ArtsBeatLA

Interview with Andy Garcia – “Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead”

From the archives.

Here is my interview with actor Andy Garcia, obtained in Los Angeles, and first published in October, 1995.

Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead is a 1995 American crime film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Andy García, Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Fairuza Balk, and Gabrielle Anwar.

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In his latest film Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead, Andy Garcia demonstrates his acting mettle against a backdrop of gangster thuggery. Here he proves he has the innate nobility that Coppola saw when he cast him in as The Godfather [at the end of Part III].

Garcia plays Jimmy the Saint, a former candidate for priesthood turned ethical mobster. His attempts to go straight have landed him with a mounting debts and a floundering business. In the business, “Afterlife Advice,” Jimmy assists terminally ill patients with preparing their video testaments; posthumous advice for their loved ones. Just when finances are looking dismal his former boss, known as “The Man With the Plan” (Christopher Walken), summons him for a meeting. It turns out ‘The Man’ owns his debt and can “call in the note.” He offers to pay Jimmy to do one more job, thus Jimmy is placed in a position of both favor and obligation.

Jimmy rounds up his old crew who are initially reluctant to stray from the straight and narrow. But the lure of ‘Ten large’ and the sentimental thrill of a scam is irresistible. The team are comprised of Franchise (William Forsythe), Pieces (Christopher Lloyd), Easy Wind (Bill Nunn), and a certifiable crazy called Critical Bill (Treat Williams). The assignment is destined to go wrong: Critical Bill is far too volatile. During the caper he overreacts to an insult and the people they were only meant to scare end up dead. The Man With the Plan declares Jimmy’s friends to be ‘Buckwheats’ which means he has sentenced them to a slow and excruciating death. Enter Mr Shhh, played by Steve Buscemi; a scrawny, be-suited, mild mannered yet sinister hit man given the ‘Buckwheats’ assignment.

The dialogue, the gangster nostalgia and the fastidious attention to detail make this film absorbing material. But it’s not all violence. Jimmy develops a relationship with pure young woman named Dagney, played by Gabrielle Anwar, and these bittersweet scenes give the film its emotional core. Additionally, Jack Warden plays a sentimental old mobster who fills us in with the back story from time to time. Shaped by director Gary Fleder, Scott Rosenberg has written a detailed and insightful screenplay that flaunts its style and attitude. With its strong violence and brutal language, this twisted gangster flick is nineties film noir, heavy with romantic regret.

ArtsBeatLA: When you read the script did you want to do it straight away?

Andy Garcia: “Yes pretty much. It was very captivating material. The voice of the script was unique. I needed to explore what it was that I wanted to do with it because the tone of the movie could be very different. So I needed to be in sync with the voice before I committed. It didn’t take me much time.”

Do you see this film as part of a new genre which starts off as film noir then puts a surprise in there?

“That kind of thing is not necessarily new. It’s really been around for some time. The movies weren’t as gratuitously or viscerally violent as they are today but the concept of the juxtaposition of humor and violence in someone’s life have always been around. Even Goodfellas had that duality.”

Do you think this film goes beyond Tarantino and his Hong Kong-style action films?

“I don’t think this movie has anything to do with Tarantino’s movies, really. I think the characters take the violence seriously and they’re affected by it. It’s not done for laughs. In the case of Treat Williams, that particular scene is there structurally for a bit of comedic release. The audience actually wants him to kill this guy, which is the interesting aspect. They don’t want the guys to get killed. But the two deaths at the beginning are not done for humor. They are taken very seriously and everyone is deeply affected by them, especially Jimmy. So, I think in Tarantino’s movies people die left and right and no one cares. They kill some one and then say ‘Let’s have some coffee.'”

The language in particular is so brutal and exclusively male. There was a whole lot of dialogue that I imagine men say all the time but that you rarely see on the screen.

“Yes, I think it’s a unique story and I never looked at it as a mass appeal story. But it does have a strong commercial appeal because it’s such a strong film. There is poetry in his writing.”

I always wonder why someone will get a team together and even though there is some friction, they won’t replace that person.

“The thing is that Treat’s character is, on the day, quite useful. As a point man he was the best. He’s a little crazy but he’s also willing to put himself into situations that no one else is willing to face.”

And you needed someone like that on your team?

“Right. This is a fable so you have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief. We’re making a movie, not a documentary. Part of it is the fun of the insanity of these guys and the audience knowing this is not good, what are you doing? And even Jimmy saying ‘I’m not going to put you on point’ and he appeals to his soft side. He says, ‘Look you’ve changed. Why can’t a man change? Why is it only you? Let me prove to you that I’m not the same guy.’ And then he turns on him later. That’s the humour of the piece.”

Do you see your character as someone who was once a hard gangster who now has a soft center?

“Well, Jimmy’s never killed anyone before; he was more of a diplomatic front man, the bureaucrat … “Send Jimmy, he’ll talk to them before we have to send in the muscle.” He usually resolves things. That’s why The Man with the Plan says, “You brought the operation a modicum of class in your day. That’s why with the milk of human kindness I’m giving you an out. Leave Denver.” It’s all in there.”

Pauline Adamek

Pauline Adamek is a Los Angeles-based arts enthusiast with over three decades of experience covering International Film Festivals and reviewing new Theatre productions, Film releases, Art exhibitions, Opera and Restaurants.

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