The Man is a 2005 comedy crime film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson.
The Man is directed by Les Mayfield and produced by Rob Fried from a screenplay by Jim Piddock, Margaret Oberman and Stephen Carpenter, based on the story by Jim Piddock and Margaret Oberman. New Line Cinema released The Man in Canada (through Alliance Atlantis) and the United States on September 9, 2005.
Filming took place in Toronto, Hamilton and Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Plot
A man named Andy Fiddler (Eugene Levy) is in his bathroom, preparing a speech. He works for a dental supply company, and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He will soon be giving a speech to investors in Detroit.
At Detroit, ATF agent Derrick Vann (Samuel L. Jackson), whose partner was recently murdered, is trying to retrieve some guns that were stolen from a federal armory, and are soon to be sold. After a visit to his informant Booty (Anthony Mackie) (who is later gunned down), he sets up a buy. He is to go to a diner and be reading a USA Today. Unfortunately, Andy is in the diner, and his favorite newspaper is USA Today. A menacing Englishman (Luke Goss) sits next to him and hands him a paper bag with “his taste†in it then leaves. Andy pulls a cell phone out of it, then a gun, which the waitress sees and thinks Andy is holding the place up. That's when Vann walks into the diner and cuffs him. Soon, Vann realizes that the gun traffickers mistook Andy for him, and drags Andy along with him. The cell phone that Fiddler receives rings, with the menacing Brit, whose name we later find out is Joey, is on the other end of the line. He wants “Turk†(the pseudonym that Vann used when setting up the buy) to drop $20,000 dollars in a certain trash can. Vann reveals that he has the money, and needs Fiddler to drop it.
Andy tries to perform the drop plain and simple. Unfortunately, a homeless guy screws this up, and the traffickers just drive by. Andy gets another call asking him what happened. He tells them that there were complications. Joey says he will call back in about an hour. Meanwhile, Andy tries to get away, only to have Vann graze him with a gunshot to the rear. Before Vann picks him up, Andy gets word to 9-1-1 via the cellphone, running a make on Vann's license plate numbers. Vann then suggests Andy use the taco sauce in his glove compartment to ease the pain of the bullet wound. Andy's 9-1-1 call proves effective and a group of squad cars pull them over, much to Vann's dismay, and he is furious at Andy for running a make on his plate. The police discover that Vann is ATF and move aside.
Andy is taken in for questioning due to an outstanding warrant on his criminal record- he purchased a stolen rug in Turkey without knowing that it was stolen-, but Vann gets him out of prison to assist him in his investigation as the public contact. Vann then takes Andy to make a stop at a friends house. The “friend†is a gun dealer that Vann knows named Manny Cortez. He finds Manny shot dead on his toilet seat. The killer was Joey. At the same time, Andy, who is handcuffed to the passenger door, attempts to drive the car with one hand. Vann chases after him in a car he “borrows†and eventually pulls him over.
When back in the car, Andy complains that he is hungry. Vann takes him to a burger joint. After quickly exiting the car, Vann gets a call from his ex-wife Dara (Rachael Crawford), who reminds him about his daughter Kate's (Tomorrow Baldwin Montgomery) dance recital. Vann explains to Kate that he is on assignment. He gets distracted when the phone that Joey gave to Fiddler rings.
Joey says he wants to meet Turk in a restaurant, where they will make the exchange. However, Joey says he wants $500,000 for the whole batch. Vann goes to his confiscated items buddy Santos (Horatio Sanz), who eventually gives into his requests. They head to the restaurant, and Andy enters. Fiddler sits down with Joey and discusses the deal. After some inquests by Joey about how he got the money so fast he throws Joey the money saying it means nothing to a powerful trafficker like him. He also gives Joey back the cell and tells him that he makes the calls now. When Andy tells Vann what he did, he is furious, but Andy explains that they now get to decide where the meeting takes place, and get backup there. He also tells Vann that they should let Joey simmer for a bit before calling him. Fidler suggests that they go to Vann's daughter's dance recital, which they do.
After that, they leave and call Joey. They arrange for a meeting which they attend with no backup. Upon meeting Joey and his cronies, Joey asks who Vann is. Andy tells him that Vann will do anything that is told. After an embarrassing confession to this by Vann, they are taken to Joey's residence, where they are put in the pool in case they are wired. Joey tells them that he still thinks Vann is a cop. Vann admits this, and tells them that he is betraying the service to make some money. Joey is convinced, and Vann takes Andy to his hotel, and they say goodbye.
The next day, Andy gives his speech, and it goes well. When he exits the building, Internal Affairs agent Peters (Miguel Ferrer) grabs him and throws him in a surveillance truck. They tell him that Vann was lying to both him and them, and that he is actually trying to buy the guns and killed Booty, Cortez, and Vann's partner himself. They need him to wear a wire and get a confession out of Vann.
Meanwhile, back at ATF offices, Vann is suspended, and his boss (Susie Essman) tells him that Andy was setting him up. Andy, now wired, enters Vann's office and says they need to talk. Vann starts driving to the exchange with Andy in tow. Recognizing Andy acting agitated, Vann asks him straight out if he is wired. Andy admits he is.
They enter the barn where the exchange is going to go down. Joey is skeptical and pulls a gun on Vann. The police enter, after hearing everything through the wire. Andy manages to disarm Joey before Joey gets shot, and Vann gets shot in the buttocks.
Vann then takes Andy to the airport, and they say goodbye. However, Vann sets off the metal detectors escorting Andy through airport security. He blames it on Andy, and the last shot of the film is of a protesting Andy being led away for a cavity search.
Cast
- Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Derrick Vann
- Eugene Levy as Andy Fidler
- Luke Goss as Joey Trent/Kane
- Miguel Ferrer as Agent Peters
- Susie Essman as Lt. Rita Carbone
- Anthony Mackie as Booty
- Gigi Rice as Susan Fidler
- Rachael Crawford as Dara Vann
- Philip Akin as Second I.A. Agent
- Lindsay Ames as Waitress
- Randy Butcher as Precinct Cop
- Michael Cameron as IA driver
- Kevin Rushton as Thug
- Joe Sacco as Rookie Cop
- Horatio Sanz as Santos
- Nestor Serrano as Manuel "Manny" Cortez
- Andrew Stelmack as Conventioneer
- Beatriz Yuste as Nun
Box office
The Man grossed $8.3 million in North America and $5.2 million in other territories for a total gross of $13.5 million, failing to make back its budget of $20 million.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $4.1 million, finishing in 6th at the box office.
Reception
The Man was panned by critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 11%, based on 100 reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite the steely presence of Samuel L. Jackson and the comic timing of Eugene Levy, The Man's plot is pointless and its jokes rehashed, as it ends up playing out like the Odd Couple with gas." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 33 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
For his two 2005 performances in The Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Eugene Levy received a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.
References
External links
- Official website
- The Man at the Internet Movie Database
- The Man at AllMovie