You’d think that if Robert Redford produced a movie and Al Pacino starred in it, the final product would be pretty amazing. People I Know is an intriguing story, but it’s also a real downer. It’s full of unpleasant people lacking in morality and decency, and they all spend the movie screwing each other over.
At the center of the story is Eli Wurman (Al Pacino), a press agent from the old school who just plays the game so he can get the perks. Unfortunately, he’s stayed in the game so long that the rules have changed. In the sixties, Eli’s connections may have allowed him to march with Martin Luther King, Jr., but today they’re just as likely to get him killed.
Eli’s star client is Cary Launer (Ryan O’Neal), and in order to get him to appear at his civil rights benefit, Eli must do one last favor. He must bail Jilli Hopper (the sometimes cute, but essentially talentless Tea Leoni) out of jail. The business is all about having connections and pulling strings, so Eli retrieves Jilli and attempts to keep an eye on her for the rest of the night. This is far easier said than done: Jilli is a slutty, pill-popping starlet with an opium habit, and it seems that she’s been taking some incriminating video in an opium den/whorehouse frequented by some very influential people. When Eli accompanies her to the opium den, he ties himself to a very dangerous situation.
Back at the ranch, er, hotel, Eli’s declining health and vigor are obvious. Clearly it’s time to pack it in and settle down, but this night with Jilli will jeopardize everything. After climbing into the tub for a rest, Eli witnesses Jilli’s murder through a fog of half-sleep and drugs. It is an event he won’t properly recall even after hearing about it on the morning news. Though Eli is not a suspect in the murder, he has made some very powerful enemies simply by knowing too much.
We then watch as Eli puts everything into his fundraiser, trying to rally disloyal friends, and learning that the people he knows aren’t so great after all. Looking and feeling like holy hell, Eli attempts to organize one last hurrah before getting out of the game. You see, Eli’s brother’s widow, Victoria (Kim Basinger), has always loved him, and now they finally have a second chance. She has a quiet house in the country, and Eli’s going back with her as soon as the dinner is over. Basinger has a stately, calming presence in the film—I’m really quite impressed with her recent work.
Like so many Pacino films, People I Know becomes a race to the finish line. Can he pull off the dinner and get out of town? “Go, Eli, go,” you’re thinking, but it doesn’t do a lick of good. He’s part of a dirty industry, and it’s bound to catch up with him one way or another.
Eli Wurman is like a variety of other Pacino characters—old fashioned, world-weary, and lonely – but it never seems as though he’s repeating himself. He takes certain personality types into different situations, tweaking the recipe, and testing the outcome. He finds love in Sea of Love, career triumph in Any Given Sunday, but in People I Know, suffers a tragic fate. Though the characters are similar, their circumstances determine how they fare. I don’t know if Al chooses these roles on purpose, but it lends a literary quality to his career, and if I ever get the chance, I sure would like to talk to him about it.
