Glengarry Glen Ross: Special Edition

A peerless ensemble cast gives iconic performances in this 1992 film based on David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play. Mamet himself did the adaptation and his greatest inspiration was to add a new scene in which Alec Baldwin, in perhaps his greatest seven minutes onscreen, lays down the law as a representative from "downtown," setting the stage for this drama of dashed hopes and desperation amongst a group of real estate salesmen. A new sales contest is underway. First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Second prize is a set of steak knives. "Third prize is you're fired." Jack Lemmon stars as Shelley "The Machine" Levene, who is on a losing streak. Al Pacino is Ricky Roma, the current office hotshot trying to close on pathetic patsy Jonathan Pryce. Kevin Spacey is the put-upon office manager and "company man" whipping boy. Alan Arkin and Ed Harris are superb as two veteran salesmen who consider stealing a new batch of golden sales leads. Including both widescreen and full-frame versions, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, this two-disc "Special Edition" contains fascinating and fun extras, including "A.B.C. (Always Be Closing)," a documentary contrasting real-life salesmen and their depiction on stage and screen; a 30-minute tribute to Jack Lemmon; brief scene-specific commentaries; and a hilarious clip from Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio," in which an acting student engages Spacey in an impromptu reading of his classic "Will you go to lunch?" scene. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)