The Killing Jar (2010) Reviews

• A Small Town Thriller with a Big Heart

  sorandor2010-08-22

  When i first saw this movie appear on my local DVD store shelf, i wondered why it never saw light of day at my local cinema. Michael Madsen and Amber Benson are the main stars here, and they put in a couple of fine performances. Possibly Michael Madsen most similar performance since his infamous role one in Reservoir Dogs. In fact, there is even a "Mr Green" here too! The film is shot entirely in one location (a diner) during one particular night. The diner is home to Noreen, a waitress who although unsatisfied with her job, is the type of small town girl who is happy to just do it. Meanwhile, the patrons comprise of various people who are stopping by on their way through, and we get to know each one a little more in detail as the movie progresses. The movie flows along at a steady pace, and the director ensures this is maintained throughout the movie. This is a positive thing, as it allows us to enter the small town philosophy a little easier. The music throughout is also excellently chosen, and by the time the titles came up at the end i was ready to rush out and buy the CD. However, one essential thing to take into account when you watch this movie is, don't take it too seriously. I became a little frustrated at why some parts of the story weren't removed and other parts put in. For example, why out of two strangers who walk into a diner does Noreen warm to one, and alienate the other all based on a radio report? And why doesn't the director utilise the video camera that the 2 kids bring to the diner to add some depth to the plot? But maybe this on purpose, as a red herring for people who look too deep into plot lines. Putting these small gripes aside, if you enjoy a small town thriller that may have a small budget, but sure has a big heart, fried up with a couple of fine performances then this is a great Saturday night movie. I certainly enjoyed it, and whilst it wont go down as a classic, i would recommend it for those late night Saturday blues, its intriguing, exciting, but if you're looking for a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this isn't the one for you.

• A thriller only playing in one location

  playboy69-12010-08-21

  The movie plays in a little coffee-bar only, different people come together. It's an interesting play of tension and violence. The movie is professional done while it's still a rather cheap production (probably the salary for Michael Madsen and the other actors was by far the most expensive thing). Good actors in this movie, good acting by them. It's by far not a brilliant movie, I wouldn't even say it's very good. It's a good movie, an OK movie, that is quite entertaining and let's the time go by fast. You will want to see it through to the end after the first 20 or so minutes at least that's how it was for me. A must for Michael Madsen Fans, and still a possibility for everyone else.

• A mysterious stranger enters a diner and is accused of murder. He turns the tables and secrets are reveled. Just OK. I say C

  cosmo_tiger2011-02-18

  When a mysterious stranger (Madsen) enters a diner after news of a killing spree, secrets become revealed. After hearing about a brutal killing, a mysterious stranger comes in to a diner at closing time. The waitress and the six customers begin to think this stranger is the killer. After taking control of the situation the stranger begins to uncover secrets of the hostages. Not everyone is who they seem to be. This is yet another movie with a lot of potential but doesn't keep your attention. There are some pretty intense parts but overall pretty slow moving. It's not terrible but not a great first choice for nightly entertainment. I give it a C. Would I watch again? - No, this is a movie that doesn't get better with repeated viewings.

• The Actors Studio!

  pdmanske2013-08-02

  Grabastic - I'm a channel flipper and I stopped flipping for this little gem. The movie was all about acting, it reminded me of 12 Angry Men or Night Of The Living Dead as it took place in a small space and was packed with tension and personalities. Bloody movie if you want street cred. You really didn't know who would be shot next or how or why. Micheal Madsen filled his type cast as a deranged thug and the rest of the cast played through acting school chops. Madsen got to ham it up and his experience showed. The writing was well done and tightly edited. Jake Busey as always bought the air of chaos and wildness along and fleshed his character out well. You could really imagine the actors walking around the green room with a script and talking to themselves.

• Nearly perfect script and stellar acting make this claustrophobic blood fest a minor classic

  bob_meg2011-09-04

  The Killing Jar has one of those scripts that is almost too perfect. It recalls iron-clad thrillers like Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" and David Mamet's "House of Games" with its no-detail-is-too-minor subtleties. And it even brought to mind shades of Mark Medak's "When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?" And then there are the Tarantino influences.... Look, any script that can rarely veer outside of one location for an hour and a half and still keep your attention is doing something right, but film-fest fave Mark Young's The Killing Jar, save for a few bad MINOR character performances (Danny Trejo phoning it in as Danny Trejo is the most obvious), does practically everything right. It's late one night at a local diner in a no name redneck town, and all the locals are there, killing time. A report comes on the radio about a mass-murder in the next town over. When an anonymous stranger (Michael Madsen) arrives with a surly, stand-offish attitude, they gradually begin to suspect he's the perpetrator. What follows is an elaborate set of mind games and mental torture that reminded me favorably of "Ryder" in their intimate intensity, interspersed with a lot of sudden violence and gore. I liked how violent this movie was. It drove home the immediacy of the character's peril, fit with the script's over-arching theme, and looked very real...the blood is dark red and there are buckets of it...very similar to how it was used in Tarantino's classic Reservoir Dogs. That smacks of homage, as does the casting of Michael Madsen, who is playing, for better or worse, Mr. Blonde again. But you know what? I didn't care. The dude is good, and he has that role down pat. What surprised me were the alluring performances by the rest of the cast, most notably Amber Benson (who even contributes the closing song). She plays Noreen, a waitress who's drawn painfully true-to-life. Something in Ms. Benson's facial expressions and delivery really sell you on the goodness of her intentions and she's the badly needed anchor for this film. Harold Perrineau and Kevin Gage also provide solid support within difficult-to-pull-off multi-layered characters. The Killing Jar keeps you guessing and is ultimately very satisfying. It feels like a very well-written stage play. It deserves your attention, especially if you like character-driven suspense films.