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THE MERRY GENTLEMAN Send This Review to a Friend
Michael Keaton is tight-lipped in his portrayal of Frank Logan, who is a hit man. “The Merry Gentleman,” directed by Keaton from a screenplay by Ron Lazzeretti, attempts to give Logan a human side, expressed in low key fashion. When he meets Kelly Macdonald as Kate Frazier, who has escaped from an abusive marriage, he befriends her with sincerity and an obvious attraction to her.
Macdonald is a lovely actress and it is a joy to watch her, and that keeps up one’s interest while Keaton as director attempts to build suspense in the Chicago setting. But the story suffers from being rigged with a relationship one assumes is unlikely to go anywhere. After all, Logan does kill people for a living and it is difficult to become engrossed in the possibility of redemptive qualities. Despite his kindnesses, Kate needs a hit man for a boyfriend like a hole in the head. Actor Bobby Cannavale eventually turns up as Kate’s husband Michael.
As for Keaton as director, it is a reasonable outing. The problems are more in the screenplay than in the manner in which Keaton unfolds the tale. One respects the effort without being overly swept up in the story. But there is always the steady lift Macdonald gives. A Samuel Goldwyn Films release.
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