Actor Saul Rubinek’s impressive directorial debut is an engaging black comedy about two hitmen (Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell) who moonlight as used car salesmen. Imagine a Quentin Tarantino film without the endless pop culture references and a healthy dose of David Mamet-laced dialogue instead. Tom is the older, more experienced killer while Jerry is the younger, dumber protege. The film explores the ten-year relationship of these two men punctuated by a number of hilarious stories Tom tells about their boss Vic’s famous past hits that seem to include such illustrious prey as JFK and Elvis. What makes Jerry and Tom work so well is Rubinek’s confident direction. It is clever without drawing too much attention to itself, it has a witty screenplay by Rick Cleveland that is filled with comic setpieces and witty dialogue, and a solid cast that features the likes of Joe Mantegna, Maury Chaykin, Charles Durning, and William H. Macy. These are actors who know what to do with a good script. It seems like all involved had a blast making this film and this translates into a good time for the audience as well.
