HANDSOME HARRY is a brave little film, written by Nicholas T. Proferes and directed by Bette Gordon, a film that should be required viewing as the absurdities of the 'Don't ask, Don't tell' debate continue to divide this country. This is a script so tightly and beautifully constructed that it poses questions to the audience and lets the audience arrive at its own conclusions. It is a searingly intense story, successful in the manner in which the director allowed the cast of extraordinary actors to simply let the tale play out. There is a profound honesty here that is rarely found in other films that take on tough subjects, and without preaching, sermonizing, or taking sides it simply places an incident before our eyes, allowing the incident and its subsequent permutations of its consequences mold the characters we meet.
Harry Sweeney (Jamey Sheridan, a brilliant stage actor who should have been considered for an Oscar for this performance) is Handsome Harry - calm, somewhat secretive middle-aged man living in a small town where he is known as a good guy and a good singer to the acquaintances in the town diner. Divorced, father to a son Bobby (Asher Grodman) with whom he has difficulty relating, Harry is considering selling his electronic shop to his sole employee Pauley (Bill Sage) when Bobby arrives from Chicago for a strained weekend visit. The visit is interrupted by a telephone call from Kelley (Steve Buscemi) who is hospitalized with only days to live: Kelley insists he speak with Harry and out of obligation to his old friend Vietnam war buddy, Harry goes out of town for the visit. Kelley shares his tortured secret with Harry: thirty years ago while serving in the Navy Kelley and Harry were in a tight group of sailors - Harry, Kelley, Porter (Aidan Quinn), Rheems (John Savage), Gebhardt (Titus Welliver) and Kagan (Campbell Scott) - and in a drunken brawl all of the the group subjected Kagan to a beating because of homophobia: all of the men participated in the cruel act but one crushed the jazz pianist Kagan's right hand with an armature, destroying the hand from ever performing again. Kelley's reason for calling Harry is that Kelley believes he was the one who crushed Kagan's hand and wants Harry to find Kagan and ask him for forgiveness. Kelley dies after Harry promises o fulfill his mission.
Harry sets out to find Kagan on trail of all of his group of fellows who served in Vietnam thirty years ago. We meet each one: Porter is a professor who has distanced himself in name and place from the shame of the incident; Rheems is a wealthy land investor whose marriage is crumbling under the strain of alcohol, homophobia, and dark memories and Harry's unwanted visit results in Rheems throwing his wife Judy (Mariann Mayberry) out along with Harry; Gebhardt has become a evangelistic redneck who also is blinded by homophobia. None of the men will discuss the old incident or assist Harry in defining whether Kelley was responsible for the crushing injuring or not. Harry finds Kagan's address, and when Kagan isn't home he leaves a note with Kagan's housekeeper explaining his visit. Harry returns home, distraught, emotionally exhausted, desiring an end to the lingering nightmare of that beating thirty years ago. After singing in a quartet contest Harry spies Kagan in the audience and the two leave for a dinner in a deserted restaurant. There Kagan shares ALL of the truth about the incident and about his relationship with Harry and the film ends quietly and painfully with the truth being on the table.
Every member in the cast is a first class actor, but the profound depth of Jamey Sheridan's recreation of the role of Harry is simply stunning. Buscemi, Quinn, and especially Campbell Scott also provide powerful performances. The film is haunted by the music of Anton Sanko and cinematographer Nigel Bluck sustains the mood of the piece with a fine grasp of just how much of each of the characters' physical features to show to make the story propel. Director Bette Gordon should be honored not only for the brilliance of her direction but also for the courage in sharing this sensitive story that is one of the strongest views of the inequities of the current military/governmental debate about equality in the military. Brilliant film!
Grady Harp
Harry Sweeney (Jamey Sheridan, a brilliant stage actor who should have been considered for an Oscar for this performance) is Handsome Harry - calm, somewhat secretive middle-aged man living in a small town where he is known as a good guy and a good singer to the acquaintances in the town diner. Divorced, father to a son Bobby (Asher Grodman) with whom he has difficulty relating, Harry is considering selling his electronic shop to his sole employee Pauley (Bill Sage) when Bobby arrives from Chicago for a strained weekend visit. The visit is interrupted by a telephone call from Kelley (Steve Buscemi) who is hospitalized with only days to live: Kelley insists he speak with Harry and out of obligation to his old friend Vietnam war buddy, Harry goes out of town for the visit. Kelley shares his tortured secret with Harry: thirty years ago while serving in the Navy Kelley and Harry were in a tight group of sailors - Harry, Kelley, Porter (Aidan Quinn), Rheems (John Savage), Gebhardt (Titus Welliver) and Kagan (Campbell Scott) - and in a drunken brawl all of the the group subjected Kagan to a beating because of homophobia: all of the men participated in the cruel act but one crushed the jazz pianist Kagan's right hand with an armature, destroying the hand from ever performing again. Kelley's reason for calling Harry is that Kelley believes he was the one who crushed Kagan's hand and wants Harry to find Kagan and ask him for forgiveness. Kelley dies after Harry promises o fulfill his mission.
Harry sets out to find Kagan on trail of all of his group of fellows who served in Vietnam thirty years ago. We meet each one: Porter is a professor who has distanced himself in name and place from the shame of the incident; Rheems is a wealthy land investor whose marriage is crumbling under the strain of alcohol, homophobia, and dark memories and Harry's unwanted visit results in Rheems throwing his wife Judy (Mariann Mayberry) out along with Harry; Gebhardt has become a evangelistic redneck who also is blinded by homophobia. None of the men will discuss the old incident or assist Harry in defining whether Kelley was responsible for the crushing injuring or not. Harry finds Kagan's address, and when Kagan isn't home he leaves a note with Kagan's housekeeper explaining his visit. Harry returns home, distraught, emotionally exhausted, desiring an end to the lingering nightmare of that beating thirty years ago. After singing in a quartet contest Harry spies Kagan in the audience and the two leave for a dinner in a deserted restaurant. There Kagan shares ALL of the truth about the incident and about his relationship with Harry and the film ends quietly and painfully with the truth being on the table.
Every member in the cast is a first class actor, but the profound depth of Jamey Sheridan's recreation of the role of Harry is simply stunning. Buscemi, Quinn, and especially Campbell Scott also provide powerful performances. The film is haunted by the music of Anton Sanko and cinematographer Nigel Bluck sustains the mood of the piece with a fine grasp of just how much of each of the characters' physical features to show to make the story propel. Director Bette Gordon should be honored not only for the brilliance of her direction but also for the courage in sharing this sensitive story that is one of the strongest views of the inequities of the current military/governmental debate about equality in the military. Brilliant film!
Grady Harp