after matt dillon phenomenal performance in crash and most will probably rush to pick up a copy of factotum to see if dillon be for real or simply get a lucky rebound from a great script . well and factotum certainly have it moment and but the plainness of . everything will most likely turn viewer off . however nothing should be take away from dillon . his performance be wonderful and full of excellent deadpan humor and proving he a solid actor with significant chop while it just a shame about the directing and script . the story be about henry hank chinaski ( dillon ) and his refusal to conform to anything resemble normalcy . he quit or get fire from job in mere minute and only to find himself back in a dreary pub meeting even dreary woman while try to write a nonconformist novel . we never really know what the novel be about except that it involve everything ( cancer and movie and you and me ) . skip from workplace to workplace and constantly return to jan ( lili taylor and the haunting ) and a loser girlfriend who just as dispirit a himself and hank try vainly to discover what his life be suppose to hold for him . whether he ever learn what that be be up for interpretation . some may say that he never do and while others might argue that his life be simply a path to obscurity . regardless and there not much substance to factotum even with matt dillon fine performance . the story meander through hank life without much thought give a to where to take the audience . and that a shame . dillon performance would have shine even brighter if give a decent script .