---
title: "Glengarry Glen Ross"
year: 1992
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross"
fi1m_id: "glengarry-glen-ross"
imdb_id: "tt0104348"
tmdb_id: 9504
wikidata_id: "Q844068"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-13"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:13.477691+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Directed by James Foley · 1h 40m · MPA R · Crime, Drama, Mystery

## Identity

Glengarry Glen Ross

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** glengarry-glen-ross
- **IMDb ID:** tt0104348
- **TMDB ID:** 9504
- **Wikidata ID:** Q844068
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104348/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9504, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q844068

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 72 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* An office full of men who treat listening as a temporary professional setback

> James Foley’s *Glengarry Glen Ross* is a gripping, bitterly funny drama of men frightened for their livelihoods. The plot can feel contrived; Jack Lemmon and the ensemble make the desperation painfully convincing.

## Synopsis

In an office and a bar, men who make their living selling struggle to keep control of conversations, colleagues and themselves. Shelley Levene (Jack Lemmon) is desperate, while Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin) face the pressures of the same trade. John Williamson (Kevin Spacey), Blake (Alec Baldwin) and James Lingk (Jonathan Pryce) also enter their dealings. Written by David Mamet and directed by James Foley, the drama follows men whose work gives them little room to admit fear or failure.

## Review

*Glengarry Glen Ross* is a gripping film about the strain of having to persuade people for a living, and we recommend it despite a few conspicuous turns of the plot. James Foley directs David Mamet’s screenplay with enough confidence to let these men talk themselves into trouble. Their office and bar conversations are full of aggression, self-justification and attempts to secure a little sympathy. The pleasure is in hearing skilled speakers lose control of what they reveal, while the person opposite looks for something to use.

Alec Baldwin’s Blake supplies the bluntest expression of the film’s cruelty. Baldwin makes contempt sound practised, as though humiliating other men were an ordinary item of business. Ed Harris gives Dave Moss an anger that keeps seeking an audience, and Alan Arkin’s George Aaronow makes a quieter, less certain presence beside him. These performances differ enough to keep the dialogue from becoming a continuous demonstration of how forcefully an actor can deliver an insult.

Jack Lemmon is the reason the nastiness hurts. His Shelley Levene cannot keep desperation out of his talk, however much he needs to command attention. We winced at his efforts to sound persuasive, because Lemmon makes preserving a little pride look like hard work. Al Pacino’s Ricky Roma provides a welcome change of pace, with a command of the talk that makes listening to him pleasurable and faintly worrying.

Juan Ruiz Anchía’s cinematography and Foley’s use of close-ups justify bringing all this talk to the screen. Being near a face matters when we are trying to judge how much confidence a man has left. Jane Musky’s office and bar settings give the encounters an appropriately grubby home, with little visual relief from the people occupying them. The spaces feel confined without making the performances hard to read, and that is useful work in a film so dependent on small differences between speakers.

Howard E. Smith’s editing gives the monologues enough room to register as attempts to influence somebody, rather than isolated speeches. We stay conscious of the listener, even when one actor has most of the words. Mamet’s dialogue has a forceful rhythm, but the evasions matter as much as the insults; they make the speakers sound as though they are struggling for control. James Newton Howard’s score leaves less of an impression than those voices, which is appropriate when speech is already doing so much.

The stage origins remain visible in the succession of substantial speeches, and some viewers will find the constant verbal pressure exhausting. We occasionally became conscious of an actor waiting for his turn, though the sharply different performances usually prevent that feeling from lasting. The more substantial weakness is Mamet’s plotting, which presses too hard to arrange a resolution. Without describing where it goes, the film is more convincing when men try to outtalk one another than when it starts putting everything in order.

As a workplace drama, it takes unusual care over the indignity of needing other people to believe in your competence. Foley gives the actors space to make these men recognisable without making them agreeable. At 100 minutes, the confinement is bearable, though the company is demanding. Choose it for an evening when listening closely sounds like pleasure; it is not something to leave talking in the background.

*Fi1m score 86, published 13 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Glengarry Glen Ross, with agreement strongest on the ensemble and David Mamet’s sharp, rhythmic dialogue. The performances give human weight to the salesmen’s desperation, while the cramped offices and bars sustain the pressure. Jack Lemmon attracts particular praise, alongside Alec Baldwin’s brief appearance and the work of Al Pacino and Ed Harris. For the favourable reviews, the film preserves the play’s intimacy and gives its verbal brutality force on screen.

The reservations concern what the adaptation adds and how insistently it presses its bleak outlook. Time Out admires the acting but sees no gain in the move from stage to screen. Other reservations focus on the reliance on plot mechanics and the emphasis on monologues. The New Yorker is the clearest dissenter, finding the despair overemphatic and the recession parable thin despite the performances. The spread is substantial, though praise for the cast crosses that divide.

## Straight answers

**Is Glengarry Glen Ross worth watching?**

*Glengarry Glen Ross* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys listening closely to skilled actors talking each other into trouble, and we scored it 86. Jack Lemmon makes the desperation of a failing salesman painfully convincing, with Al Pacino, Ed Harris and Alec Baldwin around him. The plot presses too hard for a resolution, and the constant verbal pressure can be tiring.

**How long is Glengarry Glen Ross, and what is it rated?**

*Glengarry Glen Ross* runs 1h 40m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and drama film.

**Where can I watch Glengarry Glen Ross in the US?**

*Glengarry Glen Ross* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Glengarry Glen Ross, and is it suitable for children?**

*Glengarry Glen Ross* has no violence to speak of; its cruelty is entirely spoken, in insults, contempt and humiliation traded between men frightened for their jobs. It carries an R certificate in the US and has no UK certificate, which suggests strong adult language throughout. It is not for children, and there is nothing in a hundred minutes of office talk to hold them anyway.

**How does Glengarry Glen Ross compare to Salesman?**

*Glengarry Glen Ross* is a scripted drama of salesmen written by David Mamet, while [*Salesman*](https://film.one/film/salesman) is a documentary following four real Bible salesmen from Boston kitchens to Florida motels. Both are about the exhausting business of turning charm into income, but *Salesman* is the finer and sadder film, and the best we know on the subject. Choose *Glengarry Glen Ross* for the performances and the bitter comedy.

**What should I watch after Glengarry Glen Ross?**

After *Glengarry Glen Ross*, try [*Salesman*](https://film.one/film/salesman) (1969, Fi1m 87): Real salesmen face the same exhausting business of turning charm into income. Then [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): A businessman’s decisions make money and responsibility painfully difficult to separate; and [*The Servant*](https://film.one/film/the-servant) (1963, Fi1m 89): Confined rooms and careful performances make every change in authority worth watching.

### Reviews we read (8)

- **Empire**, Barry McIlheney (80/100, inferred): The review commends the film's claustrophobic intensity and how it recaptures the power of Mamet's dialogue on screen, with standout turns from Jack Lemmon as the desperate Levene and a blistering Alec Baldwin cameo. It ultimately calls the film a searing indictment of American dreams and the grind of making a living. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/glengarry-glen-ross-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Henry Sheehan (80/100, inferred): The film is an actors’ showcase featuring strong performances that humanize Mamet’s brutal dialogue and dark view of human nature. Director James Foley emphasizes the characters’ isolation through close-ups, though the story relies unusually on plot mechanics for its resolution. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/glengarry-glen-ross-review-1992-movie-1044289/)
- **The Independent** (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's retention of David Mamet's scurrilous stage dialogue in its grubby office and bar settings, noting how it structures the piece as a series of strong monologues. Strong performances from Al Pacino and Ed Harris are highlighted, though the film is seen as more a record of acting than a great cinematic work. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-underdog-humour-and-top-dog-style-boomerang-reginald-hudlin-us-glengarry-glen-ross-15-james-foley-us-unlawful-entry-18-jonathan-kaplan-us-mon-pere-ce-heros-pg-gerard-lauzier-fr-1560412.html)
- **Time Out**, BC (70/100, inferred): The critic notes that while the cast delivers dedicated performances, the film gains nothing from adapting the stage play to screen. It effectively portrays men under pressure in a claustrophobic story with strong ensemble acting. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/glengarry-glen-ross)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (40/100, inferred): The movie hammers the plot relentlessly and spells out despair too explicitly, making it feel suffocating despite strong performances. As a recession parable it doesn't amount to much, though some actors provide relief. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/10/05/shtick-shifts)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The high-profile cast goes through the material flawlessly under discreet direction, with fine acting the rule. Lemmon's work stands out in a classy crowd in this bracing drama of desperate salesmen. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-30-ca-1-story.html)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin: The splendid film adaptation of David Mamet's play is mordantly funny and trusts the text completely. The ensemble cast delivers career-best work in this mordant 1990s take on salesmen under pressure. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/30/movies/review-film-mamet-s-real-estate-sharks-and-their-prey.html)
- **HeyUGuys**, Ashley Norris (4.5/5): The critic finds the film a strong adaptation that preserves the stage play's intimacy and features outstanding ensemble performances. The sharp, rhythmic Mamet dialogue and character-driven drama are singled out for particular praise. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/glengarry-glen-ross-blu-ray-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** James Foley
- **Director:** James Foley
- **Screenplay:** David Mamet
- **Cinematography:** Juan Ruiz Anchía
- **Editor:** Howard E. Smith
- **Music:** James Newton Howard
- **Production design:** Jane Musky
- **Costume design:** Jane Greenwood
- **Producer:** Stanley R. Zupnik, Jerry Tokofsky
- **Cast:** Al Pacino as Ricky Roma; Jack Lemmon as Shelley Levene; Alec Baldwin as Blake; Alan Arkin as George Aaronow; Ed Harris as Dave Moss; Kevin Spacey as John Williamson; Jonathan Pryce as James Lingk; Bruce Altman as Larry Spannel
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 28 September 1992
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Mystery
- **Budget:** $12 million
- **Box office:** $11 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrekKSuFto

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming
- The Roku Channel: free, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, sd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-13.*

Also available in: CA, ES, GB, IT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1993: Best Supporting Actor (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Salesman* (1969), Fi1m 87: Real salesmen face the same exhausting business of turning charm into income. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/salesman.md)
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: A businessman’s decisions make money and responsibility painfully difficult to separate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *The Servant* (1963), Fi1m 89: Confined rooms and careful performances make every change in authority worth watching. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-servant.md)
- *The Death of Mr Lazarescu* (2005): Dark humour and institutional indifference make an ordinary man’s distress painfully immediate.
- *Margin Call* (2011), Fi1m 82: Another tense ensemble drama about people whose work has narrowed their moral choices. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/margin-call.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/glengarry-glen-ross