Killer - Diary of a serial killer
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Killer - Diary of a serial killer |
| Original title | Killer: A Journal of Murder |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1996 |
| length | 92 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Tim Metcalfe |
| script | Tim Metcalfe |
| production |
Mark Levinson , Oliver Stone , Janet Yang |
| music | Graeme Revell |
| camera | Ken Kelsch |
| cut | Richard Gentner |
| occupation | |
| |
Killer - Diary of a serial killer (Original title: Killer: A Journal of Murder ) is an American biopic from 1996 . Directed by Tim Metcalfe , who also wrote the screenplay based on the book Killer: A Journal of Murder by Thomas E. Gaddis and James O. Long.
action
As an old man, former prison warden Henry Lesser remembers decades ago. In flashbacks , the events in the late 1920s will be shown:
Because of a break-in , Carl Panzram is detained in Leavenworth Federal Prison, where he is ill-treated by one of the guards. The newly hired supervisor Henry Lesser feels sympathy for Panzram. When he told his wife about the abuse, however, she said that Panzram was getting what he deserved.
Lesser is instructed to use a pole to check that the bars in Panzram's cell are not sawed. While the cell was being searched, he put the rod down and turned his back on Panzram. He takes the rod in his hands and speaks to him about it. Lesser explains to him that he trusts the inmate. Panzram asks him to get him pencils and paper, which the prisoners are forbidden to possess. In return, Lesser receives permission to publish Panzram's memoirs profitably. Lesser fulfills this request and becomes friends with Panzram.
Lesser learns of Panzram's negative family relationships and that he became a criminal as a child. He learns that Panzram killed 21 people as a serial killer and broke out several times. Lesser tries to convince Panzram and the judiciary that he is insane, but Panzram refuses to accept that. He confesses what he has done and asks to be sentenced to death. He declares that he wants to ... get out of these things, out of this body and out of this world ... After his conviction, Panzram was executed by hanging in 1930.
Reviews
Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times of September 6, 1996 that the film tells little about the life of the real Carl Panzram. He also does not explain why Lesser became a prison guard and felt sympathy for the "worst man in prison" .
Cinema magazine described the film as an "authentic" and "disturbing study of a criminal career" . He impressed “with his differentiated portrayal of a mass murderer” , whom James Woods “brilliantly ” portrayed as a “monstrous, vulnerable character” .
The magazine prisma described the film as a "gripping guilt-and-atonement drama" and certified the portrayal of James Woods strong intensity. It is frightening that the "man who has about a dozen people on his conscience" is not crazy.
Awards
James Woods received an award from the Sitges Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya for Best Actor in 1996 , while Tim Metcalfe was nominated for Best Picture . James Woods won the 1997 Golden Satellite Award .
backgrounds
The director and screenwriter Tim Metcalfe bought the memoirs published in the early 1960s in a second-hand bookshop and prepared the film production for the next five years. The film was shot in Connecticut and Rhode Island . It was shown in individual cinemas in the United States, where it grossed approximately 66,000 US dollars .
Web links
- Killer - Diary of a serial killer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Killer - Diary of a Serial Killer at Rotten Tomatoes (English)