2 Hatchets

In the new film Boiler Room (New Line Cinema) Seth Davis (Giovani Ribisi, The Other Sister) finds himself in the thick of New York City, where money transcends happiness. The film attempts to uncover the distinct dishonesty and selfish motives that often color Wall Street. Unfortunately, it remains too riddled with problems to relay its theme effectively.

As a college dropout running an underground casino for minors, Davis doesn’t makes big bucks or earn the respect of his father that he sorely needs. Enter the opportunities at J.T. Marlin, a small brokerage firm that abounds with Armani suits and Ferraris. How could life go wrong when J.T. Marlin offers paid training and the promise that you will make your first million in three years?

Davis’ extraordinary talents for earning rips (commissions) and catching whales (rich investors) skyrockets him into a position as a successful member of the firm. As his cash flow increases, he slowly learns about the web of lies at J.T. Marlin. Davis then must decide if he should he give up the money, power and fame.

Ribisi, who probably is best remembered for his appearances on Friends as Phoebe’s long-lost brother, retains the same blank stare and dry inflection seen in his other performances. Ribisi is not believable as the innocent bystander caught in an unethical situation, and each successive scene does little to solve this ambiguity. Instead, the movie unfolds predictably, creating no real connection with Seth Davis as a person and arousing no concern for his future.

As Boiler Room progresses, the movie experiences a devastating loss of focus. Many of the characters and story lines are written to shed light on certain aspects of Davis and his circumstances. But the film never breaks through the surface to unearth all Davis’ complexities. As a result, the complexities become merely loose ends.

Davis’ sexual relationship with the firm’s secretary, played by Nia Long (The Best Man), comes across as a one-night stand rather than a compelling love story in the midst of decadence. The role of Davis’ father and the animosity between Davis and his advisor are both extra pieces of insignificant information that easily could have been cut from the film without losing anything.

All of the supporting roles are played by inexperienced actors such as Vin Diesel and Tom Everett Scott, who do not have the skills to make a supporting character shine.

The movie should have stuck to the core subject matter displayed in the scenes at the office and the after hours at the bars and homes. These scenes show an eerie glimpse into stockbrokers’ obsession with power and excess.

The degrading comments of the male protagonists and the soundtrack of heavy-hitting rap lyrics demonstrate a distorted temperament of anger and hate that the movie should have exploited to depict Davis’ evolution from an average guy to a slicked-hair snake in the grass. The expensive cars, gorgeous suits and immense houses aptly give a sense of the money that these millionaires throw around to solve their problems, but they are not enough to balance out the lackluster performances by the actors or the confusing plot.