The main character is an alcoholic hitman for the Polish mob in Buffalo, NY.

That sentence sums up, in most part, why I rented this movie – the combination of traits and locale were just too interesting to pass up.  Once I got to the store and saw that Ben Kingsley was the hitman, that sealed the deal.  I knew, somehow, that I was going to thoroughly enjoy this flick. 

Frank Falenczyk (Kingsley) finds that his livelihood as an assasin is threatened by his unfortunate attraction to the bottle.  When he drinks himself into a sound sleep and misses the target of his latest assignment, his crime family (who also happens to corner the market on the snow plow business) sends him to San Fransisco to rehab and recollect himself.  He goes grudgingly, only to find that his inner demons truly are holding him back.  He has a job arranged for him as a funeral assistant, of all things, and the more he has the time to reflect on his situation, the more his character changes for the better. 

Tea Leoni and Luke Wilson play the love interest and AA sponsor respectively, and very well.  While Frank’s family is feeling the effects of his absence while fending off the Irish rival family back home, he experiences a path of discovery, pain, happiness and understanding on the opposite coast.

This is a fantastic tale of introspection, and the pace was one of the strangest in any of the movies I’ve seen.  Even the dialogue had a staccato-like feel to it, which enhanced the main character’s shut-in personality and made it even that much more enjoyable when he opened up.  The humor was extremely dry, which I prefer, and had me laughing at many points in the film.  However, that’s not to say that the comedy wasn’t tempered with a fair share of real drama.  Frank’s personal growth throughout the movie offers many opportunities for true character interaction, and they payoff well.  At it’s heart, the movie allows everyone to relate to Frank because it’s not about an assassin, it’s about being happy and feeling worth.

While this movie was more of a character piece, the plot was still present and well-written, and it had all the elements to balance it out.  Great film, simply put.