Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

Plot synopsis:
Jimmy "The Saint" Tosnia is an ex-gangster living in Denver. Jimmy left the criminal world, to "go straight" with his "Afterlife Advice" business, where dying people videotape messages for their loved ones. His business isn't doing well and his former boss, a local crime lord known as "The Man With The Plan," has bought up his debt in order to command a favor involving the crime lord's son, Bernard, who has been arrested for child molestation. The Man With The Plan, who was left a quadriplegic after an attempt on his life, wants Jimmy to persuade Bernard's ex-girlfriend Meg to come back to him; The Man With the Plan believes this will cure Bernard of his pedophilia.
A reluctant Jimmy recruits his friends Easy Wind, Pieces, Big Bear Franchise and the rage-prone Critical Bill. The plan is to have Pieces and Critical Bill pose as police officers, intercept Meg's current boyfriend, Bruce, and intimidate him until he agrees to break up with Meg. Things go wrong when Bruce grows suspicious of the two men's identities and mocks them, whereupon Critical Bill stabs Bruce in the throat. The commotion wakes up Meg, sleeping in the back of Bruce's van. Meg's appearance startles Pieces, who accidentally shoots her dead.
The Man With The Plan is furious at the outcome of their botched mission. He informs Jimmy that he will allow him to live, as long as he leaves Denver, but his crew have been sentenced to "buckwheats," to be assassinated in a gruesome and painful manner.
Jimmy's friends come to terms with their impending deaths as they are stalked by a hit man, Mr. Shhh, who never fails. Pieces accepts his fate, Mr. Shhh providing a quick death. Easy Wind goes into hiding with a gang lord called Baby Sinister, but is given up after Mr. Shhh infiltrates and kills most of Sinister's entourage. Because Franchise has a family to raise, Jimmy pleads with The Man With The Plan to spare his life. The Man With The Plan agrees to do so, then betrays Jimmy, having Franchise killed while attempting to flee with his family. The betrayal makes Jimmy vengeful; in turn, Jimmy is also sentenced to buckwheats.
Mr. Shhh finally locates Critical Bill holed up in his apartment, but is ambushed by Bill and the two end up killing each other. In the wake of Mr. Shhh's death, the contract on Jimmy falls to a trio of Mexican brothers. In his final hours, Jimmy says goodbye to a young woman he had fallen in love with, Dagney.
Knowing that he will most likely be killed, Jimmy murders Bernard for all the misery he indirectly brought upon the group. He also impregnates Lucinda, a prostitute, in order to fulfill her wish of becoming a mother. As he narrates an Afterlife Advice video, Jimmy gives advice to his unborn child. The trio of killers catch up to Jimmy and he takes his death with grace. Jimmy and his friends are then seen together having drinks in the afterlife.

Tags: revenge, comedy, neo noir, violence

Review:
A strange bunch of men who have been long out of any illegal action, some of whom miss it, and others whom do not.And that's just about where it gets real interesting.The story is laden with character revelation from a old wiseguy who just doesn't shut up and scenes from everyday people who offer their wisdom to videotape at Jimmy The Saint's legitimate but failing business, "After Life Advice" for people who are terminally ill and wish to pass on a legacy to their loved ones beyond the grave.Everyone involved with this film should be proud of their accomplishment.
A Brooding Gem. I feel that a hell of a lot of ppl missed the point on this one; it is less a Tarantino-esque hip, Godfather mob drama, than a meditation on life and death, and the frustration of mortality.Centered around Garcia's character Jimmy, the film follows him tying up his loose ends, after his gang botch up an 'action', and are given a 48hr suspended death sentence by bitter crimelord Walken, before the deadly assassin Mr Shh (Buscemi) is called in.
All the support are great - Walken and Buscemi as per usual are suitably fearful, Williams and Lloyd in particular represent lost souls going down defiantly very well, whilst the underused women are perfect - Anwar doing well with unhelpful scenes, and Balk truly outstanding as the prostitute with the zeal and realism that Jimmy so badly needs.
The story is simple:  Andy's character is an ex-mob guy who's gone legit then pulled back in for one last job, things go wrong, and he's got 2 days before he's going to be killed.
Music is by Michael Convertino and cinematography by Elliot Davis.Jimmy the Saint (Garcia) is a ex-gangster who finds one of his debts has been bought up by his ex boss, The Man With the Plan (Walken).
However, in fighting threatens to destabilise the group and when the "job" invariably goes wrong they all have to deal with the vengeful aftermath of The Man With the Plan.You wanna throw those pathetic yuks some scratch, I applaud your sensitivity.One of a number of films that surfed in on the wave created by Pulp Fiction, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead is a nifty and potent picture at times, with sharp dialogue, moments of brutalising and a fire-cracker of a neo-noir finale.
Acting is very good, with Garcia earning his quality pathos stripes, Williams doing psycho with ease, Forsythe a mighty machismo presence, Lloyd resigned and pitiless and Walken turning in another in his long line of bitter scary bastards.Worthy of interest to neo-noir fans for sure, but frustration sits in the narrative to stop it being an essential viewing.
Andy Garcia's A-list performance is superbly supported by a host of brilliantly- cast characters, with Treat Williams, Christopher Lloyd and the malevolentChristopher Walken outstanding.The whole film just sits really well - all the small background details help the plot, flesh out the characters and culture or provide telling counterpoints to the situation.Highly recommended, for those who like their films stylish, well-acted andintelligent..
Other cast members also put in good performances, while if you are a fan of Steve Buscemi this film probably contains his "coolest" work to date."Things to Do..."'s greatest flaw is its slow exposition.
This film is very unique and it features a stellar cast including the great Andy Garcia, the talented Christopher Lloyd and the brilliant Christopher Walken, who;s performance is exceptional even though it is a small part.This film is very memorable featuring great performances especially from Steve Buscemi playing the hitman.
And worst of all, it's not even a 'fun-derivative' movie, a la the John Sayles-type of exploitation films of the late '70's, early '80's.Ex-low life (now nicknamed "Jimmy the Saint") Andy Garcia plans 'one final job' for mobster Christopher Walken.
A whole lot indeed!Some users evoke "Reservoir dogs" as a pattern for this movie.I would rather go as far as to write that influences actually come from long ago.John Huston's universe,and his losers are not far away:"the asphalt jungle"(1950)comes to mind.The "philosophical" pretensions of "things to do" are exactly what Huston tried to say to us during his brilliant career,but with more aplomb and more wisdom too because Huston was a genuine creator:man is bound to fail,he may try his best to brave fate,he's doomed anyway.And Huston did not need any video to make us comprehend.Another strong influence is Robert Wise's film noir ,mainly "odds against tomorrow":there's a black man and a racist in Garcia's pitiful team (remember Belafonte and Ryan),and like Wise,the director tries hard to make the characters ' psychology sound "deep".The good cast ,including Garcia,Walken (he really gives the jitters here),Bucemi and others deserved better than this slow-moving and meandering plot.Even the video tapes idea is borrowed from "My life" ,with M.Keaton and N.Kidman.The mission is inept,the double murder far-fetched and the love affair tedious as hell.Yes ,there are a lotta things to do before watching that..
I liked this movie....i'm not saying it changed movie history or anything but it is very entertaining and has good turns by some top character actors, best of which are Treat Williams & Steve Buscemi.I have to laugh at people (like Thirdi) who keep going on about how movies such as this one are "tarantino rip offs".
The only difference is that Tarantino made his rip-offs before these guys made theirs.All these type of movies are rip-offs of film-noir movies from the 40's & 50's.Reservoir Dogs...mmmm...a bank robbery gone wrong....now thats never been done before.RD & Pulp Fiction are shameless rip-offs of Kubricks "The Killing" and Hustons "Asphalt Jungle.So try not to draw to many comparisons about whether this is as original as Tarantino's stuff.Just like QT's aforementioned two movies Denver when ur dead is not original..............but when did that ever stop a movie still being good?.
Well, "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" may be one of those few films that I did watch and were actually good.The movie is about a former mobster (Andy Garcia) who is urged by his old boss (Christopher Walken, who's in a wheelchair here) to do a simple favor for him, which Jimmy and a small crew of men with weird names (played by Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Bill Nunn, and William Forsythe) that Jimmy has chosen by himself, set out to do in a short time.Unfortunately, the plan fails and without warning, Jimmy and his friends are being hunted down by Mr. Shhh (Steve Buscemi), a quiet,  but a very lethal and effective hitman.
The film has a great cast with some very solid performances by Garcia, Walken, Buscemi, and Treat Williams, who is the standout here and is amusing as "Critical Bill"..
As simple as it was, it was surprising to many; here was dialog unrelated to the plot and central story being used with such confidence.Because of how Tarantino took convention and ordinary crime-drama filmmaking by storm, he obviously spawned many inspirations and "copycats." I only bring this up because, for reasons I have trouble understanding, people have written off Gary Fleder's Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead off as a Pulp Fiction ripoff.
In the meantime, we are introduced to a wide variety of characters played by big-name actors: a quiet hit-man nicknamed "Mr. Shhh" (Steve Buscemi), ex-gangster "Pieces" (Christopher Lloyd), petty-thug "Big Bear Franchise" (William Forsythe), the loquacious "Easy Wind" (Bill Nunn), and the argumentative and angry "Critical Bill" (Treat Williams).The film bears a relatively age-old story, but the film is complicated by strangely vague dialog and an overabundance of characters with unique names.
The dialog itself seems to be describing linear, straight-forward statements and requests and loading them with slang and alienating jargon that takes a great deal of time getting used to.Once one comes to terms with the dialog, at hand, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead becomes your average mob flick, comfortably paced, sometimes fun in a gloomy way, and often brooding and dark, like the dapper characters it focuses on.
If director Gary Fleder and writer Scott Rosenberg (who's eclectic filmography includes the amiable Kangaroo Jackand the wildly misunderstood Pain & Gain) has anything down here, it's the films tone, which knows when to be comedic and when to be haunting at just the right times.Consider the scene when this particular operation goes wrong, and Jimmy and his gang land themselves in hot water.
The fact that the film has somehow mingled its way into being mistaken for a clone of one of the most popular crime dramas of all time is quite a shame because of how much quality is in its product to begin with.Starring: Andy García, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Bill Nunn, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi, Gabrielle Anwar, Jack Warden, and Fairuza Balk.
Unlike most of Tarantino's followers, though, Things to Do in Denver has a distinct voice and style, solid storytelling with a fresh and interesting look at a familiar subject, and above all - a fantastic, colorful cast, with some standout performances from actors you don't usually see in this genre - Christopher Lloyd and Treat Williams stand out, and Andy Garcia and Steve Buscemi deliver some of their finest performances.
Gary Fleder's film 'Things to do in Denver when you're Dead' is a slick, stylised and violent thriller, complete with a very pretty girl (Gabrielle Anwar) and a seriously cool title.
Garcia plays Jimmy the Saint, a retired gangster, who is asked to do one last job for The Man (Christopher Walken).
Jimmy enlists the help of four friends, but the favour goes awry, and the result is that each of the four men involved get contracts on their heads.Despite a lovely cast, and it is a lovely cast by the way; featuring such stars as Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd, Fairuza Balk and a great little turn by Steve Buscemi; Things to in Denver is never able to pull itself out of mediocrity.
There is also some attempt to throw other ideas into the plot, such as a love story and a part of the movie which sees Andy Garcia giving advice to his son from 'beyond the grave', but these things are misplaced in a film that has already set itself up to be dark and unpleasant, and the result is messy.
Of course, plot, characters and script are not important to the writers, no doubt; they just wanted to make a quick buck by ripping off Pulp Fiction.Things to do in Denver When You're Dead, from it's stupid title to it's cool' dialogue is a flat, dull and pointless exercise in style over substance film making.
The whole film is punctuated with short but moving intermission about girls, life, death and love and the whole story is like another illustration of these life lessons.Jimmy's pivotal life moment occurs when he's approached by two thugs who work for The-Man-With-The-Plan, Christopher Walken in my favorite of his villainous roles.
A cool and magnetic ensemble cast supported by other great roles including Fairuza Balk as Lucinda, the crack-whore whose only addiction that's not a drug is her sincere love for Jimmy, Steve Buscemi as the scary professional hit-man Mr "Shh" and last but not least, the late Jack Warden, as the one who tells us the story like an amusing anecdote, creating a feeling of intimacy and sympathy toward this colorful gallery.This is the set-up of the film, a bunch of men asked to accomplish a last financially promising job before retirement, men who tries to turn their back to the past, each one in a personal way.
Not that it leaves you in a depressing mood though : the film actually "glides" with a beautiful view on life, so if you haven't seen it, just enter this world and let yourself transported by its script, so full of wit and beautiful metaphors about life, especially a very poignant one from Christopher Lloyd.Watch this film to finally get the meaning of "Buckwheat" or "Boat Drinks!" and be among the privileged fans who embarked the boat of "Things to Do in Denver", a crime film whose only criminal aspect is to live forever in the shadow of "Pulp Fiction" and to be so severely underrated.
Pretty good cast, Andy Garcia, Chris Lloyd, Steve Buscemi and Chris Walken as the quadrapalegic crime boss, ok.
The script on it's own probably falls into the the lesser half of Tarantino knock-offs, but an excellent cast (Andy García, Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Bill Nunn, Jack Warden, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Fairuza Balk, Gabrielle Anwar, Bill Cobbs, Glenn Plummer, Don Cheadle, and Tiny Lister) greatly elevate the material.
Overall, there are better films to choose from if you're wanting 90s style Tarantino rip-offs, but if you like the cast here (which I do greatly), you'll probably enjoy "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead.".
Thing's to do in denver when you're dead, stars a young Andy Garcia as 'Jimmy The Saint' who is given a job by Christopher Walken's character to bring him his son back to him before he gets wacked for feeling up children.
William Forsythe is aces as Big Bear Franchise, a family man thug, Christopher Lloyd displays warmth and feeling as Pieces, the veteran of the crew, Bill Nunn is great as Easy Wind, and Treat Williams comes out of left field as Critical Bill, a nickname reminiscent of the condition he puts people in, as he's an absolute live wire lunatic, who literally uses corpses at the morgue he works at for punching bags, because his shrink told him he needs an outlet for his rage.
It's a tragic story of older, reformed criminals gone straight at various jobs, from Jimmy the Saint's (Andy Garcia) video business, to 'Pieces' (Christopher Lloyd) porn movie projectionist in an adult movie theater, to Franchise (William Forsythe) managing a mobile home park, to Critical Bill (Treat Williams) as an undertaker's apprentice with not quite a full deck, to Easy Wind (Bill Nunn) whose occupation in the movie I don't recall or was never disclosed.
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead is an excellent and very underrated Gangster Film/Crime Drama that is filled with great direction,an amazing cast,a terrific script and a wonderful soundtrack and is a one of the most Underrated Gangster Movies and Crime Dramas of all time.Set in Denver,Colorado,Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead tells the story of an ex-Gangster named Jimmy 'The Saint' Tosnia(Andy Garcia)who has gone straight and is running a legitimate business and things are going well for Jimmy until his former Boss local crime lord called The Man With The Plan(Christopher Walken)hires Jimmy to do a job for him which makes Jimmy call up his old crew.
Thankfully,since it's 1995 release Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead has earned respect and a Cult Following over the years and is seen as the great Gangster film and Crime Drama that it is.
What I also love about the film is that despite being a Gangster movie and Crime Drama there is a lot of heart and depth with some of the main characters where you feel like Jimmy and some of the other characters wanted to do more with their life.
Christopher Lloyd,(Pieces),,William Forsythe(Franchise),Bill Nunn(Easy Wind)and Treat Williams(Critical Bill)all do great jobs as Jimmy's old crew.
But the inside story of a tough guy trying to hang it up goes beyond the typical gangster life of extreme violence and dark comedy.Garcia delivers as the man tortured by choices - between loyalty and survival, between chasing the dream and making do, between daring and following the company line.Colorful, engaging, and compelling, the movie keeps you riveted, cheering on the good guys while tempting you to watch the bad bloody scenes you know are coming.Like "Mulholland Falls," the ambiguity of right and wrong, good and evil, personal ambition and the greater good, provide a combustible mix.Andy Garcia is on his best, a tough guy trying to do the right thing.
Highly Under-rated Gangster Flick with Style and Wit. This film shines as a darkly comedic underworld drama with an unbelievably appropriate cast of actors from legends like Walken and Garcia on down to favorite supporting actors like Steve Buscemi and Christopher Lloyd.
It's as if violence is the thing that feeds them.The central character is Jimmy 'The Saint', (Andy Garcia), an 'ex-gangster' who has gone legitimate by setting up a business in which people who are dying leave behind videos of their lives for their loves ones.
Starring Andy Garcia, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Bill Nunn, Treat Williams, Jack Warden, Steve Buscemi, Fairuza Balk, Gabrielle Anwar, Christopher Walken, Bill Cobbs, Don Cheadle, Willie Garson, Glenn Plummer, jenny McCarthy, I thought this 95' crime flick was well done by Gary Fleder.
But the only time there is any real zing and panache is when Walken does his thing, and whenever Treat Williams and Steve Buscemi are on-screen.Williams gives a refreshing turn as 'Critical Bill', a man who thinks with his fists (you should see what he does at the mortuary where he works) and delivers such over-the-top lines like "I am Godzilla, you are Japaaan!" with great gusto.
The movie is not very original and we see and hear things we recognize but it is all done in a way that I liked.Jimmy the Saint (Andy Garcia) once was a criminal but now he has his own company and wants to go straight.
How I mean this exactly is for you to see.A movie with an unoriginal but pretty nice screenplay, directed by Gary Fleder in a pretty cool way, with dialogue that makes sure we have a lot of nice quotes, with a good Andy Garcia and even better small parts for Walken (who makes every movie he is in entertaining) and Steve Buscemi.