''People I Know'' is a 2002

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Daniel Algrant and stars

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Al Pacino, numerous accolades: including an Aca ...

, Kim Basinger, and Téa Leoni. The film received mixed reviews, with

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

giving a rating of 43%.

Plot

Eli Wurman (

) is an aging, burnt-out Jewish publicist whose best days are well behind him and wishes to retire from his line of work, but all he knows is how to hustle, cajole, threaten, and persuade. The hazy mania of his everyday life is fuelled by a steady stream of prescription drugs and alcohol. One night, Eli's last remaining "big client" Cary Launer (

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Pla ...

) – an actor considering a campaign for political office – entreats Eli to take care of his latest publicity mess, a dangerous liaison with Jilli Hopper ( Téa Leoni), a hard-shelled, quick-tongued television actress with a soft centre and a taste for illegal drugs. The actress takes Eli to a drug-and-sex den, a playground for the rich and famous, where she claims to be looking for a toy. Jilli is escorted off the premises by security. As she demands to know where her toy is, she finds it and tells the guards, "I got all of you now." Eli is too stoned to understand the exchange. Eli takes her back to the hotel room, where he takes more pills and passes out right after witnessing what appears to be the actress's rape and murder. In his opiate daze, he cannot be sure. By the next morning, the memory is buried. Eli needs to pull together a charity benefit. He is tempted to leave New York for good with Victoria ( Kim Basinger), Eli's former sister-in-law and widow of his deceased brother. Victoria's feelings for Eli are mutual and she genuinely cares about and desires him. She offers him life away from his current lifestyle. However, Eli is hesitant, for she is his brother's widow. But, his work is interrupted by the police who question him and by acquaintances trying to ascertain how much Eli has seen and recalls. Eli finally realizes he is involved in something politically dangerous, and powerful forces are at play to keep his mouth shut. As he strives to bring together the people he knows – members of the Black and Jewish communities, film stars, and media – for the grand fundraiser, Eli's life is in grave danger. Eli struggles with remembering exactly what happened that night. Through a series of flashbacks combined with visits from the people he knows, the viewer learns that Eli's life is in danger when Eli fails to realize the danger. However, it is revealed that the people Eli trusts are the people who are threatened by the photos. Eli pulls off a successful event surrounded by these individuals. Unfortunately, his success is comprehended after he is killed by the people who made it a success.

Cast

as Eli Wurman * Kim Basinger as Victoria Gray *

as Cary Launer * Téa Leoni as Jilli Hopper *

Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing ...

as Elliot Sharansky * Bill Nunn as The Reverend Lyle Brunt *

Robert Klein Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (19 ...

as Dr. Sandy Napier * Mark Webber as Ross

Filming

The filming took place in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in February 2001.

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released in late 2001. Following the terrorist attacks on

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, however, the film was postponed to an October 2002 release, due to the film containing shots of the World Trade Center. However, the shots of the World Trade Center were removed from the film before its release. They can be found on the DVD release.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. On

it was given a rating of 43%, making it "rotten." The consensus was that the plot is derivative and incoherent, and that it does not engage the viewer. ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' gave a largely positive review, awarding four stars out of five, noting: "May be a slow-burn, but despite its lack of success elsewhere, it’s still more than worthy of its long-delayed cinema release. Discerning audiences willing to invest in the characters will soon warm to the downbeat story and

’s subdued performance – especially the scenes he shares with

Basinger Basinger is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara Fugger (1419–1497), born Barbara Basinger, German businessperson and banker * David Basinger (fl. from 1986), American academic * Jeanine Basinger (born 1936), Amer ...

." BBC called it an "intriguing but deeply flawed thriller." ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

's'' review observed: "With its uncertainties of tone, this is a mess, full of misplaced performances (not least Basinger as Eli's supportive sister-in-law), misfires and moral inconsistencies. But its rebellious spirit is commendable."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:People I Know 2002 films 2002 crime drama films American crime drama films English-language German films German crime drama films Films about actors Miramax films Impact of the September 11 attacks on cinema Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films directed by Daniel Algrant Films produced by Michael Nozik Films scored by Terence Blanchard 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s German films