (Levy) into his crosshairs, a comedy of great proportions would ensue. Alas, the entire movie is a case of mistaken identity - someone mistook it for a movie.
Levy was also an extreme disappointment. After American Pie and even Bringing Down the House, it would seem that his deadpan earnestness could do no wrong. Well with The Man, he has gone so wrong, so fast. Neither actor is given much to work with, so it is quite impressive that they did anything at all with it.
The rest of the cast is so unimpressive, they are barely worth mentioning. The Man is a classic example of a buddy movie gone bad, even though it stuck to the formula as much as possible.
