In the Company of Men

Two corporate drones, Chad and Howard by name, fly to an unspecified city to do unspecified work for the unspecified company for which they toil. Both of them have recently been dumped by their respective girlfriends, and both are feeling ill-used by women in general. Chad (Aaron Eckhart), the bolder and more charismatic of the two, proposes a plan: while they're in town, they'll find a needy, damaged, exquisitely sensitive woman; separately woo her; shower her with affection and attention; bolster her sagging ego; and then, once their six-week tour of duty is complete, unceremoniously dump her. Such is the premise of one of the most stunning debuts in recent years: a corrosive, masterful frontal assault on male gamesmanship both sexual and (much more often) otherwise, featuring a performance by Eckhart that sets a new standard for casual emotional tyranny. Hard to believe that this was writer/director Neil LaBute's first film; both his pungent Mametian dialogue and his claustrophobic visual scheme are superbly controlled. Not for the faint of heart, but very highly recommended. (M. D'Angelo)