{"id":59581,"date":"2010-08-04T22:06:10","date_gmt":"2010-08-04T22:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2010\/08\/04\/middle-men-film-review\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T11:07:02","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T11:07:02","slug":"middle-men-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/middle-men-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle Men Film Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nLayered with a hodgepodge of images of naked women, drugs, and music, what else could one expect when viewing a film about the porn business?<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Middle Men,’ which stars Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Kelsey Grammer, James Caan, and Terry Crews, may not have the action and slapstick comedy that one expects to see this late in the summer, but the film is filled with zest and actually worth exploring.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Directed by George Gallo and inspired by the true story of how the porn business developed and boomed on the internet, the film is a cross between ‘Boogie Nights’ and ‘Wonderland.’ Yet, it brings enough intensity and intrigue to lure porn aficionados from their homes to the theaters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Jack Harris (played by Luke Wilson) narrating on the how the American dream he wanted went array once he lost touch with reality, the film starts off telling the story of two individuals, Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi), a former veterinarian, and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), an ex-NASA technician. These guys were once at the top of their craft, but their constant drug use got them ousted from jobs and they moved to the west coast looking for a fresh outlook on life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In 2004, and with Buck’s useful knowledge of the world wide web, these amateurs start to post porn pictures on the internet to make some money with a charge of $9.99. In just a short amount of time and with tons of money flowing in, they were getting lots of orders that made them seek outside help to broaden their horizons.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is where the Russian mob comes in the picture. In dealing with Nikita Sokoloff (played by Rade Serbedzija), who owned a strip bar with a host of girls that willingly did videos for them, the guys got in so deep in the business and drugs, they nearly lost their lives when things got ugly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enter Jack Harris, a Texas businessman recommended by Las Vegas lawyer\/ broker Jerry Haggerty (played by James Caan) to help Beering and Dolby out of the financial and illegal mess they created. He, along with some co-horts (which includes Terry Crews), become the ‘middle men.’<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As years go by and Jack’s manipulating skills getting the best of him, with his family, partners, and lovers turning against him, his vision of a perfect legitimate porn world start to unravel as the mob gets back in the fray and Beering and Dolby never understanding the joys of success.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the film is smart and intriguing, it’s also filled with clich\u00e9s and predicable at times. Seems like every film about the porn world involves violence, and of course, the mob. A blind man can probably describe the next scene. Despite that and the constant voiceover, Wilson’s solid acting holds the film together. Jack is not a wannabe, and he knows he holds the cards to win any game, but one wrong move and house is gone. Although’s he’s partnered with other actors in various films, this is his best performance to date. Ribisi also gives in a gutso, kinetic performance, while Macht is invisible and bland as the calmer partner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Making small appearances but also standing out are Kelsey Grammer, Robert Forster, and Terry Crews, who plays one of Jack’s musclemen whose actions stirs the pot of trouble.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Layered with a hodgepodge of images of naked women, drugs, and music, what else could one expect when viewing a film about the porn business? More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":59671,"comment_status":"1","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[201,202,203,204,205,206,166],"reaction":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-59581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews","8":"tag-gabriel-macht","9":"tag-giovanni-ribisi","10":"tag-james-caan","11":"tag-kelsey-grammer","12":"tag-luke-wilson","13":"tag-middle-men-film-review","14":"tag-terry-crews"},"yoast_head":"\nMiddle Men Film Review - blackfilm.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/middle-men-film-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Middle Men Film Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Layered with a hodgepodge of images of naked women, drugs, and music, what else could one expect when viewing a film about the porn business? 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