Rivalry At 6 P.M.

Author(s): Patrick D.
Location: Long Island, NY

“Rivalry at 6 P.M."

Directed by Marc Forster
Written by Brian Nelson

Principal Cast:

Ray Winstone as Brendan Ward
Ethan Hawke as Edward Robbins
Winona Ryder as Eileen Robbins
Eric Bogosian as Oliver Gilroy
Tim Roth as Michael Greener

Tagline: "Lives are destroyed, friends turn to enemies, ratings go up"

Synopsis: When popular talk radio host Brendan Ward (Winstone) takes the young and charismatic Edward Robbins (Hawke) under his wing, the two become inseperable. Brendan begins to teach Edward the rules of the radio, and even begins to give Edward guest spots on his show. Edward brings in more listeners, and ratings go up. Their friendship is so great, that Edward names Brendan his best man when he gets married to his long-time girlfriend, Eileen (Ryder). But when Edward begins to wear out his welcome on Brendan's show and do things his way, taking Brendan's serious while slightly humorous show and turning it into a "make fun of ________" show, he is fired.

Soon after he is fired, Edward is hired by Oliver Gilroy (Bogosian), and gets his own radio show. The only problem is that he is in the same timeslot as Brendan's show. Edward's show premieres to amazing ratings, which begins to annoy Brendan. Brendan then begins to put pressure on Edward to change his timeslot, but he cannot. He tries to explain to Brendan that he doesn't control the time, his boss does. This is one of the sparks that ignites the powder-keg.

Brendan begins a comical yet personal new skit to his show, which insults Edward and his show. When Edward learns of this, he buys commercial spots to Brendan's show, urging viewers to listen to Edward's. Eventually, the two have a live conversation on the radio, which starts out calm but turns hostile. A day after this conversation, Brendan goes on-air and threatens to rape Edward's wife. Brendan is fired, and takes it upon himself to ruin Edward's career, and life.

What the press would say:

Imagine the conversation scene from Heat between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, now imagine it for two hours and imagine it being one-hundred times more exciting. That's the basic equivalent of "Rivalry at 6 P.M". What starts out as a friendship turns into a dangerous rivalry in this new film by Marc Forster, which proves that he is one of the best directors of his generation. Ray Winstone (Brendan) and Ethan Hawke (Edward) take an already amazing script and add onto it. Ethan is perfect in his role as the cocky yet well-meaning talk radio wanna-be. While Ray gives the preformance of a lifetime as Brendan's complex and psychologically unstable tudor. While the two main preformances fight to steal scenes, that's not to say that the supporting cast is any weaker. Winona Ryder (Eileen, Edward's wife) gives a comeback preformance, filled with intensity and emotion. She also gives one of the more realistic crying scenes I've seen in the past decade. Bravo Ms. Ryder. Other supporting roles come from Eric Bogosian, playing a older version of Barry Champlain, and Tim Roth, playing one of Brendan's good friends. This dialogue-heavy thriller certainly feels more like a action film than a drama, but that's what it is, a blistering drama. There is never a moment where you aren't caught up in the characters actions, and by the end of the film you are emotionally drained, thanks to a ending that will have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief. Highly Reccomended.

Best Picture
Best Director: Marc Forster
Best Original Screenplay: Brian Nelson
Best Actor: Ray Winstone
Best Supporting Actor: Ethan Hawke
Best Supporting Actor: Eric Bogosian
Best Supporting Actress: Winona Ryder