The opening sequence simply threw me into the mood, in a way that I'd expect to see in a movie revolving around this job, not in a movie that simply jumps off this mood into a romantic comedy.
It also felt a notch or two above the following scenes, which begs the question-
Is this sequence original, or is it a large reference/nod to an older movie that did it even better?
It's a rehash of the opening scene of "Metropolis", which looks virtually identical.
"These pretzels are making me thirsty!"
Sure, it's a reference to the hallucination scene in "Metropolis", but there were some comical additions, and drearier aspects to Tom Hank's character's weary shuffling off to work that makes the scenes stand apart from the original. Dan Hedaya mindlessly arguing on the phone was a great touch too.
shareThe best scene in the movie is when he leaves the doctors office. You can just about feel what the character is going through without him saying a word. The Ray Charles backround music was just perfect for this scene too.
shareYep. I had to get that song on a Ray Charles compilation years later. Great, great moment. I've seen it on my tv screen many times, but there's something about the big screen that makes the brickwall look so, well, big, and Joe look so tiny.
shareIsn't Joe actually a victim of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)? As a fireman who saved people, it got to him. He quit the fire department and took the crappy (safe) job shown in the start of the movie. He had to go through the rest of it to essentially be cured.
Gregg.