Edmond looks like a man that is not in touch with reality, when one first meet him. He is leaving the office and is told an appointment has been rescheduled for 1.15pm and it's handed a piece of paper with those numbers. The next thing he knows is he is standing in front of a fortune teller shop that has the same number on the door. As the cards are read, it appears Edmond is doomed. Those digits will prove fateful when he sees again that number 115.

Edmond Bruke is a man that has not dealt with reality for quite some time. After leaving his wife, he tries to assert himself with dismal results. He has no clue of what's going on in the seamy world of sex clubs. His reaction toward the price of drinks at the Allegro club, that was recommended to him by a man he has met before, shows an individual that has no clue as to what is going on. Edmond will try to bargain the price with other people he encounter, something strange from a man that one assumes has been a law abiding citizen all his life.

It's hard to realize that Edmond will be naive enough not to think the three card Monte players are just plain hoodlums, as they blatantly cheat him, then proceed to rob him and beat him. Edmond keeps going in his pursuit of getting sex in the wrong places, with the wrong people. His encounter with a hustler makes him snap out of his old self and assume a new, more aggressive personality. This proves fatal during his encounter with the sweet Glenna, a waitress who should have known better than to have anything to do with this loose cannon.

At the end, Edmond is caught in the same web he spun around him; he is reduced to being a victim once again because his black partner will make him rethink all his prejudices when he is rendered helpless against a formidable foe. Since no one will listen to him, he joins the list of the people he resented before. His ranting and raving about who he hated before is made useless by what he has to endure at the end.

Stuart Gordon, the director of "Edmond", has done an amazing job in bringing David Mamet's play to the screen. It's typical Mamet dialog, terse and to the point. The only thing about the main character is disbelief in the transformation this sad man undergoes right before our eyes. Edmond appears to be a victim of the same society in which he lived before oblivious to people other than himself and his circumstances. That comes into question as he decides to try his luck among people that are completely opposite of what he is. Edmond, in the end, has to pay for his own mistakes in ways that abase him and his manhood.

The obvious reason for watching this film is to catch a magnificent actor in action. William H. Macy has been associated with David Mamet for many years and it shows he is the man to translate that language for us. There is no false movements in his amazing performance. One cannot think another actor who could have done better justice to Edmond Burke the way Mr. Macy has. The other actor that comes close to perfection is Joe Mantegna, whose brief appearance in a pivotal role enhances the film. Both Mr. Mantegna and Mr. Macy are worth the admission price to the film. Bookem Woodbine, Julia Stiles, Debi Mazar, and the others in the cast do what they can, but they're overshadowed in their scenes with Mr. Macy.

The great jazzy musical score by Bobby Johnston plays well within the context of the film. Denis Maloney's inspired cinematography shows the streets of Los Angeles, that are supposed to be seen as Manhattan's shabby side, in all its tacky seediness. Stuart Gordon shows great affinity to the work of David Mamet as shown in the finished product.

Edmond Burke (William H. Macy) has grown frustrated with his life, and after a visit to a tarot reader, he has decided to start a new life. And that new life is going to start with some sexual fantasy and a bit of violence... where will it go?

While I have no interest in talking poorly about writer David Mamet, this film is much like "Falling Down" with Michael Douglas, another white-collar man who goes through a mental break. Sadly, the difference is in style: this film is more artistic, and "Falling Down" is more gripping. Where Douglas can be fierce and menacing, Macy can only come off as nervous... even his most violent moments do not have the emotional sincerity that Douglas exudes.

Anyone who wants to rent this should be warned in advance, the back cover of the DVD is riddled with lies. It claims to "star" Mena Suvari, Denise Richards and Julia Stiles. That is a lie, as only Stiles has a scene of more than three minutes. You could just as easily say George Wendt or Jeffrey Combs star. The box also claims this is "a first rate mystery", but there is no mystery to be found in this film. None.

Likewise, the film is a bit hard to categorize... it's something of a violent drama. Hollywood Video called it horror, and the box calls it a thriller. The thrills are minimal (this is a slow-paced film) and it is not horror in any traditional sense. Stuart Gordon is a great director and a very nice man, but fans should be aware that this falls more in line with "King of the Ants" or "Stuck" than it does with any of his more well-known horror masterpieces.

I will not discuss the philosophical aspects. Edmond believes that "every fear hides a wish", and he has constructed an interesting racial theory. The viewer can take these however they like, I do not know if there is an overarching meaning behind any of it... I found they fleshed out Edmond's character but had little value beyond the film itself. The deleted scenes, a mere six minutes, add a bit of intrigue and should probably have remained, especially with the film running only 82 minutes.

Stuart Gordon or David Mamet fans should see this one. It's not going to blow you away, and beyond little thrills like a Jeffrey Combs cameo and some semi-nudity from Julia Stiles, it is not the most memorable. But Gordon's career is best understood in its complete vision, and this is outside the scope of his better-known work.

This does fit the movie, but does also fit the bill with the viewing audience. As is apparent from my rating, I'm in the "didn't like it that much" corner! And it's a shame because I did like "Stuck" very much and was looking forward to see this movie, too (same director). Especially with the cast that Mr. Gordon had assembled here, starting off with William H. Macy.

But the thing with this movie (which is adapted from a play as I read after I watched it),is that you never really can sympathize with it's main character. And while that might have been a deliberate choice, it doesn't help getting you into the "story". Although story might be a bit of a stretch here. It's more anecdotes that feel put together incoherently, with only the thread of criticizing our social standards and some other stuff. And this is where the movie did get some points with me. Still wasn't enough (unfortunately) to make this a good movie. The actors are giving their best, even for some (few) seconds, if their role is really small. Again some of the small episodes that occur are great, but taken as a whole it doesn't meet that high standard (imo).