AllMovie

A man at the end of his emotional rope finally explodes, but not in a way anyone would have expected in this offbeat independent drama. Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is a middle-aged nebbish working in an office building where few people know who he is and fewer still care. Bob has developed a seething hatred and resentment of those around him, and has taken to carrying a gun to work in the hope that one day he'll have the courage to take down some of his co-workers. However, one day another man working in the office snaps and opens fire; Bob grabs his weapon and kills the shooter, but not before the gunman wounds Vanessa (Elisha Cuthbert), a pretty girl who works there. Bob unwittingly becomes a hero, and is applauded for stopping the menace and saving Vanessa's life. However, as Bob keeps an eye on Vanessa at the hospital (where she may now be paralyzed for life), his sudden transformation in the eyes of others only leaves him more unsettled and disturbed. Also starring William H. Macy and Jamison Jones, He Was A Quiet Man received its world premiere at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival.