Robert Duvall that I was simply blown away. I recently bought a copy of this movie, and I never tire of watching it. Simply one of the best thrillers of the year. If you've ignored this movie and chances are you have , then I suggest you check it out.

the degree of risking her own life as Magruder extends the full force of his law firm in defense of his under-statused mistress Mallory.Once Dixon is arrested, the law firm subpoenas Mallory's ex-husband, Pete Randle Tom Berenger , to testify, as a very reluctant witness, against Dixon. Dixon is ordered into an asylum, then escapes, fueled with more fury for violence against everyone involved. The thriller doesn't stop there, but my summary does! "The Gingerbread Man" is a Southern Gothic Thriller par excellance. Clyde Hayes rewrote John Grisham's novel into the screenplay that Robert Altman aptly directed. The cast is too experienced & talented to fail either the novel or the screenplay. Branagh, who usually plays in more classical roles, like Shakespearean characters, quite capably takes the leading role & steals the show with it.Due to depictions of violence, terror, deranged psychosis & adult language, this motion picture is not suitable for children or the faint at heart. It will keep a lover of Gothic thrillers on the edge of their seat, time & again. Plus, when you believe it's over, it's not.

anti-"adolescents flick"; "Beyond Therapy", for all its lunacy and for the presence of Genèvieve Page, who for all her effort to look Parisian chic is taken for a travestite... I have even enjoyed his one-act TV movies, like "The Dumb Waiter" and "The Laundromat". When there is not much plot to develop in his films, you have wonderful performances, from Burnett, John Travolta, Kim Basinger or Jane Curtin. I perceive and enjoy the different approach and description he makes of the many different cultures of the United States. It is a pity that his genius is seldom appreciated, and that he is always forgotten when the time comes for giving out American prizes and awards. He is not your typical mainstream purveyor of fantasies. He is more of a maverick. So it is not surprising for me to find so many bad comments posted here about "The Gingerbread Man", his most 'mainstream' effort to date and to my knowledge. I did not know there were so many people who thought like Leonard Maltin, who does not like Altman at all. In this case, one may dislike "The Gingerbread Man", but for me the reason has more to do with Grisham than with the director-screenwriter. Some of Altman's trademarks are here: improvised dialogue, great performances, a funny lawyers' office with typical irreverent receptionist and secretary. While some people find it boring, I found the first act fascinating, thanks also for the great cinematography by Changwei Gu, the man who shot "Red Sorghum", "Ju Dou" and "Farewell My Concubine". He has a way of showing us the same things we see in other American movies, but under a different light. Through his "foreigner's gaze", almost everything seems new and different. In this first act, things were so logical and true! Wait until you get older. You may get in trouble if you fall under the spell of someone younger and beautiful as Embeth Davidtz. I know for myself what I have done fascinated by someone who is younger than I am! Then you have Robert Duvall's repellent, menacing and mysterious character, while that Geraldo storm is threatening Savannah. The second act gets a little phony and even funny, because Altman may have conducted it with a grin. I remember laughing aloud in several instances with his ironic remarks. I think he was applying a bit of Brecht, distancing us, preparing us for the third act, which is plain Hollywood pastiche. Altman does it with expertise. Being a wise man, and an intelligent director, luckily he did not fall into the traps of today's action movies. He was directing a tale of lust, greed and death. I was not disappointed a bit with the movie. If I give it a nine instead of 10, it is because of Grisham. The American reader has turned him into a best-selling author. So why complain? Maybe we should thank Altman for showing us the seams in his stories, the dullness, the flatness and the silliness of them all. However, he does it with so much gusto and humor, that I cannot but disagree with the negative comments. For me, these persons saw another movie... And vice versa.

seen other Grisham based films and come away empty. This one will fill you up.

underrated film, along with Popeye 1980 . We can only hope that time will correct the harsh judgment this small gem got from the public. Who knows, maybe the rising star of Robert Downey Jr. might help to get a little re-appreciation of The Gingerbread Man.

finds her car stolen, Rick gives her a ride home where things turn sexual. Attracted to Mallory, he learns that her crazed father Dixon Doss has been threatening her. Getting too closely involved with this woman he hardly knows, Rick has the police round up her unstable father, and he next subpoenas her ex-husband Pete to testify against Dixon, who is institutionalized. The crazed Dixon manages to escape from the asylum, intent on revenge against all his betrayers and enemies. As a potent hurricane blows into Savannah, Mallory's car is torched, and Rick receives threats. Believing his children are in danger, Rick removes them from school, prompting a warrant for his arrest. When his children disappear, Rich goes on the counterattack against Dixon.The movie is a decent story but Robert Altman and his great cast make the most of the material and deliver a solid movie.They took what could have been a generic and ordinary movie by investing artistry and effort, he made it into something more despite of it being uneven and predictable.As for the performances,Kenneth Branagh that holds this film together and does it well.