Review: Things Change
Written and directed by David Mamet, Things Change is one of those ‘hidden gem’ movies Powerhouse Films excel at releasing under their Indicator series of releases.
Gino (Don Ameche) is a quiet, considered older Italian shoe-shiner working in a repair shop in Chicago. He’s poor, lives alone, minds his own business, and gets on with life.
One day he’s visited by some Mafioso who take him to a mansion where he’s offered an enormous amount of money to take the blame for a murder he didn’t commit. Gino then agrees in order to buy a fishing boat with the money he will earn after the three year jail sentence that he’s told he will be given.
He signs a confession and allows his fingerprints to be put on the murder weapon. He’s then hidden away by a minder; Jerry (Joe Mantegna), who’s a bit of a wild card, and who bored to death having to stay in a hotel room for a few days, decides to take Gino on a trip to Lake Tahoe.
Arriving at Lake Tahoe, Jerry and Gino do nothing to dispel the assumption that Gino is an important Mafia boss.
It’s a gentle film, more about the human condition than the mafia, a definite change of pace from Mamet’s usual high intensity, but rather a relaxed reflection.
Great performances and a real sense of getting the most out of a hopeless situation make this an enjoyable watch.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Engineering Things (2021, 21 mins): acclaimed writer-director David Mamet reminisces about his career and the making of Things Change
- Things Happen (2021, 30 mins): actor Joe Mantegna on working with Mamet and Don Ameche
- Melodies for Mamet (2021, 17 mins): composer Alaric Rokko Jans describes the process of scoring Things Change, and his other collaborations with Mamet
- Life As It Could Be (2021, 10 mins): appreciation by comedian, musician and writer Rob Deering
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- Limited edition exclusive 32-page booklet with a new essay by Ellen Cheshire, an archival production report, extracts from interviews with David Mamet and Don Ameche, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
Things Change is released 22nd March 2021.
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.
