The Assistant

In this adaptation of a Bernard Malamud novel, Frank Alpine (Gil Bellows), an out of work drifter, falls in with a violent vagrant, and together they rob the store of two kind elderly Jewish shopkeeers, played beautifully by veteran stage performers Kate Greenhouse and Armin Mueller Stahl. Overcome by guilt for his crime, Frank returns to the store, befriends the owners, gets a job, increases productivity and falls in love with the couple's conveniently beautiful and single daughter. Of course, a come-uppance awaits the innocent Jewish family when they learn the truth about Frank's sordid past. A solid film about the meaning of forgiveness and redemption, which occasionally veers wildly into gratuitously profane and violent scenes, this has the feel of a filmed stage play, but is still recommended, overall, for its solid story. (R. Ray)