Jerry and Tom

Actor Saul Rubinek made his directorial debut with this crime comedy adapted by Rick Cleveland and from his own 1994 one-act play. Hit man Tom (Joe Mantegna) and his apprentice Jerry (Sam Rockwell), wait in a deserted Chicago bar for the phone-call command to execute the hooded Stanley (Peter Riegert), sitting before them in a chair. To pass the time, Stanley tells a few jokes. Background is established as they make various hits before returning to the situation seen in the opening. The film features highly unusual visual transitions from one setting to another. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. — Bhob Stewart