Rating: 
Summary: Great cast,great director can only mean great film right?
Review: It was always obvious that Kevin Spacey would only ever assemble a first rate cast for his first movie as director, and he was as discerning with his choice of script as director as he is with his acting jobs. This movie plays like a play and tellingly the best performances come from the stage actors. Gary Sinise delivers a controlled performance that demonstrates the humanity of his character, while William Fichtner manages to carry the bulk of the humour and the horror without going over the top. The script and Spacey's direction keep the tension high despite being confined to one room for much of the movie (think 12 Angry Men - Spacey actually consulted Sidney Lumet for advice).Where the film falls down is in the weak performances of two of the most important characters, played by Matt Dillon and Faye Dunaway. Both performances are one-dimensional and affected (and Dunaway has the complexion of a Barbie doll - plastic). The rest of the cast has little to do but make the most of what they have (especially M. Emmett Walsh). See this movie. There are a lot of worse and more successful movies out there than this one. Quality's very rare these days. So make the most of it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: Director Kevin Spacey leads a superb cast who do reasonably well considering the material. Don't get me wrong, the film's idea is a good one. But this script seems more suitable as a play, than a film. Being that most of the film takes place in a one room bar. Faye Dunaway is great, as well as Gary Sinise in a subdued role. But Matt Dillion's tough guy routine seems a little forced, and by the end of the film it's a little tired. However, this is suitable start as Spacey's debut. It's enjoyable too watch, especially if you let yourself sink into it, and try not too deconstruct it's flaws.
Rating:
Summary: Strong debuts from Kevin Spacey and Christian Forte
Review: Strong, strong debuts from Kevin Spacey as director and Christian Forte as writer. Strong cast, except for Faye Dunaway, who is apparently still channeling Joan Crawford, or maybe Bette Davis. Sinise is a winner, as is Dillon. Nice to see M. Emmett Walsh still getting quality work. Has its share of "first-time director" problems, including a number of really awkward transitions and jump cuts right in the middle of the second act, but Spacey is a directing talent to watch for in the future. Too bad Forte didn't follow-up such a muscular debut with something equally well-crafted.
Rating:
Summary: A chilling and entertaining movie
Review: "Albino Alligator" is a movie about three thieves that take a few people at a New Orleans bar hostage. The criminals don't really mean any of the hostages any harm, at least not until the police start to wait right outside the bar and the three criminals don't know what to do to get out with freedom still on their side. "Albino Alligator" is a pretty good movie, especially when you consider that it was the first movie that Kevin Spacey directed. It's not the best movie of its kind, but it's not bad either. It all happens inside a bar in the basement of a building and the plot doesn't change much the whole movie, but it does have a few interesting twists that keep the movie from being boring. All three of the criminals do a great job in the acting department, especially Matt Dillon. The hostages, led by Faye Dunaway, also do a good job of acting. This movie is both chilling and entertaining, and I recommend anybody who likes movies that center around criminals and hostages to get "Albino Alligator."
Rating: 
Summary: I stayed awake, so what did I fail to see?
Review: The selection at Blockbuster seemed unusually dreary, so I focused on ALBINO ALLIGATOR for the simple reason that Faye Dunaway was in the cast, and I hadn't seen her in awhile. I admit to having a mild crush on her since the original THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR. Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise and William Fichtner star as three small-time, New Orleans crooks who bungle a warehouse heist, and then take refuge in a basement bar after being involved in an auto accident during the getaway, at which time the Sinise character is injured going through the windshield. And, by the way, during the getaway they mash into the pavement a cop involved in an unrelated Federal stakeout. At any rate, once in the bar, which has no rear entrance, they're surrounded by the local SWAT team and assorted TV news vans. However, they do have five hostages: the bar's owner, the bartender (Dunaway), and three wee hour customers. ALBINO ALLIGATOR is the directorial debut of Kevin Spacey, an actor of considerable talent. While I won't go so far as to say that this first effort was badly directed, the script wasn't worth his time and energy. Unless he's more selective, Kevin should stay with his bread-and-butter job. Curiously, the film just didn't have that "movie" feel. It reminded me more of a filmed stage production. Furthermore, the "albino alligator" reference, ostensibly a ruse by which alligators send out an albino to flush out foes, had absolutely no application in the storyline. At least, none that I discerned even after thinking about it for several minutes. I was even watching with my glasses on. To be evenhanded, the Fichtner character, a real psycho, was chillingly done. And Faye is still a Babe, even at this late date. On the other hand, the Dillon and Sinise characters, plus the cop-in-charge role-played by Joe Mantegna, were notably nondescript. And what illegal substance was somebody on when that Guy character was envisioned? (Was this an actors' afternoon workshop, by any chance?) The film's greatest weakness, for me, was the ending. Without giving anything away, the survivors of the ordeal were not all those you'd expect. I got the feeling the scriptwriter was trying to illustrate a great truth - a "morale to the story", so to speak. Somebody please tell me what it was!
Rating: 
Summary: The Spaceman's Directorial Debut
Review: I bought this DVD purely to hear the feature-length director's commentary by THE MAN himself, Kevin Spacey. I wasn't disappointed. It's like hearing a course on acting, cinematography, and almost every aspect of film-making, plus some amusing stories along the way. What really surprised me was how good the film turned out to be. I was so engrossed with the drama, that I paused the DVD to turn off (egads!) Mr. Spacey's narration to concentrate on the action. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Spacey Turns Director With Tense Hostage Drama
Review: Barely a year after rocketing to stardom as an actor, Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey debuts as director with a quirky, tense film about bungling hoodlums holding five hostages in a basement bar in New Orleans "That would have been a very scary set if you had a director who wasn't an actor's director," said Matt Dillon, who plays the hoodlum leader. "Each week got more and more intense." Dillon plays a morally ambiguous character unsure of what to do after he and his partners set off a burglar alarm, flee in panic, then become mistaken targets of a siege commanded by federal agents seeking a gun-smuggler. Dillon tries to assure his good-hearted brother (Gary Sinise) that the hostages won't be killed, yet is swayed by the pressures of a more vicious partner (William Fichtner).
Rating: 
Summary: Rank!
Review: This movie is convoluted and so hard to follow. It is not worth the effort. These characters are all fine one on one, but they do not come together well for a coherent story. I like Kevin Spacey quite a bit, but he needs to stay in front of the camera. It's a nightmare you will want to avoid!!
Rating:
Summary: A chilling and entertaining movie
Review: "Albino Alligator" is a movie about three thieves that take a few people at a New Orleans bar hostage. The criminals don't really mean any of the hostages any harm, at least not until the police start to wait right outside the bar and the three criminals don't know what to do to get out with freedom still on their side. "Albino Alligator" is a pretty good movie, especially when you consider that it was the first movie that Kevin Spacey directed. It's not the best movie of its kind, but it's not bad either. It all happens inside a bar in the basement of a building and the plot doesn't change much the whole movie, but it does have a few interesting twists that keep the movie from being boring. All three of the criminals do a great job in the acting department, especially Matt Dillon. The hostages, led by Faye Dunaway, also do a good job of acting. This movie is both chilling and entertaining, and I recommend anybody who likes movies that center around criminals and hostages to get "Albino Alligator."
Rating:
Summary: Avoid
Review: DO NOT BUY THIS MOVIE. Sounds good on paper but throughout the whole film, NOTHING HAPPENS. Unfortunately, I kept waiting for the payoff. Believe me, there isn't one.
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