Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- surreal
- sardonic
- late night viewing
- dark comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an unusual, darkly comic character drama with strong performances and an emotionally affecting core.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bob holds conversations with his aquarium fish, who encourage his planned violence and suicide.
Bob’s fantasies of workplace murder and suicide are presented alongside absurd exchanges with his fish and comic office interactions.
Bob’s attachment to severely wounded colleague Venessa motivates him to help her through despair and reconsider his own life.
Bob works in a Los Angeles office where his supervisor bullies him and colleagues contribute to his isolation.
Films like He Was a Quiet Man, and why
American Beauty
shares bleak workplace satire, alienated protagonists, and darkly comic psychological discomfort
Falling Down
shares an isolated, socially maladjusted protagonist whose violent fantasies collide with a search for human connection
The Lobster
shares surreal dark comedy, emotional alienation, and an unlikely relationship offering a path toward renewal
Punch-Drunk Love
shares offbeat romance, outsider characters, and a bittersweet movement from despair toward intimacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank A. Cappello
- Release Date
- 2007-11-23
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (384)
Cast
- Christian Slater
- Elisha Cuthbert
- William H. Macy
- Sascha Knopf
- John Gulager
- Jamison Jones
- Michael DeLuise
- K.C. Ramsey
- Anzu Lawson
- David Wells
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is He Was a Quiet Man about?
- A suicidal office loner becomes an accidental hero and discovers a fragile route back to empathy, love, and joy.
- What is He Was a Quiet Man like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of He Was a Quiet Man as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is He Was a Quiet Man violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in He Was a Quiet Man as moderate.
- What did critics think of He Was a Quiet Man?
- Critics broadly found the film an unusual, darkly comic character drama with strong performances and an emotionally affecting core.
- Which films are like He Was a Quiet Man?
- Films with a similar feel include American Beauty, Falling Down, The Lobster, and Punch-Drunk Love.
- How long is He Was a Quiet Man?
- He Was a Quiet Man runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch He Was a Quiet Man?
- In United States, He Was a Quiet Man streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
