The Merry Gentleman

Michael Keaton makes his directorial debut with The Merry Gentleman, a two-pronged character study shot in shades of noir. Kelly Macdonald stars as Kate Frazier, who decides to leave her abusive husband, Michael (Bobby Cannavale), and catches a plane to Illinois to start a new life. Once there, she will come into contact with Frank Logan (Keaton), a lonely, suicidal Chicago hit man, who spies Kate, now working as a receptionist, through his viewfinder during a contract murder. Kate notices Frank on the roof, screams, and calls the police because she thinks he's going to jump. Frank disappears, but after a second murder, an alcoholic detective named Murcheson (Tom Bastounes) questions Kate about the man she saw. Now Frank's got two bodies attached to his name and a connection to Kate, who tells different people various stories about her background. From the opening sequence, The Merry Gentleman seems to share similarities with John Dahl's You Kill Me, except this isn't a black comedy and the central couple don't actually meet until the halfway point. The Merry Gentleman starts out as a dual portrait, but Macdonald gets the best scenes, while Keaton barely speaks a word. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette (15 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a winning film.] (K. Fennessy)