James Spader in one of the best performances of his career.
1993 was a stellar year for movies with now considered classics adorning our shelves like The Fugitive, Falling Down, Tombstone, and The Firm to name just a few. But tucked away in the far reaches of the indie world was this golden nugget of a film starring an incredible acting ensemble of James Spader, Mandy Patinkin, M Emmet Walsh, Charles Durning and Joel Grey. The plot is as simple as what I wrote in the headline but this is a film and story that operates on several levels for those looking for deeper meaning. The folly of gambling, separation of economic classes, running from unresolved issues, the alienation of the ultra rich are all woven beautifully into the film. Spader is off the chart, it is absolutely one of his greatest performances. M Emmet Walsh, who seemingly found his way onto every feature ever made, gets more screen time than any other thing I've ever seen him in and he's terrific as the schlep assigned to supervise the two losers building the wall. The film is currently out of print and hard to find, the DVD is going for $150, VHS should be valued at 30 minimum and if you can find it any lower and are into that format, I would jump on it. 3.5 stars/5 Probably not destined to become available in the streaming world.
