Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

wildblueyonder I did like the movie, I rated it 7... there is a lot of human insight and I always enjoy when characters seem like real, but interesting people, and for the most part they do. Keaton not usually my favorite (although I loved Pacific Heights), and he's uneven in this role as well, overacting.Still all the foundation was there for this to be not just a good but great movie and, for me at least, it wasn't.

Tweekums Fleeing an abusive relationship Kate Frazier heads to Chicago and gets a job as a receptionist; one day as she leaves work she looks up at the falling snow and sees a man, Frank Logan, standing on a rooftop about to jump; she screams and he falls backwards onto the roof. When the police arrive there is no sign of the man so she goes home feeling good about saving a life. It is only later that she learns he was a killer who had shot a man moments before! She meets the man again when he helps her with her Christmas tree although she has no idea who he is. They gradually become friends although the police haven't lost interest in Kate; mostly because one of the officers is hoping for a less then professional relationship with her. When Kate's husband returns claiming to have found God she is scared and tells the police but it is Frank who 'deals' with him… it is only a matter of time before she discovers the truth about him and when she does will she be safe?The packaging for this suggests a thriller with a fair amount of action; in fact we only see Frank kill two people and those are in early scenes designed to show his character rather than to be exciting. There are no chases, shootouts or explosions and the small number of deaths that occur later are off-screen; we just see them as they are found. This is far more a character study as we get to know Kate and Frank as they in turn get to know each other and their secrets. Kelly Macdonald is delightful as Kate; nicely capturing her character's nervousness. Michael Keaton is equally good as Frank the suicidal hit man… he also does a fine job directing; I wouldn't have guessed this was his first film in that role. Despite the title this is not exactly a merry film although there are a few gentle laughs to be had. Overall a good film for those who don't need lots of action and don't need to see everything wrapped up neatly at the end.

MisterWhiplash The Merry Gentlemen has the makings, and perhaps even the trappings, of a predictable neo-noir involving a hit-man (Michael Keaton), a detective (Bastounes) and the woman that they're both eying (Kelly MacDonald), and the elements of crime floating all about. But Keaton brings to the table as a first-time director an absolutely unbreakable grasp of what makes the scene(s) work from an actor's stand-point. Ironically for an actor who usually makes his mark in movies as someone with a lot of nervous energy or something that makes him quirky or mysterious (i.e. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Beetlejuice, Jackie Brown), here he's subdued, almost like Alain Deleon in Melville's movies. He doesn't say much, but when he does you listen, especially as his character Logan has pneumonia or carries a Christmas tree.On his own end Keaton's got his character covered wonderfully. That leaves the other two, and one other actor that should be noted. MacDonald is quickly becoming an example of a perfect character actress. It's hard for me to see her becoming a full-blown A-list star, even a decade or more after she hit the scene in her debut in Trainspotting, but when she comes into a role, usually in the supporting variety (most recently No Country for Old Men and Choke) you feel her presence incredibly. She's so vulnerable and adorable, so keen on how her character should be in every moment, as someone who's fragile, been messed with by her husband, but wants to have her space while at the same time being friendly to both the lonely hit-man and the desperate cop. It's hard for me to see a flaw in her performance, and maybe helps elevate things another notch or two. Ditto for Bastounes, one of those actors you swear you've seen somewhere else but actually has only been in one (or none) features before this. He, too, makes a mark playing off both MacDonald like at the restaurant or Keaton in a pivotal scene at the tailor.There's another actor I should also credit, though at the moment I forget his name: he plays MacDonald's character's husband, and he appears out of the darkness in a scene, a recovering abuser with a newfound Jesus addiction who tries to win back his wife's heart as she holds a knife to him. It's one of the best, creepiest dramatic scenes I've yet seen this year. And while I praise his and the other principles performances, the rest of the film around them is... well, good, watchable, though nothing wholly remarkable. At times Keaton is still finding his footing with style, keeping some shots engaging and others just doing a big pan or reveal where it wouldn't be necessary. It's competent work, though, and I would hope to see something else from him; at the least he reveals himself such a fantastic director of his fellow actors (not least of which himself, though as Eastwood shows that's easier done than said) that he may have found a new calling. It's an A-grade acting job amid a decent little B-movie. 7.5/10

buzzbruin Michael Keatons directorial debut is incredible. A beautifully paced film about relationships lonely people and a world of difference between occupations and normal perceptions of society. A subtle bringing together of lost souls. It reminded of Eastwoods style--little dialogue, gestures and expressions sighs and looks counting for the shift of emotions. A dark haunting film magnificently photographed,with shadow darkness and light comprising a stunning view. Miss Mcdonald who I remember from an HBO film with Bill Nighy is simply superb in the role of a receptionist. with one fellow worker friend and a secret reason for her independence. If you want to see a real haunting film about the meaning of life and the world of humanity, I beg you to see this film. I see performances of Oscars and the best film I've seen this year so far.