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The Deal (2005)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 12/08

Deal
12/08: As evidenced by Alone in the Dark, Christian Slater makes 2005 the nadir of his career by agreeing to star in The Deal.

What the heck happened to him? I'm surprised it has a couple more of well-known stars: Robert Loggia and John Heard. Both of them will do a great job anyway.

After watching the movie for a while, I won't say it's terrible given the dialogue and the seriousness of the material. But the poor direction and ludicrous subplots have annihilated the film before it's over, leaving me stupefied. Essentially, The Deal is The Firm meets The Formula but worse.

I've had a hard time believing in the characters based on their looks. They seem inexperienced graduates fresh out of law school. The need for Selma Blair to be slutty as much as possible undermines the credibility of her character, and the sexual relationships among the co-workers make it worse. That's why A Few Good Men ultimately worked by showing respect for professionalism.

When Christian Slater's character is all stressed out because of what's happening around him, it doesn't look believable. By the time the suspense starts to kick in, he disappears, and Selma Blair steps in. What is that? I can't believe how easy it is for her to acquire information. Angie Harmon's beauty makes The Deal look like Miss America's Hollywood Thriller, and she's a Russian spy? Oh, please, give me a break.

Nice going, Mr. Editor, for the poor quick cuts during the first three minutes as if I must be in a hurry. Every possible element that's conceived must be thrown into the mix, but none makes a lasting impression. Hence, the director should have cut out three-fourths of them while focusing more on the acting, the script, and a couple of subplots.

At times, the storyline is followable, but mostly, it's been confusing. I can't believe that, prior to the important meeting, Christian Slater's character didn't know where the folder file was when he was talking about a deal that's worth $20 billion. Has he ever heard of a safe?

All in all, just say no to The Deal.