The Gingerbread Man (1998)

	Directed by: Robert Altman	COUNTRY USA GENRE Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE The Gingerbread Man RUNNING TIME 114 minutes
	Produced by: Jeremy Tannenbaum
	Written by (based on a manuscript by John Grisham): Robert Altman (as Al Hayes)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Rick Magruder	Kenneth Branagh
Mallory Doss	Embeth Davidtz	½
Clyde Pell	Robert Downey Jr.
Pete Randle	Tom Berenger	½
Lois Harlan	Daryl Hannah	½
Dixon Doss	Robert Duvall	½
Leeanne Magruder	Famke Janssen
Jeff Magruder	Jesse James
Libby Magruder	Mae Whitman

Review

In this noirish Southern Gothic misfire, based on a John Grishman manuscript, veteran director Robert Altman nails atmosphere and genre conventions, but largely fails with plotting and characters. The film has moments when it looks really good, and in those moments you may even be led to believe that Kenneth Branagh could pass for a brash Southerner. Then there are moments when the production looks almost amateurish, with phony rain gushing down and hobos acting as if they were pulled straight from Night of the Living Dead. The promise of Altman, Grisham, and Branagh deludes you into thinking The Gingerbread Man has more to offer than it actually does. Because the story hiding in here is that of a paperback novel from the bargain stand, and Altman cannot infuse it with the necessary suspense or lift his abundant cast of should-have-been-interesting characters above stereotype level. Embeth Davidtz as Branagh's love interest and Robert Duvall as her father are particularly disappointing. They remain outlines of characters that are never fleshed out. There's also fairly bland work from Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Berenger. This one is only for die-hard fans of Altman, neo-noir, or any of the cast.