Great World of Sound

Great writing and solid ensemble performances from unfamiliar actors make this gem of a drama stick in the memory. Director/co-writer Craig Zobel uses a cinema verite style with a theatrically formal plot to create a thought-provoking and nuanced character study. There is an anti-capitalist ethic smuggled into the story of two men—Martin (Pat Healy) and Clarence (Kene Holliday) who get jobs working as talent scouts for a record production company know as "Great World of Sound." Timid Martin leaves his artsy girlfriend (Rebecca Mader) at home while he travels with Clarence to places like Biloxi and Birmingham auditioning local musicians for the privilege of putting up money to help the company pay for demo recording and distribution costs. The scam wears on Martin as he and Clarence become the company’s best sales team. There’s a trace of David Mamet’s "Glengarry Glen Ross" in the tone that gives bite to the sour charm of two different but decent men turned hucksters. A broad range of original music, performed to perfection on several occasions, gives the movie an innate spontaneity. "Great World of Sound" is a sleeper independent film destined to become an underground classic.

Rated R, 106 mins. (A-) (Four Stars)