X
- 2014
- R
- Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- 1 h 48 m
- 2014
- R
- Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- 1 h 48 m
Summary Jack (John Cusack), a tough guy with chronic bad luck is hired by Dragna (Robert De Niro), a legendary crime boss to complete a simple but unusual task. Over the course of a long and violently eventful night awaiting Dragna’s arrival, Jack’s path crosses that of Rivka (Rebecca Da Costa), a stunningly beautiful woman whose life becomes ph...
Directed By: David Grovic
Written By: Paul Conway, James Russo, Occultum Luciferus, David Grovic
- 2014
- R
- Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- 1 h 48 m
- 2014
- R
- Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- 1 h 48 m
The Bag Man
28
5.3
Where to Watch
Summary Jack (John Cusack), a tough guy with chronic bad luck is hired by Dragna (Robert De Niro), a legendary crime boss to complete a simple but unusual task. Over the course of a long and violently eventful night awaiting Dragna’s arrival, Jack’s path crosses that of Rivka (Rebecca Da Costa), a stunningly beautiful woman whose life becomes ph...
Directed By: David Grovic
Written By: Paul Conway, James Russo, Occultum Luciferus, David Grovic
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
28
6% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
61% Negative
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
28
6% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
61% Negative
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
The film has a nihilistic tone and its gallows humor may turn off more viewers than it seduces. Not since "Killer Joe" has a film exerted this mix of attraction and repulsion.
The Bag Man is always teetering on the edge of amateurish absurdity, before being tugged back from the edge by its actors.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 38 User Ratings
5.3
47% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
21% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
32% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 38 User Ratings
5.3
47% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
21% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
32% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
OMG what an awesome movie! Loved the Bag Man and John Cusack is always one of my favs. He was really hot as the bag man and its cool to see him playing a tough guy for a change. Robert De Niro was so himself as the crime boss guy and the plot was really intense. I liked the action and the unexpected plot twists. It was cool how dark and moody the movie was although I agree that it was hard to see some of what was going on. But that kinda added to the mood of the film so I think the darkness was appropriate. Really cool movie, I heart John Cusack! LOL!
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A moody, neo noir thriller, set in a dark and stormy motel, The Bag Man was captivating and tense from beginning to end. There were strong performances from the actors, both John Cusack and De Niro were well cast and had a great chemistry, with De Niro as the boss and Cusack as the bag man. Also excellent were the supporting cast with Crispin Glover in an appropriate role as the weird desk clerk at the motel. The plot twists and action make the movie very gripping. There is also a dark, underlying comedic tone that really suits John Cusack. Rebecca De Costa is great as the damsel in distress who knows more than she lets on.
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The trouble is that Grovic's attempts to generate suspense by keeping character identities and motivations unknown leaves the proceedings feeling vague and slapdash.
What it looks like is warmed-over Tarantino mixed with a third-rate tribute to the Coen brothers with a dose of David Lynch-ian madness, two decades late to the party.
The Bag Man plays like a film from the years right after "Pulp Fiction," when the indie market was suddenly flooded with quips, guns, and hollow affectation.
It’s only the Brazilian-born Da Costa who seems to be trying to create a real character.
The Bag Man is, in final analysis, truly disheartening.
It was good, reminded me of a Tarantino movie with Cusack instead of Travolta. Thought he was really believable as Jack. De Niro & Crispin Glover were great as usual, playing uniquely eccentric characters. And while Rebecca Da Costa was smoking hot, she’s also a really good actress and I could see her becoming a star in her own right.
Maybe not an instant classic, but I’d recommend “The Bag Man” to friends.
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The Bag Man is one of these incredibly weird and twisted movies, that you really don't want to sit through, but once you start it, you'll finish it, because you'll want to know what's in that bag?! During a secret meeting, a mob boss gives his hit man a seemingly easy job. Pick up a bag, go to a motel in the middle of nowhere, and wait there until the boss comes to pick it up. The hit man does as he's told and gets a room at this motel, which is not only in the middle of nowhere, but is also filled with a group of ridiculously strange people, who all want this mysterious bag. John Cusack stars and no matter the role or the film, he's always fun to watch. There is just something about him that always makes his films entertaining and it's a good thing, especially in a film like this. While Cusack is along for the ride, it is very hard to follow along and like what you're seeing, because the film is just so bizarre. The cast of characters coming for this secret bag, include a pimp, a Russian midget, a corrupt sheriff, and a very weird guy in a wheelchair just to name a few. As the night wears on it becomes harder and harder to protect this bag, and in the end, when the bag is finally opened, you'll realize, that you just wasted 90 minutes for that!? I admire anything John Cusack does, De Niro is always terrific as a gangster, and if nothing else, The Bag Man is unique, but not for it's story. The hook, the thing that really drags you into this is that mysterious bag, which in the end, isn't as special as are you're lead to believe.
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Really interesting movie, loved the concept of the “mysterious bag” you don’t know what is in for almost the whole movie. Reminded me of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction and the whole movie had kind of a pseudo-Tarantino feel to it with all the oddball characters in the motel and De Niro as an intellectual gangster. John Cusack was pretty good, as usual. Bit of a strange part for him as I’m used to seeing him in comedies but he was pretty convincing as a tough guy. Maybe not a masterpiece, but it was entertaining and I was never bored.
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Production Company
Cinedigm Entertainment Group,
ALLaBorde Films,
Red Granite International,
TinRes Entertainment,
Vitamin A Films
Release Date Feb 28, 2014
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating R
Tagline The cat's in the bag.
