It would have been unsurprising if, in his seventh decade, Jack Lemmon had decided to take it easy.
Yet, by joining the excellent ensemble cast of Glengarry Glen Ross (Pearl, 9.30pm), the Harvard-educated actor went to extremes and pitted his talents against the wits of Al Pacino, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin.
In fact, Lemmon received some of the best reviews of his distinguished career for the portrayal of Shelley 'The Machine' Levene.
The story, a tempered version of David Mamet's play, is set in a slumping Chicago real estate office. The unseen owners have created a sales contest and they send a corporate hitman (Alec Baldwin) to tell the staff.
At the end of the month, the top salesman is to receive a car; the second, a set of steak knives; the bottom two will get fired.
The announcement means nothing to the flamboyant Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), who could have sold democracy to Mao Zedong.