sol- Rival aluminum-siding salesmen find themselves an increasingly hostile tit-for-tat feud spurred on by an automobile accident this Barry Levinson movie. One of two films that Levinson made in 1987, 'Tin Men' never quite found the same audience as 'Good Morning, Vietnam', which is a shame as it is arguably better, even if its lack of appeal to some is understandable. Both protagonists are, after all, very lowdown and despicable characters and while both have their occasion quirks, this is one of those films in which there is not a single likable character in sight. This is a deliberate move by Levinson though as the pair's feud is constantly contrasted against their shady business practices and salesmanship techniques, such as dropping a $5 note and insisting that it is not yours to convince a potential client of your honesty. The feud also coincides with the whole aluminum-siding industry being investigated for unfair selling practices and there is a sense that the protagonists are driven to their extremes as a result of the way they have learnt to work; "deceit is an occupational hazard" as one claims. Knowing this does not make Barbara Hershey's subplot any more credible, nor does it render either lead especially sympathetic, but it does provide some sense of perspective as the idea here is to observe how the characters operate, not to get to like them for who they are. Add in some genuinely funny moments (Dreyfuss realising that DeVito actually doesn't love his wife) and 'Tin Men' is a flawed film that still works surprisingly well. The conclusion is pitch perfect too.

j.owen8 Who would have thought that the frantic Bellboy in Mel Brooks' High Anxiety could write and direct a script of this subtlety? Being in 3 Mel Brooks films thankfully did not seem to affect him.This film is a 9 if not a 10, and repays repeated viewing , for the script,the direction,and the acting (everyone is superb,but Dreyfuss, Hershey,and DeVito are absolutely terrific).The period setting,as far as I can tell,is spot on. The reference to a future VW dealership for BB/Tilley,referred to in other comments(hinted at twice in the film) seems to miss the 'Golden Arch' that fills the final frame. The future might have been burgers as well as beetles!High Anxiety, on the other hand,represented the beginning of the end for Mel Brooks after the brilliance of The Producers,Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.The only good thing in any otherwise VERY boring High Anxiety is Mel Brooks' hilarious impersonation of Frank Sinatra singing the title song.The rest is a very laboured and dire parody of Hitchcock, where Young Frankenstein was fresh and sustained parody of James Whale's films.

Pete Mella A chance car prang by the two main protagonists leads to a drawn out snoozathon which seems to last way longer than its 110 minutes.Despite fine performances from both Devito and Dreyfuss, and the very occasional flash of laugh out loud humour in the script, serious flaws make this almost unwatchable.Firstly the characters' unbelievable reactions to events. Are we really to believe Devito is so unphased by a man stealing his wife? And are we to believe the wife Dreyfuss stole is really going to forget everything and marry him so easily, after she discovers he has lied and deceived his way into her pants simply to annoy a man who reversed into his car? And secondly, the two men's occupation hardly elicits shudders of excitement in the audience. At one point Dreyfuss says, to one of the undercover agents looking for corruption in his trade, something along the lines of: "we only sell aluminium siding. Why are you so interested?". He may as well be addressing the audience directly.Unbelievable, soporific nonsense, that cannot be saved by a fine cast and a few good jokes.

Yann Saunders I don't expect my comments to help potential viewers appreciate or not the performances of either Hershey, Dreyfuss or De Vito. My point is that, as an auto historian with a penchant for older Cadillacs, the movie did more than satisfy my interest in the "old American iron". The sets were realistic too; the opening scene was shot in the Chesapeake Cadillac dealership owned, at the time, by the brother of a car-collector friend. If any of you ever bought a car from a dealership, you will enjoy the opening scenes and Dreyfuss' repartee with the car salesman.Car lovers need to see this funny movie! Would-be con artists can also learn a few tricks from it.