Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

I've seen this  Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Mamet (about real estate salesmen) twice in the theatre, including its initial run at the National Theatre when it blew me away.   This adaptation (by Mamet himself) has an ensemble cast so strong that fine actors such as Ed Harris and Alan Arkin only get to play minor roles. The cast also includes Alec Baldwin who gets just the one scene, especially written by Mamet for the film, as a guy from head office trying to kick some life into the team by threatening them with the sack.  There’s also Kevin Spacey, well-cast as the office manager who is despised by all the salesmen, and  Jonathan Pryce who is terrific as a hapless customer trying to back out of his “investment”. The biggest name in the cast is Al Pacino as the smooth salesman determined to stop Jonathan Pryce from succeeding.    It’s an understated and effective performance by Pacino, and his best scene is one where he and Jack Lemmon im...