Tara's Indie Pick Flicks

MayMon 2010 Filed in: Tara's Indie Pick Flicks

Handsome Harry

Directed by: Bette Gordon
Starring: Jamey Sheridan, Steve Buscemi, Aidan Quinn, John Savage and Campbell Scott
Now playing: IFC Center - 323 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

Harry Sweeney (Sheridan) lives an isolated life in a small town. He works as an electrician and sings in an a cappella group, but he is a man who doesn’t let anyone get too close. When fellow ex-Marine Tom Kelly (Buscemi) calls from his deathbed and asks Harry to visit him, Harry hesitantly agrees. Kelly, knowing that death is near, seeks forgiveness for a crime he, Harry and the three other men in their troop committed against David Kagan (Scott), a gay Marine. Although he does not want to revisit his past or the incident in question, Harry agrees to track down the other men involved in the crime and David Kagan. As Harry revisits his old Marine buddies, he sees the effects that night have had on each of their lives. He also is forced to confront his own part in the crime and what impact it’s had on his own life.

Handsome Harry reminds me of a movie from another era. Although it’s set in the present day, everything from the dialogue to the characters’ interactions with each other reads like a movie set in the 1940s. It has a definite film noir feel to it, which is almost lost and feels a little weird when applied to the modern day. Saying that, Sheridan is wonderful as a man whose secret life has left him empty. Not the greatest movie, but worth renting when it comes out on DVD.