Handsome Harry (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Aug 01, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Bette GordonRelease Date(s)
2009 (June 24, 2025)Studio(s)
Worldview Entertainment (Kino Lorber)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
Handsome Harry centers on a group of former Navy buddies who have gone on from events of a hazily remembered night of heavy drinking. This often disturbing look at men grappling with questionable decisions made in their youth also examines men’s macho attitudes about manhood.
Harry Sweeney (Jamey Sheridan) is 52 years old. He’s an electrician in a small town and enjoys his simple life. A natural charmer, he’s well liked. On the surface, he’s the coolest guy in town.
But Harry’s life is a mess. He’s divorced and has a shaky relationship with his grown son. Harry is acutely aware that there’s probably less time in front of him than behind, and he’s dissatisfied with his present life. Things take a darker turn for Harry when he receives a call from former Navy buddy Tommy Kelly (Steve Buscemi).
In the hospital and fearing his imminent death, Tommy seeks forgiveness for an incident that occurred 32 years earlier, during the Vietnam War. He and Harry were part of a group of Navy electricians. One of the electricians, David Kagan (Campbell Scott), made a pass at Harry in the shower. The others saw this and, together with Harry, beat David badly. At one point, someone dropped a heavy piece of machinery on David’s hand, an especially cruel act since David was a pianist. Tommy implores Harry to track down David and the other members of the group so he can apologize to them all. His request opens old sores, but Harry feels compelled to face the truth about what happened.
Harry embarks on a road trip to visit his old buddies, and sees that each of them has aged differently. Porter (Aidan Quinn), now a university professor, has left his past behind almost completely yet harbors regrets about unresolved issues. Gebhardt (Titus Welliver) has done well in business but is married to a paraplegic. Rheems (John Savage) seems to be hanging on by a thread. He drinks to ease some of his day-to-day pain. His wife (Mariann Mayberry) wastes little time in propositioning Harry, and Harry witnesses the veritable collapse of their marriage.
Eventually, Harry finds David, the victim of the beating that left his hand permanently disfigured. The meeting is tough, but it offers them an opportunity to be up front and honest about the beating. Rather than angry or indignant, David is surprisingly calm and thoughtful as they analyze what precipitated the beating and why Harry participated.
Director Bette Gordon incorporates brief flashbacks of the men (played by younger actors) during the night of the beating and events immediately preceding it to provide background. In the flashbacks, it’s not always clear which actor is which character, but that may be the point. The group acted as one, with none speaking up to prevent the violence. All share a degree of guilt. All but one—David, who was permanently damaged by their homophobia.
Sheridan is effective as the central character. He makes clear Harry’s reluctance to undertake this mission of redemption, his ultimate resolve in accepting it, and the way he heaps yet another layer of guilt upon himself by prioritizing the mission when his son drops in for a weekend visit.
Buscemi, gaunt and hollow-eyed, is touching as the buddy on his deathbed. He has only one scene, but he makes the best of it. Buscemi makes Tommy real and down to earth with his easy spewing of coarse language and self-deprecation. Yet he’s sincere in wanting to have his apology conveyed.
Savage’s Rheems is a series of tics and mannerisms that show deep-seated anguish, his features contorted by pent-up rage. Savage plays Rheems on two levels. On one, he’s the good buddy, happy to see an old friend. On the other, he’s an embittered man, struggling to hold things together. Savage masks his depression with a smile and a “good ol’ boy” manner.
Welliver’s Gebhardt is coolly distant. A born-again Christian, Gebhardt has his own troubles, which he must tend to daily, and refuses to be ensnared in group guilt. Cautious, suspicious, guarded, Welliver conveys reluctance to revisit old wounds. A golf sequence on the surface is a pleasant divertissement for the two men, but Welliver turns it into a sort of confessional, defending while accepting his part in heinous actions.
Aidan Quinn, when we first see him, is assured, confident, and at ease. When Harry enters Porter’s classroom, Quinn’s attitude shifts. First, he denies knowing Harry, but when Harry persists, he resorts to a physical attack. Back in Porter’s office, Quinn is calmer and more focused on the seriousness of Harry’s mission. He listens intently, digests, and responds unemotionally. Quinn suggests he’s willing to help by his thoughtful expression.
Karen Young plays waitress Muriel, who works at Harry’s preferred lunch place. Young is subtle in her performance but clearly conveys that Muriel likes Harry. Muriel flirts with Harry even though he takes little interest in her, until he realizes he may have been ignoring something good.
The script’s fascination comes from the revelations that occur along Harry’s road trip. The film plays like a mystery. There are no dead bodies, but missing puzzle pieces to a troubling night are gradually revealed and fall into place. With a brief running time, the film’s pace is brisk, and the fine cast brings the characters to life even though each has limited screen time.
Handsome Harry was captured digitally by director of photography Nigel Bluck in the ARRIRAW codec with Arriflex D-21 cameras with Cooke Xtal Express lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The Blu-ray’s aspect ratio is 1.78:1. Clarity and contrast are excellent, with a broad color palette ranging from subdued, earthy hues to muted primary tones. Some lovely countryside is shown when Harry visits the homes of his former Navy pals. Flashbacks are slightly out of focus to suggest the alcohol-induced haze the men were in years earlier. The lush green of a golf fairway pops, and Rheems’ picture-perfect home contrasts with the inner turmoil within his family. Scenes between Harry and David take place at night in a dimly lit restaurant as the two men finally come to terms with events of three decades past.
There are two soundtrack options: English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an option. Dialogue dominates the film as Harry visits each of the men. Their dialogue is measured, indicating the difficulty each man has accepting his part in the group beating. Ambient noise is heard in scenes in a local restaurant, and car motors break the silence of the rural settings as Harry drives from one former friend’s home to the next.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber include the following:
- Audio Commentary by Bette Gordon
- Audio Commentary by Jamey Sheridan
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (11:24)
- Trailer (2:04)
- Luminous Motion Trailer (1:32)
- Variety Trailer (2:13)
Commentary #1 – Director Bette Gordon says the basic plot of Handsome Harry hinges on five Navy buddies whose friendship comes together at a jazz club. Jumaane Smith provided all the jazz cues used in the film. Gordon is drawn to stories in which color and texture are important. It was important that intimacy and tension among characters be conveyed. Gordon responded to the emotional depth of Harry. He never lets others get too close, and his life gradually unravels. Sheridan’s physicality made him a good choice for the role. He’s an intuitive actor. Gordon speaks about the development of the script and how she and Sheridan shaped his performance. He was involved in every stage of of production. The phone call to Harry from Tommy is a call to action to make amends for an incident that occurred three decades earlier. Flashbacks provide fragments of Harry’s suppressed memories. Welliver’s performance contains dramatic nuance. Muriel’s a tough-talking woman who would like a romantic relationship with Harry. During production, there were often twenty camera set-ups per day, so filming had to move briskly. Improvisation led to some surprisingly effective moments, such as Harry and David speaking in the cab. Gordon is judicious with her commentary so that key scenes play without distraction, illustrating techniques she identifies.
Commentary #2 – Actor Jamey Sheridan speaks about working with Steve Buscemi. He also worked with Campbell Scott when they played brothers in a Broadway production of Long Days Journey Into Night. Of Scott, Sheridan notes, “He’s a great friend.” He reminisces about old jazz joints in Greenwich Village that inspired the jazz club seen in flashback in Handsome Harry. The men in the film blame their past actions on booze. Decisions about Harry’s character were made by Sheridan and Gordon together. The film was shot in the Hudson Valley, with all locations in the same area. Each actor had a different approach to his role. Overall, Sheridan’s commentary is fairly sparse. It seems he’s watching the film more than offering insights or talking about production details. It would have been interesting to hear more about how each actor approached his role. Gordon’s commentary is far more informative, so if you listen to only one commentary, make it hers.
Behind-the-Scenes Featurette – It took a couple of years to raise the money to make Handsome Harry. Director Bette Gordon thought immediately of Jamey Sheridan for the lead. Gordon loved the idea of a man hiding from his past. Sheridan was riveted when he read the script. Cast members offer their thoughts on the making of the film and their roles in it. Campbell Scott is interviewed as his “bad hand” is being made up. The film deals with the darkness within individuals. Every actor was in top form and wanted to work with Jamey Sheridan. The personal bond between Scott and Sheridan was helpful in their creating an authentic relationship on screen. Jumaane Smith, composer of the film’s jazz cues, tells how he came to be hired. The trumpet served as a lament to Harry’s experience. Director Gordon wanted to uncover how a person dealing with guilt and haunted by the past finds truth.
Handsome Harry is engaging in its portrait of middle-aged men forced to revisit an event from years earlier that has haunted them ever since. It’s a small film with excellent performances and a solid, thoughtful script. Director Bette Gordon balances the film’s dialogue with interesting shots that open up the action. Using five characters as the buddies limits the screen time of each. Buscemi and Welliver, in particular, have little more than extended cameos. Savage and Scott fare better, but reducing the group to four might have allowed the script to delve more deeply into each man.
- Dennis Seuling