Rating: 
Summary: Slow, but worth the wait
Review: It's been said by many an actor who has played a villain that they have been treated terribly because people associate them with that infamous role.
If that is as common as we are led to believe then why is it that Aaron Eckhart isn't constantly beaten, bruised and having his mail intercepted by police in order to screen it for death threats?
I say that because his character is one of the most thoroughly despicable people ever to hit the screen. It is usually considered bad form to create someone with no redeeming qualities because you run the risk of one-dimensionality. Yet, Eckhart imbues his Chad with an almost palpable evil. We watch his every move growing more aghast with each scene, but we are unable to turn away. We almost engage in a form of vicarious and voyeuristic sadism. Especially when we consider that each of us has had the urge one time or another to spread our pain (romantic or otherwise) to a random human being. To show someone else- anyone else "how it feels" It's a perverse version of "do unto others."
There is no Hollywood ending here- virtually no contrivances. Only a vision of man's inhumanity to man shown on a nonviolent, very individual scale.
Rating: 
Summary: Men behaving badly!
Review: My wife could not endure this movie! In fact she gave up on it in the first 15 minutes. But it intrigued me enormously and so, fortunately, I forged on. What a little gem. Sure, it will make you uncomfortable and it will definitely offend many, but it is an extremely well crafted movie that deserves your consideration.
Today, when most movies are pablum, this movie rises above the usual mediocre fare. It IS an adult movie appealing to adult sensibilities. Stacy Edwards, as the vulnerable and deaf Christine, gives a spot on performance that, were there ANY justice in the world would have been considered for an Oscar. Aaron Eckhart, as the ruthless, conniving, and manipulative Chad is, simply, malevolently indelible. You'll not soon forget either his character or his performance.
This is Neil LaBute's first effort at writing or directing and it will be a tough act to follow. The performances that he coaxes out of his cast are simply marvelous and his writing was fantastic.
The movie ends with an unexpected twist which both shocks and disgusts the viewer but which manages to intensify the impact of the movie. At the end, as throughout the movie, Eckhart is the personification of evil and Christine, the embodiment of good.
Both Eckhart's and Stacy Edwards' performances are riveting, but without the hapless Matt Mallory as Howard this morality play would not have been complete. Mallory's performance was perfectly modulated and delivered to perfection. Mallory's character is neither good nor totally bad, but weak. And his weakness leads to all sorts of problems.
I recommend this movie very highly, however I have still not been able to get my wife to see it.
Rating:
Summary: Uncomfortable, but worth it
Review: This is a deceptive tale from the corporate jungle. Chad (Aaron Eckhart) is a virile, handsome middle level manager capable of some charm. However he doesn't relate to other people the way most people do. He has some superficial tricks for getting close. He tells women he likes the way they smell. He knows they love that. He bonds with men by appealing to their prejudices. He tells sexist jokes: "What's the difference between a golf ball and a G-spot?" Answer: "I can spend twenty minutes looking for a golf ball." He likes to get close to people to use and exploit them. But he goes further than that. He likes to hurt them. Why? "Because I can," he says.
In other words, Chad's a sociopath who specializes in humiliating people. He gets a black worker to expose himself. He says he needs to see if he really has the stuff to be recommended for a promotion. He tells him, the guy who wins is the guy who has "the nastiest sack of venom." In case the guy doesn't know he's been humiliated, as he pulls up his pants, Chad tells him to get him a cup of coffee, black.
Christine (Stacy Edwards) is a pretty girl in her twenties, a lightning fast typist in the secretarial pool. She's very nice and caring. Problem is she's deaf and talks funny. Chad spots her and decides she is perfect for this little game of broken hearts he wants to play with Howard (Matt Malloy), his slightly nerdy friend, co-worker and sometime boss. We'll both date her, he says, and then dump her. That way we'll get back at all the women who have done us dirt. He has an ulterior motive as well. He wants to destroy Howard, just to prove he can.
What makes this film work is the sheer brutality of Chad's bloodless methods, and Director Neil LaBute's suffocating depiction of predatory life in the corporate structure. LaBute, who also wrote the script, is uncompromising in his desire to make us see that people are animals. He succeeds.
Rating:
Summary: On the cruelty of men, but also people in general
Review: This is a great flick about the reasons people are cruel and manipulate others: simply, because they can. Aaron Eckhart does a great job playing the main character,Chad, a man that will make you hate all men. But, what I took away from this was not only how cruel men can be, but people in general. This movie is about more than misogyny. And, it's great to watch just for Eckhart's performance alone. BOTTOM LINE: It's not cheezy, there's no fancy music to sway you to one side or the other. It's, instead, a dark look at men and politics in the corporate world, full of simple yet telling dialogue, definetly worth a watch. GRADE: B+
Rating:
Summary: Meat and gristle and hatred
Review: I usually do not review movies on Amazon unless it is a movie that is profound and left me pondering. This is one such movie. For those of you guys who are interested in watching/buying it, may I suggest that you do not watch it on a romantic "movie night out." This show will evaporate any romantic mood you may have. Trust me on this one. It can turn your girlfriend into a misandrist. For the ladies, if you want to watch it, please prepare yourself and keep an open mind... As most reviewers already said, this is one heck of a disturbing movie. The premise is that 2 men (Chad and Howard) are out to "play" a woman, make her fall in love, and then rip her heart out, figuratively speaking. Since it isn't a Hollywood stylized movie, don't expect a happy and cozy ending. Some of the scenes are quite provocative yet realistic. I can see it happening in ordinary day-to-day living. You're more likely to see a scene in this movie than a scene in than cutesy "My Best Friend's Wedding." Because this is a dark comedy, most people will not be comfortable with it. It isn't something we expect to see, since it conflicts a lot with our own moral ethics. The technicalities of the movie is quite poor, and I'm going to have to deduct 1 star for that. Video and sound quality is really awful, poorer than the average Indie movie. There are very few sound effects, hardly any musical, and the voice recordings have static. Video quality is grainy and low in saturation, it really look like playing from a VCR (even though I'm watching the DVD version). Here's more extraneous info: my take on the moral of this story is that if you are a guy, don't be a jerk like Chad. But also, don't be a wishy-washy weakling like Howard; stand your ground, and don't get pushed around. Both characters have their strengths and weakness. But I think both end up being the losers, even though the movie victimizes Howard more since he is the "nice guy." I thought Howard would have more of a backbone, but I am disappointed that in the end, he never really stood up for himself.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying.
Review: Neil Labute�s In The Company of Men is a misogynistic look at the way men has to conquer women in and out of the bedroom. Aaron Eckhart plays a womanizer who makes a bet with a fellow co-worker to seduce a young deaf woman, and dump her in order to feed their misogynistic egos. In their pursuit of this innocent woman, they wine and dine her, and ultimately humiliate her in such a way that can only be describes as inhuman. Neil Labute�s psychological masterpiece is a very sobering look at the game both sexes play, and the cruelty that we can inflict on ourselves. Prepare to be disturbed.
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