User Reviews

1st watched 4/1/2001 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Saul Rubinek): Witty, black comedy with terrific performances by Mantegna and Sam Rockwell. This is the kind of movie that is somewhat of a guilty pleasure because there are times when you're laughing as someone is getting killed or at least in the process of being killed. This is definetly the intent of filmmaker Saul Rubinek where there is a mix of normal guy(who happens to be a hitman)and hitmen(who just happen to own a used car lot). The movie starts out in the present as it appears Jerry and Tom are waiting to "do" another person, and then takes you back ten years to show you how Jerry got involved in the business that Tom already has been doing for many years. There isn't much morality here and really no lessons are taught but that's ok it's just a movie, and a pretty good one at that.

One has to have a morbid sense of humor to enjoy this wry black comedy about two used car salesmen who moonlight as contract killers. The comedy is very tongue in cheek as these two miscreants matter-of-factly whack a dozen or so marked men while bickering over trivialities.

The gag is funny at first, but wears thin as we are treated to minor variations on the same theme for an hour and a half. Other than some innovative scene transitions, the direction by veteran TV director Saul Rubinek was nothing special, except I suppose he made good use of a very limited budget. The story was taken from a play by Rick Cleveland, (`The West Wing' TV series) and Rubinek maintained the theatrical feel using simple sets and concentrating mainly on the actors.

Joe Mantegna is an excellent tough-guy character actor and conjures another terrific mobster. He is a tough but practical murderer who takes the task as strictly business and longs to get out of the game. Sam Rockwell is also good as his dim-witted cohort, who begins to like his work a bit too much. Charles Durning gives a droll performance as an over-the-hill hit man who wants to write a book about his targets. There are also cameos by William Macy, Ted Danson and Peter Riegert.

This is a better than average B movie with some acting performances that are worth seeing. I rated it a 6/10. It is funny in a perverse way, and Mantegna's performance is a treat.

This is part of my Scarecrow Video Guide inspired movie-trek, following "Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis".

"Jerry & Tom" is a fun little black comedy, but it reminded me a little too much of another fun little black comedy..."Coldblooded", starring Jason Priestly & Peter Riegert. (Oddly, Riegert shows up here in a similar role. And, as of now, both films have a 6.7 on IMDb.). I'm not sure which one is lesser known, but they both have something to offer.

"Jerry & Tom" is the "better" film, if only by virtue of the performances. Joe Mantegna is always good, and Sam Rockwell can't lose, IMHO. But nothing much happens here. "Coldblooded" was more fun, as I recall. (It's been at least 7 years since I saw it.) I could tell 10 minutes in that "Jerry & Tom" was based on a play. It's basically a series of conversations, some brilliantly funny, centered around a group of hit men. It would be a great play, but as a film it's a little lacking. There's an amazing series of creative transitions to show time passages (the story takes place over 10 years), and some hilarious flashbacks. But the scenes in between are incredibly slow.

Still, it's hard to fault a film with great actors reading great lines. Aside from Mantegna and Rockwell, Charles Durning is predictably excellent, and William H. Macy shines in a brief role.

Perhaps these two films would make a good double feature. Watch "Jerry & Tom" first and savor it, then have a few drinks and enjoy "Coldblooded".

Next on the trek- "Forbidden Zone"!

I saw this on a premium channel and thought my wife and in-laws might actually enjoy it. But even though it's become a family joke, i liked it. The one charac- ter that has a development "arc" is played by the talented Sam Rockwell. No one seems to know how to cast this actor, so we may never see him in a major role in a movie with an actual budget, but he and the others (i particularly liked Ted Danson's contribution; funny stuff) do a great job with a low-key directing style by first time feature director Saul Rubinek. Think Brian DePalma in reverse. If you're here, you know what the movie's about, so i'll just say that, though not a Hall of Fame candidate, this is an enjoyable dark comedy with some excellent visual touches in transitions from scene to scene.

A tedious, dialogue-intensive story about the vicissitudes of a mentor/protege hitman team, "Jerry & Tom" is a study in understatement with a pointless plot and an ending which may make you want to "whack" yourself for having watched the whole thing.

There are moments of drama and irony in this film, but mostly it's a very well-written and well-acted comedy that is at times hilarious for the ease with which it captures icons and styles from other films while at the same time twisting and mocking them. There is some very cool, matter of fact dialog that brings home the idea of all jobs and actions creating their own reality around them and becoming mundane, no matter how unusual or dangerous the work. While making the viewer laugh, it also brings home the pain and horror the hit men create, especially when they don't behave professionally or fail to follow their own code of distorted ethics.

I enjoyed "Jerry and Tom" quite a bit. The acting and character development is great. Joe Mantegna, Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Charles Durning, Peter Riegert, and others, contribute their talents. The car lot fronting for a murder for hire business is intriguing but the attempts at black comedy mostly misfire, probably due to the very grim motivation of the contract killers. If on the other hand they had been partners saving their blood money to constantly keep expanding the automobile business, that would have lifted this black comedy to greatness, simply by making the plot more outrageous. Financing a restaurant, just by killing people, worked wonders for "Eating Raoul" and that is what is missing here. - MERK

Oops. Another victim of the indoor winter warmth. (I fell asleep again.) Jerry and Tom seemed like a pleasant enough story but with a final catch which didn't really unfetter my disinterest. Sorry. Another video review*. I must get out more.

Ron

* Jerry and Tom went STRAIGHT to video in the UK. I add my weight to those who think this is inexplicable

This is the movie that brings you into the world of the ordinary hit man, well not the machine gun tottling Mafioso gunmen we're so used to watching in the big gangster movies. But the ordinary hit man who does his job as a necessary means to a living. The job is fine but there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The art of doing well is to kill with nonchalance. It is a hazardous occupation -- you go on as long as you can but don't know if you'll be a target yourself one day. There are no fancy trenchcoats or big cigars. The hit men work as used car salesmen, wipe windows in the lot when free and pay for their own movie tickets. They supply their income by knocking off their assigned victims. A respectable year for Tom means usually getting about two to three contracts done. Need to dismember the body after a murder? They go for a cheap K-mart chainsaw instead of the more renowned Black and Decker brand, and get frustrated when they find that it doesn't work at first try. Young Jerry (Sam Rockwell) learns the ropes from Tom (Joe Mantegna) and witnesses his first murder in the front seat of a car. Jerry's induction is every bit as abhorrent as one would normally react to seeing a man killed. But he learns to like what he does and becomes as cold and merciless as his mentor is. In fact Jerry gets to be as ruthless as Tom, to the point that he even takes sadistic pleasure when whacking off his victims. Tom's professional detachment is his strength and hallmark. But this trait unfortunately is never learnt by his protégé and the latter's intractability proves to be his undoing. Apart from a very entertaining script, what makes the movie an excellent watch is the top-notch performances from the cast, especially Joe Mantegna, Sam Rockwell, Maury Chaykin and Charles Durning. And of course the wonderful cameos by William Macy and Ted Danson. The brutality of the killings is shocking but any darkness in the movie is balanced by the humorous edge throughout. This is about ordinary hit men getting their contracts done. There are no recriminations and regrets. The movie starts and ends on a sardonic note, the very tone that first-time director Saul Rubinek wanted to create. I'm sure if this was a bigger name director with a bigger budget JERRY AND TOM would have been a screamer at the box office. This was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed and it comes highly recommended. Ten out of 10 from me.

Great cast, even good performances, could not save this film. It's like the director tried to emulate Mamet and Tarantino at the same time, and failed at both. The dialogue was good, but the pace dragged and the timing was awkward. To emulate Mamet, it needed denser dialogue. Danson and Macy were at their best, and Durning's performance was great, but all were wasted. The technique used to transition from one scene/time to the next was clever the first few times, but became tiresome. The Rockwell character lost credibility after a few years of his boss still saying he was a good kid. He was a loser from the start, and anyone could see that he could never be a professional at anything, even that profession. I love the genre, and I genuinely tried to like this film, but I felt like I wasted my time.

Don't look for a deep meaning for life in this film. Look for a very entertaining two hours of superb characters, situations, and some of the most crafty filming techniques I've seen in years. The transitions from one scene to the next were very clever. This one was worth rewinding and watching the characters more closely to fully appreciate them and many of the scene transitions. This is a quality film. The story is not overly complex but keeps you guessing as to what will be next.

Tired of the Hollywood formula movies? Tired of shallow characters? Rent this one, you will not be disappointed.

Jerry and Tom are two hit men who engage in clever banter before brutally killing people. This movie has been described as a black comedy. I found it brutal and distasteful. It treated cold blooded murder lightheartedly. The audience is subjected to short, repetitive vignettes featuring the violent ways used to kill the victims. We are also lured in to care for the victim and their plight before the killers kill them. The killers show no remorse for their actions. Are we in turn taught to have no remorse for brutality? Are we to be charmed by the killers and ignore the unfeeling, inhuman treatment of the victims? What did the victims do to deserve their fate? We are never told. Is it no surprise that young people can kill and exhibit no remorse for their actions. To them isn't a High School just another vignette. Joe Mantegna plays his usual Mafia-type hood and Sam Rockwell plays a slovenly, moronic thug who becomes increasingly mean through the movie. This could have been a much better movie if the killings and the various inhumane methods used were kept off screen. We know they were hit men and we know, from their frequent inclusion in Hollywood films, what they do, so why dwell on the act instead of on the story. Maybe the story was the brutality. This movie's celebration of killing and matter-of-fact brutality combined with its light tone desensitizes its audience. We are victims of this movie.

This was so far out in left field that the turf touched the sky; so flaky that Post cereals could produce enough Wheaties to feed the Arizona Diamondbacks indefinitely. The film was ultra violent and bizarre with oddly interesting dialogue and an even stranger storyline. I loved the way the camera would slink from the old into the new scene without any definable break in the order of events. It took me a few minutes to realize I was not into a standard movie and a while longer to understand I was being entertained by a very offbeat experience. J&T was black comedy at it's most midnight shade: funny, spooky, creepy, but above all a real gas. 4 stars.

Tom (Mantega) and Jerry (Chaykin) are experienced hit men waiting in a bar for a phone call to do their next job who currently is tied up before them. We then jump back 10 years to find a much younger Jerry and Tom, and we trace their development throughout the years.

And that's the plot. There isn't a huge amount of plot here but plenty of story if you appreciate the difference. The story follows Jerry from a car salesman who gets accidentally involved in his first hit, through the years as he develops more and more of a taste for the killing, while Tom is heading the other way as the more mature hit man who is losing his taste for the whole thing. However the thin plot is greatly enriched by making the characters the story.

Of the two leads Jerry is the most interesting to watch as he changes the most notably over the film, but Mantegna's Tom is as good as a more stable foil for Jerry. The strength is in the wealth of wonderful characters that surround them. The various victims all have their amusing quirks and are well played by good actors (William H Macy, Ted Danson, Peter Riegert), while other supporting roles such as Vic and Billy (Durning and Chaykin) are great.

The whole story is bristling with comedy and style. The stories the characters tell and the things they say are brilliant, including flashback stories of Elvis, JFK and others are really funny, while other conversations (such as who play them in a movie - "Don Knotts!") are inspired in their hilarity but also their normality.

The director Saul Rubinek is very clever in his direction. We skip through time to other stories using editing that gently glides one scene into another - it's really effective and always clever. In fact he brings clever touches to all the film. Even the closing credit sequences have a wonderful old-fashioned feel to them as each character appears onscreen to wave to the audience - it's also a bit surreal given what we've just watched. I also admire the way that very little violence is show on screen - because that's not what this is about. The killing is often hinted at rather than shown and this allows us to focus on the stories and the comedy rather than the moral difficulty behind what you're seeing.

The film is funny throughout but it does have it's thoughtful moments and the conclusion is actually quite moving. The only faults with this is that the hit man genre is not exactly new ground and this type of story has been done before. Also some may find the lack of plot to be frustrating or boring and find themselves unable to enjoy the stories within.

Overall though, this is a light little gem that draws it's comedy from the stories and the characters within the film. This is filled with clever and funny touches from the opening bar scene right down to the old-fashioned credit scene and Danson's accreditation as "man who loved Vicki".

Is this a mob flick? A comedy? A drama? A satire? Who knows?What is Hollywood's fascination with the worst of society? This is the sort of film that makes violence and bloodshed seem normal and prompts teen-agers to open fire on their classmates. And if its cavalier attitude toward death isn't enough, the film has an endless stream of gratuitous profanity. If we have to have blue language in our movies, couldn't we at least have imaginative swearing rather than the constant knee-jerk insertion of the F-word in every sentence?

I saw Jerry and Tom at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. As said by a previous commentator, I can't believe this film never found wide release. It is a fun, clever, and beautifully made film. This was Rubinek's directorial debut but you'd never know by watching. Rubinek brought out wonderful acting efforts by all. One of the most entertaining elements of the film was his use of seamless transitions from story to story in the film. After the showing at Sundance, Rubinek did a Q&A session where he noted that these were sometimes technically very difficult to accomplish.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. If you see it in video, rent and enjoy.

You know who you are.

This has the approximate flavor of WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD (2002). Only less.

William H. Macy can do his thing even if he's on screen for less than five minutes. Not his STATE AND MAIN THING (2000) thing. No, his other thing, where you just know he was born with one chromosome too few. He's the best in the business at this.

Ten Danson is a surprise addition to the cast. I think I've never, EVER, seen him so fine. Thespian fine, not foxy fine. In the grand style of Jeremy Davies (THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL-2000; SECRETARY-2002) or Todd Field (BROKEN VESSELS-1998). Like he finally woke up and decided to do one great thing before it was all over.

Maury Chaykin did his usual disappearing act. In fact, except for UNSTRUNG HEROES (1995), when has he not?

Sam Rockwell. I could give away a lot to those in the know by saying that this should have been his movie. (They used to write Broadway musicals just for one person -- KISMET for example.) I don't know how he blew it. Maybe being in the company of Charles Durning and Joe Mantegna had something to do with it. Rockwell stumbled -- slightly. It's STILL "a Sam Rockwell flick".

There wasn't enough of Sarah Polley or Peter Riegert. However, it was comforting to know that they were in PLAN B if the plot or director needed to call upon them. You see what I'm saying -- great casting.

I'd be curious to know if this was filmed in "digital". (I'm not up on technical.) Some scenes on my screen seemed over-perfect.

That leaves director Saul Rubinek. By me? I love this sub-genre, so I'm giving him a "5" for general audiences and a "7" for fanciers of this breed. (Actually that's an oxymoron because this breed of losers-at-work comedy CAN'T breed.)

Jimmy Breslin started it all, I think, with THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT (1971). And, as another reviewer correctly points out, a failing of this film is that it isn't clear enough about it's own identity. Is this another Breslin offspring or not? I'm side-stepping that because there is so much to enjoy either way.

I've always been a fan of Rubinek's character work. Even when he had to take the heavy fall as ADA Jed Kramer in the film abomination BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES (1990), that sell-out of Tom Wolfe's Great American Novel of Manhattan Americana.

I'd like to see Rubinek get some coaching before his next outing: he has some great ideas, but as a late-comer -- and already 55 years old -- he's understandably anxious to show off all his tricks at once. His made-for-TV BLEACHER BUMS (2002) is much better because it aspires to so little (a/k/a CHEAP SEATS (2002) in some markets).

Prowlers of used book stores, please catch BLEACHER BUMS: you will know what to look for despite its feeble showing (only 57 votes as of 5/21/2003). And no coincidence: it also casts Riegert, Durning, and Chaykin. Lo and Behold.

There are at least two other films I've seen recently portraying mentor and novice hit man. And that doesn't count TRAINING DAY (2001) which is mainstream and mega-star. I think this one will stick with me the longest because Mantegna and Rockwell make such an odd combination. And "odd" ..... That's the point, isn't it?

Are you fan of dark comedies? Do you enjoy films about Hit men? If you answered yes to these questions you will most likely enjoy this film. This movie shows the rise & fall between these two cold blooded characters. It's really fascinating to see how they both change with each kill. There is a great mix of violence & humor in "Jerry and Tom". Written by Rick Cleveland based on his play (Runaway Jury & Six Feet Under) & directed by long time actor Saul Rubinek (Frasier, The Contender, Death Wish V, True Romance, & Unforgiven) in his debut. It really stands out from all those other flicks about contract killers. You need to check out this unknown gem....

Now on to the cast/characters.... First we got Jerry played by Sam Rockwell (Choke, Matchstick Men, Welcome to Collinwood, Heist, The Green Mile, Safe Men, Lawn Dogs, Box of Moon Light, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, & Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) he's a newcomer to the contract killer business who ends up loving his job a little too much plus he's not that smart. Then we got Tom played by Joe Mantegna (House of Games, The Godfather: Part III, Homicide, Bugsy, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Airheads, Albino Alligator, Thinner, The Last Don 1/2, Joan of Arcadia, Criminal Minds, & The Simpsons -Fat Tony-) he's the veteran of the duo who teaches Jerry everything he knows about contract killing.

Then there's the supporting cast of Maury Chaykin (Death Hunt, The Hunt for the BTK Killer, Nero Wolfe Mystery, Sugartime, Devil in a Blue Dress, & Twins) as Billy, he's the boss who sets everything up plus he owns the car dealership they work at when their not killing people. Then there's his long time partner Vic played by Charles Durning (The Sting, Breakheart Pass, Sisters, Dog Day Afternoon, The Fury, When a Stranger Calls, The Hudsucker Proxy, Evening Shade, State and Main, & Rescue Me) who's a former contract killer himself who actually taught Tom everything he knows. He may or may not have killed JFK, Elvis, and a bunch of other celebs plus he wants to write a book about it. Plus we get some great cameos from their victims such as Ted Danson, William H. Macy, Peter Riegert, & Sarah Polley.

Though forgettable in the long run, while it lasts "Jerry and Tom" is very enjoyable. Never has a movie about two ruthless hitmen had less on screen violence. Neither has brutal killing has ever been executed with such taste. While the humor is decidedly black, it's not morbid. There are many funny moments, but the overall effect is somewhat slight.

What makes it work is the Joe Mantegna/Sam Rockwell duo. They are both fine team players, especially when paired up with an unlikely other half. Rockwell has in the past partnered a variety of characters from uptight John Turturro in "Box of Moonlight" to precocious child Micha Barton in "Lawn Dogs" and always with much subtle off beat humor.

Mantegna is basically a one role actor. It's a turn he does extremely well, but we have seen it all before. Still, watching these two in "Jerry and Tom" is great fun and there's good support from Charles Durning, Ted Danson and Maury Chaykin.

There is a nice sense of whackiness about it all, not only in the dialog and characterization but also in the strange and unique manner in which some of the scenes smoothly segue into each other with unexpected camera moves.

I have trouble sitting through some movies. Many of the movies I see are the same as other movies....They keep doing the same thing over and over and change the peoples names and a few details and call it new.... This movie Jerry and Tom was a breath of fresh air, something different. It was well done and well cast and it was fresh with a different way of changing scenes, more like a carousel effect with sets blending into the next... BRAVO!!... I couldn't have a cast a better crew of characters, each one brought just what the needed to their role.

The movie develops as a new hit man starts his training under the watchful eye of his teacher. We watch him grow through the years, from a young long haired hippie to a well groomed hit man.

The humor throughout the movie by itself makes this movie worth watching, very subtle at times, and outrageously funny at other times.

Jerry and Tom is similar to Pulp Fiction, with many of the same silly dialogues about trivial things, followed by intense action as a mob movie. But some people might get tired of the nattering in these scenes, it didn't have the same power as Pulp, and nowhere near the power of The Money Kings, another recent mob movie with Peter Faulk. It's worth a rental as long as you don't get your hopes up too high.>

jerry and tom is a film for those who enjoy films, not movies. it's creative in it's execution, has a great consistent cast and it's a directorial debut for saul rubinek to boot.

the film takes the viewer on a ten year trip through various events of a seasoned hit man and his apprentice. save the initial time card "ten years earlier" this film does not give you a temporal setting. instead it leaves the audience to participate in the film and do a little time-based investigative work (it's refreshing to see the director give a little bit of credit to the audience to use the brain they've been given).

there are lots of long takes and inventive transition shots (one single take, for example, will go from a sunny and hot florida dog race to a snow covered chicago used car dealership without flinching...you have to see it to fully understand it) that may be missed on the average viewer. but if you have an eye for something fresh, Jerry and Tom should not be over looked.

Some viewers apparently have issues with the "blue language" contained within but the fact is that some people swear and some people swear alot! this isn't the first film to use the infamous "f word" and this is by far not the worst case of such words in a film.

As well, violence and bloodshed has become normal in society, it's unfortunate and true, don't blame this film for prompting "teen-agers to open fire on their classmates." (unless you can name a specific instance during a school shooting where the killer cried out "this is for jerry and tom!!") if anything Jerry and Tom is an apt commentary on how absurd society has come in its response to violence.

watch jerry and tom and decide for yourself, don't just go by what some imdb user has said...that goes for my comments as well

Good to see a mob movie that didn't end with people pointing guns at each other ala City on Fire. Lots of Mameting about which always warms my soul. Looking forward to next flick from this team.

I saw this movie at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 1998. I can't figure out why it hasn't opened in the US yet, it's a great movie. A black comedy a bit like Pulp Fiction but not as gory. It seemed more stylized than Pulp Fiction and funnier. It's about two partners in the hitman business. Joe Mantegna as Tom teaching Sam Rockwell as Jerry how to kill people for money.

All the acting is great, but especially Rockwell's. The movie spans 10 years, during which the character of Jerry goes from goofball teenager to a man who kills for a living and wants to be remembered by other hitmen as a legendary assasin. Rockwell's performance is flawless--from funny to chilling and back again. The movie itself is a gem. It was originally a play for three actors. One played all the murder victims while the other two played Jerry and Tom. In the film the victims are played by fine actors William H. Macy, Ted Danson and Charles Durning.

Mantegna is perfect as Tom. You see him slowly realize the evil of his profession as his "student" becomes an accomplished murderer.