It may be Christmas time in Chicago, but none of the ladies or gentlemen in The Merry Gentleman are enjoying the holidays, at least not at first. During the opening credits a professional killer commits a murder and a tearful wife leaves her husband for a new life. But do not be misled by this action-packed beginning. This is a thoughtful and deliberate film about a disparate trio whose lives are tinged by regret and hope. Although some may find the pace a bit slow, I found the characters and each scene engaging. Michael Keaton directs his first film with subtlety and sensitivity. The redeemed killer angle has been done before, but The Merry Gentleman stayed with me, and the ending which I initially found bewildering, I now see as moving.

Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald) has started a new life and a new office job. Standing on the roof of a building across the street, hired killer Frank Logan (Michael Keaton) looks through his rifle lens, searching for his target in Kate’s building. Logan hits his target as Kate is leaving the office. Looking up at the falling snow, she spies a man on the roof of the building. She yells, thinking he is about to jump, and Logan stumbles backward as his hat drifts down to the sidewalk.  Officers Dave Murcheson (Tom Bastounes) and Billy Goldman (Guy Van Swearingen) soon realize that Kate glimpsed the murderer. Logan realizes Kate spotted him and finds out where she lives. But when they meet, he finds that he doesn’t wish to hurt her.

This film is being promoted as a thriller, perhaps because a crime brings the characters together. But The Merry Gentleman is about the ways the characters affect each other, not the crime. Officer Dave wants to date Kate and the two have an awkward dinner. Dave is an out of shape, divorced recovering alcoholic who is insecure with women, but continues to care about Kate, and to investigate Frank. Kate and Frank are lonely and private, but bring out the best in each other. We do not see them even kiss, but he sends her flowers, they share meals and seem to have a profound relationship. When Kate’s abusive spouse (Bobby Cannavale) shows up, both Dave and Frank want to protect her.

Unlike other more commercial films, neither cops nor criminals are glamorous and all the leads are wounded in some way. Kate has a black eye for most of the film and Frank has pneumonia. Dave and partner Billy look and act like actual aging cops. Second city alum Tom Bastounes creates a character that is hesitant and uncertain, in stark contrast to his hearty appearance. He gives Dave a bluntness that does not seem overbearing. Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, who was so affecting in the small role of Carla Jean Moss in No Country for Old Men, really shines as Kate. Her soft speech, accent and shy manner make it easy to understand why both men are attracted to her. She is beautiful, but they respond to her warmth and sadness. Although I found Michael Keaton hilarious in films like Beetle Juice, I equally liked the dark and brooding quality he showed in Batman. His performance is measured and reticent. Frank is a quiet man who seems to loathe conversation. He finds little humor in life, but we see him begin to thaw when he encounters Kate in her apartment. He may be there to kill the witness who saw him on the roof, but when the Christmas tree Kate is lugging into her apartment falls on her, Frank helps her up and carries the tree. He attempts a joke, saying with hesitation, “I found a girl under a tree.” He repeats the statement later, and we see how she has changed Frank.

Ad man Ron Lazzeretti’s script is filled with religious symbols. There are nativity scenes, Christmas trees and a Chanukah menorah. Dave’s partner Billy Goldberg wears a yarmulke through the film, even when eating a cheesesteak. Kate and Frank’s most important conversation takes place in a church. When Frank first sees Kate through the lens of his assassin’s rifle, she is describing to a co-worker why she hopes for snow. Her arms are spread and she looks like an angel.  Frank doesn’t seem to feel remorse for his crimes, but their relationship makes him aware that goodness exists. He takes unselfish risks to protect her, and in a way, he is reborn.

Lazzeretti, who intended to direct his film, was scheduled to meet Michael Keaton to discuss The Merry Gentleman when Lazzeretti was hospitalized with a high fever and ruptured appendix, a week before Christmas. Keaton and Lazzeretti talked on the phone and Keaton offered to direct the film. As in The Merry Gentleman, a twist of fate during the holidays changed things for all involved.  

The Merry Gentleman. Directed by Michael Keaton. Michael Keaton (Frank Logan), Kelly Macdonald (Kate Frazier), Bobby Cannavale (Michael), Tom Bastounes (Dave Murcheson) and Guy Van Swearingen (Billy Goldman). Samuel Goldwyn Company, 2008.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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