Simple Men

Bill, who makes a career of his criminal activity, and his student brother Dennis are brought together when they learn of the recent arrest of their father, William McCabe, the anarchist and former baseball star accused of bombing the Pentagon building in 1968. The 'radical shortstop' escapes custody and Bill and Dennis begin a search for him that leads ultimately into the twin realms trouble and desire.

As usual Hartley is unconventional. The travelling involved in the search for William McCabe avoids indulgence in the easy cliché of the iconic car on the open road: Bill and Dennis, unable to afford the bus fare to Long Island, are reduced to hitching from a cosy New York suburb. Dialogue is extremely quirky and an absolute pleasure: Bill's lines seem almost entirely composed of classic Hollywood clichés and platitudes, Hartley effortlessly managing to get the best out of his cast and really highlighting the wit and irony of his wonderful script.

The unusual (banal) locations that are one of the hallmarks of Hal Hartley's oeuvre are here in abundance as are the customary offbeat characters: the neurotic sheriff, beset by romantic problems, the exhausted convent sister whose real problem is finding a secluded spot where she can light up.

Hartley's avoidance of over-used devices and his determination to employ an idiosyncratic style that produces funny, intelligent, engaging cinema is totally refreshing and provides a great deal of hope for the future. Take in Simple Men or Amateur and you may find yourself agreeing that Hal Hartley is quite simply too cool to be hip.

Review by Iain Harral
Taken from EUFS Programme 1995-96