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List Price: $9.94 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 24584
Released: April 16, 2002 |
| Our Price: $2.98 |
| Used Price: $0.47 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
OscarÂ(r) winners* Kevin Kline and Susan Sarandon team with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Danny Aiello, Rod Steiger and Alan Rickman for this intense thriller about a serial killer on the loose in Manhattan. Directed by Pat O'Connor (Sweet November, Inventing the Abbotts) and written by Academy AwardÂ(r) winner** John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck), The January Man is an edge-of-your-seat suspense ride that'll prey on your thoughts as well as your fears. Ex-cop Nick Starkey (Kline) is the only man in New York brilliant enough to find a viciousserial killer. But returning to his job is as complicated an undertaking as nabbing the culprit. Forced to work alongside the brother (Keitel) who fired him, Nick also has to come to terms with the ex-girlfriend (Sarandon) who married his brother, and the mayor's young daughter (Mastrantonio) who'sfallen in love with him. But with time running out and everyone counting on him, Nick sets aside his personal turmoil to root out the killer until that, too, involves a personal stake he'll never be able to accept losing. *Kline: Supporting Actor, A Fish Called Wanda (1988); Sarandon: Actress, Dead Man Walking (1995) **1987: Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Description of The January Man:
It's New Year's Eve and a serial killer stalks the streets of New York, looking for his next victim. Under pressure from the public and the press, Police Commissioner Frank Starkey (Harvey Keitel) and the mayor (Rod Steiger) reinstate Starkey's brother Nick (Kevin Kline) in the force to track down the murderer. Nick was pressured to resign some years back and bad blood remains between him and his brother; almost immediately he rubs his superior (Danny Aiello) the wrong way when he turns his office into a sort of beatnik den. Flanked by his eccentric buddy (Alan Rickman) and the mayor's daughter (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Starkey goes about running the killer down his own way. This film is a confused muddle--not funny enough to be a comedy, not suspenseful enough to be a taut cop thriller, and without enough chemistry to be a romantic drama. The excellent cast is adrift in a screenplay that throws in everything but the kitchen sink; Keitel, Steiger, and Aiello go completely apoplectic every time they're onscreen together (which should please fans of over-the-top acting). The first screenplay by John Patrick Shanley after his Oscar win for Moonstruck is hardly cut of the same cloth. --Jerry Renshaw
The January Man Reviews:
Love Rickman, Kline and Sarandon, but this movie reeks 
2009-07-04 - The script on this is just awful. Kevin Kline is cute, but his character is too quirky; Susan Sarandon is good but overplays some scenes with Rod Steiger and Harvey Keitel; Keitel, Steiger and Danny Aiello seem to be having a contest about who can swear and rant the most. Alan Rickman is funny and sexy, but, sadly, that's not enough to save the movie. The editor must have been doing drugs because it was so choppy. Still, I have sympathy for him/her because the story and dialogue stank.
SPOILER ALERT:
The low point of the film may have been when Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Kline get it on and she tells him she is 23. He repeats it. Um....sorry, no. The actress was 31 when she made this film, and although she's attractive, she looks it. Lame.
A Man for all Seasons 
2009-01-19 - If you're like me, ever seeking ALAN RICKMAN films, like they're the Holy Grail... then, this film will be a good addition to your collection. We couldn't ask for a better cast and story line. There's a good mix of sarcasm, intimidation, and deceit in this comedic approach to serial killings. It's a dated film, but still offers the level of entertainment we're accustomed to now. Alan Rickman's character wasn't on the screen as much as I would've liked. As he's articulated in the past, there is no such thing as a small part... only small actors. He delivers THE BEST as always.
Bomb, zinger, wow. can't believe it's so bad with that cast.
2009-01-10 - Histrionic performances and horrible soundtrack, 20 minutes into this bomb I was laughing. And this is supposed to be a thriller?
Embarrassing, overwrought performance from Rod Steiger, camp goofiness from Alan Rickman, woodenness from Harvey Keitel and seemingly satiric Boy Scoutishness from Kevin Kline...
If you're in the mood for a laugh, turn down the sound and do your own soundtrack to this incredibly lame flick.
Great version but Amazon's data is wrong 
2008-12-13 - This is a beautiful version and my children love it. We're anxious to see this at PNB in Seattle next year when the kids are old enough for it in-person. However, Amazon's cast list for this is totally inaccurate. No stars in this one - just PNB dancers.
Bad acting + ridiculous fight scene = 1-star movie
2007-05-16 - The fighting scene in this movie looks like a kids' play. The acting is laughable. The plot is full of logicall holes. This is the worst thing because it's supposed to be a detective movie. For example, the detective was able to predict what room of a building the murderer was going to kill a person by looking at the pictures of all the buildings where previous killings took place!
