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Things to Do in Denver when You're Dead (1995)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Pivoting around a stick-up which goes catastrophically wrong, events which precede and follow this failure provide the meat of a tragic tale. In the city of the title Jimmy Tosnia (Andy Garcia), a middle-aged businessman, is running a not particularly successful concern. It seems that people just don't want their deathbed comments on life video-taped for eternity! The only legacy of a colourful past is his street-name, "The Saint", and the fact that just about everyone knows him. Unfortunately one of his historic associations is with The Man (Christopher Walken), a paralysed and increasingly paranoid gang boss. The situation that The Man wants sorted out by Jimmy involves his jumpy, pedophilic son Bernard (Michael Nicolosi) and the girl who used to love him, Meg (Sarah Trigger). She's about to marry someone else (they're coming to Denver for permission from her parents) and The Man feels the need to put a stop to her plans.

Given an offer he can't refuse, particularly as the extra cash would come in handy, Jimmy scours Denver for his old comrades. First up comes Franchise (William Forsythe), a tattooed bear of a man who runs a trailer park. He's married with three kids (another on the way) but joins in for memories sake. Next, Jimmy recruits Pieces (Christopher Lloyd), a classic gangster now wasting away projecting skin-flicks to an audience of dirty macs - he's jumping to get in on the action. The muscle comes with Critical Bill (Treat Williams), a touch-paper psychopath who works in a mortuary (where he gets into shape by beating up the corpses). Finally, Easy Wind (Bill Nunn) agrees to help out, though he almost walks away when he discovers Critical Bill on the team. They go back a long way and the hate is mutual, although Jimmy smooths their ruffles (he seems to do this for everybody, never thinking of himself; hence his nickname).

On a rain-swept highway Critical and Pieces, dressed up as cops, stop Bruce's (Josh Charles) van and try to take him away for questioning. However, Bruce is a bit a smart-alec and he starts asking for ID, questioning their uniforms and wondering why city cops are on the interstate anyway. Finally, Critical snaps and drags Bruce bodily from the vehicle, pummeling him mercilessly. Even then Bruce continues to answer back, driving Critical wild and resulting in his own bloody death. The situation takes a further turn for the worse when Meg emerges from the back of the van, screaming blue murder. She quietens down when Pieces shoots her, reacting to the surprise. The Man is deeply annoyed by this debacle and shows a total lack of compassion when he orders the death of every man on the team, by the most painful method possible. Unfortunately Jimmy has just got mixed up with Dagney (Gabrielle Anwar), whom he loves dearly, and has no wish to abandon her now.

The way in which Things to Do... all but ignores the central event is breathtaking, allowing time to be spent upon the characters and how they react to news of their death sentence. The full range of bizarre villains exhibited, each with his own peculiar quirks and needs, provides fine entertainment by itself. The only outsider seems to be Jimmy, the ultimate insider, since he treats everyone without judgement and tries to be all things to all men. Perhaps this is pure nobility but it often comes across as suicidal, particularly when Jimmy attempts to barter for the life of others. The atmosphere of Denver, as an alternative haunt for gangsters, is interestingly invoked, built upon keynote locations, jail-time phrases and a background of eccentrics. However, the acting is the real strength of Things to Do... and the line-up of well-known actors (cast against type) injects energy, humanity and desperation into this genre screenplay.

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