Ash (Thomas Alexander) doesn’t exactly have an easy life. In fact, he has to find a new job after botching a task for his previous employer. To really appreciate his situation, though, you have to know about his jobs.
Ash started out as a hit man for the mob. He gets fired (really just sort of laid off) after making a mess of a hit and ends up as an usher at a movie theatre. There are problems with his new job, though. Well, really one problem: the public. Anyone who has ever worked with the public can sympathize, as it drains you with its idiocy and unrealistic demands. Unfortunately, he realizes this a little too late in the game, but his old ways serve him well in the meantime.
“Usher” is a subtle film that works surprisingly well. Alexander never breaks out of character, and the story comes off far more realistically than it should considering its subject matter. It’s also humorous and an excellent examination of what it means to do a job well. Example: If your job is to take care of problems in a movie theatre, is it appropriate to break bones in order to solve said problems? Ash seems to think so, proving that you can take the man out of the hit, but you can’t take the hit out of the man.
This is a rare gem of a film that goes above and beyond its cinematic duty. Go out of your way to see this one … and show the ushers some respect. You never know what they used to do before asking you to pipe down.
