by Scott Jentsch

Jul 20, 2005

This movie was recommended by a friend. At first I was going to pass, but reading Roger Ebert's positive review made me decide to give it a shot. I am glad that I did.

Diamond Men is a paced road film about an aging traveling salesman forced to train his replacement, who is completely different in every way. Over the course of a couple of weeks, these two men find some common ground and form a bond of friendship that transcends the corporate selfishness that forced them together in the first place.

I don't think I've ever seen Robert Forster in a film before, but he exudes just the right style for his character. He may be old, but he's not dead. He's also not unrealistically verile and able to do any amazing feats. He's an ordinary guy who's been doing an honest day's work for the 30 years and who's being kicked to the street by the company he worked so long for. Donnie Wahlberg is equal to his task, as does all the other supporting cast.

Diamond Men is the type of movie that doesn't do well at the multiplex because it's not as marketable as the "popcorn movies" that are so prevalent. How fortunate for us that the DVD format has made movies like this accessible so that when we find out about them, we have the chance to see what we missed and appreciate a good movie.