October 13, 1996 -- It's too bad this film doesn't live up to its title. It has one of the greatest titles ever for a film, "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead."

I just had to see this film because of the title. It was never shown on the big screen in Laramie, so I had to wait for the video, and wait and wait. Every time I went to Hastings to rent it, it was never in stock.

I finally found one at Foster's and I saw it the other night, but it's just not the same when you see a film for the first time on video. You're looking at it on this little 19" screen and half the frame has been chopped off so it will fit the narrow TV format. It's not like seeing it in a darkened theater where your attention is drawn to the big screen. You tend to pay less attention as well.

Anyway, it is a lot like a Tarantino film. Reportedly, however, it was written before "Reservoir Dogs" came out. Like the Tarantino films, the dialogue is interesting and the main characters are all small-time hoods caught in a caper gone bad.

This particular story has to do with a hood trying to go straight, Jimmy the Saint (Andy Garcia). His business, video taping dying people's advice to the living, is going under. A mobster calls in the loan and puts the squeeze on Jimmy.

The mobster, deliciously played by Christopher Walken, wants Jimmy to put pressure on a guy to stop seeing a certain girl so that she will resume her relationship with Walken's crazy son. No, I'm not making this up, but somebody did.

Jimmy gets a bunch of his old gang together, including "Critical" Bill Dooley (Treat Williams) "Pieces" (Christopher Lloyd), "Easy Wind" (Bill Nunn). Jimmy cooks up a crazy scheme to rattle the guy, but this bunch of losers can't pull it off. Instead, they end up killing both the guy and the girl.

The mobster puts out a contract on the whole gang, but gives Jimmy 48 hours to leave town. The town, of course, is Denver, hence the great title. What happens next is even more wildly improbable than what I have described above. Suffice it to say there is plenty of violence and swearing.

The movie creates some very memorable characters and the actors do a fine job. While the story is improbable, it is both interesting and depressing. I can't understand why Carmike Cinemas didn't play this in Laramie. With the college crowd here, they would have cleaned up. This film rates a B. O.K., so I'm being generous, but I was really tired when I saw this, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1996 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.