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Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
6 September 1996 (USA) moreTagline:
Liar. Thief. Murderer. He hated all of humanity, himself most of all.Plot:
Carl Panzram is sent to Leavenworth Prison for burglary. While there, he is brutally beaten by a guard... more | add synopsisAwards:
2 wins & 1 nomination moreUser Comments:
Doesn't live up to its potential moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| James Woods | ... | Carl Panzram | |
| Robert Sean Leonard | ... | Henry Lesser | |
| Ellen Greene | ... | Elizabeth Wyatt | |
| Cara Buono | ... | Esther Lesser | |
| Robert John Burke | ... | R.G. Greiser | |
| Richard Riehle | ... | Warden Quince | |
| Harold Gould | ... | Old Henry Lesser | |
| John Bedford Lloyd | ... | Dr. Karl Menninger | |
| Jeffrey DeMunn | ... | Sam Lesser | |
| Conrad McLaren | ... | Judge John W. Kingman | |
| Steve Forrest | ... | Warden Charles Casey | |
| Richard Council | ... | Cop | |
| Christopher Petrosino | ... | Richard Lesser | |
| Michael Jeffrey Woods | ... | Harry Sinclair (as Michael Jeffery Woods) | |
| Rob Locke Jones | ... | Junkie |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong language and strong, brutal violence, including a rape.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
91 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby SRCertification:
Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:18 | Spain:18 | USA:RFun Stuff
Trivia:
The film is dedicated to Sam Peckinpah because The Wild Bunch (1969) inspired director 'Metcalfe, Tim' to become a director. moreGoofs:
Continuity: The amount of beer in Henry Lesser's glass at the speakeasy. moreSoundtrack:
WILDWOOD moreFAQ
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Don't get me wrong; this movie is worth at least one viewing. James Woods - as usual - is great in his performance, and the supporting cast is good, too.
Killer: A Journal of Murder is based on Thomas Gaddis' and James O. Long's fascinating 1970 book of the same name. It contains many of the letters Panzram wrote to Henry Lesser (who was a Washington, D.C. jail guard, not a prison guard at Leavenworth) while he was on death row in Leavenworth.
While it is a common practice for films to take artistic liberties when dealing with true stories, this film went a bit far in trying to make Carl Panzram (Woods) into a sympathetic character. True, Carl Panzram was the product of a barbaric prison system, but he stands out in history as one of the few arch-criminals who did not want sympathy, something this film ignores.
This was a film that needed to be made, but unfortunately, the story was mishandled in a maudlin attempt to get the viewer to care about one of the most reprehensible human beings who ever lived. If they had wanted to make a biographical film to convey their particular message, the people responsible for this movie should have made a film about Caryl Chessman, a criminal more eloquent, tragic and - most importantly - far more sympathetic than Carl Panzram.