‘Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead: 30th Anniversary’ 4K UHD Blu-ray (review)

Kino Lorber

As this film nears its thirtieth anniversary,  all I could really remember about it was I liked it a lot and it had an amazing cast.

Rewatching it reminded me that it was an outstanding film and why.

Andy Garcia plays reformed Gangster, Jimmy “The Saint” Tosnia. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he borrowed the money for his reformed life as an entrepreneur from the gangster network he used to be a part of.

So, when The Man With the Plan (Christopher Walken) needed something done, Jimmy was drafted back into the life for One. Last. Job.

There’s a thing about “one last job” films, you generally know what’s going to happen. The protagonist reluctantly agrees to do the thing. He gets his old crew together to execute the thing. The thing goes sideways.

The rest of the film is either fixing the thing or dealing with the consequences of the thing as the protagonist tries desperately to extricate himself from the thing. Denver is no different, except, the execution is amazing.

Sometimes timing hurts a film. Denver was released in 1995 and only did a box office of $530,000 on a budget of $8 million. It wasn’t well received because the cinematic community made unflattering comparisons to Pulp Fiction, which to many, rewrote the book on cinematic story telling in 1994.

Pulp Fiction and Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead have NOTHING in common, aside from being well cast, well written, well made films that both have organized crime themes.

Walken does an amazing job as a quadriplegic mob boss cursed with a son in a downward spiral after a bad breakup. His empire is crumbling without an heir and he pushes Jimmy to try and fix something that can’t likely be fixed.

Jimmy’s crew is made up of Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Treat Williams and Bill Nunn. They are all richly developed characters and they all participate in the story in a meaningful way. There is very little wasted motion in the film. There is depth to everyone we meet, even Sarah Trigger, who has a tiny role as William Forsythe’s wife, Meg. Her ability to convey emotions with just a look is amazing. You feel her pain and disapproval and I doubt she says 25 words in the entire film.

Jimmy’s crew and their organized crime antagonists speak a language all their own.  I love this in films and TV.

Whether it’s Heist, with Gene Hackman, or HBO’s Deadwood, writing that reinvents language as we know it is incredibly difficult and when it works, it is worth appreciating. It absolutely works in Denver and if you have an appreciation for the ability to reinvent English in a compelling way that still allows the audience to understand everything that’s happening, you will like this film. Scott Rosenberg can write. (Sidebar: High Fidelity is an all time favorite of mine and he wrote that too.)

What’s crazy is, we haven’t even gotten into what might be the best part of the film.

There are two women in Jimmy’s life. Fairuza Balk plays Lucinda, a street prostitute Jimmy has affection for and there is a running plot between the two of them as Jimmy tries to help her in a variety of different ways throughout the film. Fairuza Balk is an underutilized and underrated actress. Her non-traditional look may have prevented her from being a major star, but if you watch Almost Famous, American History X and her stint on Ray Donovan, you’ll know she was always a super talented actress.

Gabrielle Anwar plays Dagney, and as soon as Jimmy sees Dagney in the film, his life is irrevocably altered. This is one of the most underrated areas of a terminally underappreciated film. The short, intense romance between Dagney and Jimmy is beautifully written, and every line is weighty and ties them together more deeply. I love her in this, but for me, her best role will always be as Fiona in Burn Notice.

Again, we go back to Rosenberg’s script as the foundation of our emotional investment in the film. You’re rooting for Dagney and Jimmy from the start. Who hasn’t wanted to look across a crowded room and have lightning strike their heart? It’s the seed of every romantic notion ever written.

Alas, things go sideways and Steve Buscemi as the sinister Mr. Shhh, comes in to clean house. Buscemi has few lines, but his impact on the film is so magnificent I wish Scott Rosenberg would write a Mr. Shhh origin movie. He’s a subtle and powerful character and his story would be awesome, especially if Scott Rosenberg wrote it.

The late Jack Warden plays a narrator of sorts, who sits in the malt shop Jimmy frequents and tells stories to younger patrons. He helps fill in the blanks of the story and it’s this gentle, non-intrusive exposition that makes sure the audience is never behind the story.

The biggest flaw in the film is the decision Jimmy makes that ensures the thing going sideways. It had to be something, but it seems like this was the one lazy writing choice in the entire film. It doesn’t really detract from the film, but if you don’t find yourself saying, “Oh no… that’s a terrible idea,” it’s because you’re scrolling your phone and not paying close enough attention.

Denver is a truly great film that was hamstrung by its release date.  It holds up very well, considering it’s 30 years old and I highly recommend giving it a watch, because not that many of us watched it the first time around.

Extras are plentiful, with multiple audio commentaries, production featurette, archival cast/crew interviews, and trailers.

4.5 out of 5 stars