Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Tim Metcalfe

Writers (WGA):

Thomas E. Gaddis (book) and
James Long (book) ...

Release Date:

6 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Serial Killer | Mass Murderer | Based On Book | Based On True Story

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Killer

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and strong, brutal violence, including a rape.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:18 | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Company:

Breakheart Films

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to Sam Peckinpah because The Wild Bunch (1969) inspired director 'Metcalfe, Tim' to become a director.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of beer in Henry Lesser's glass at the speakeasy.

Quotes:

Carl Panzram: Hey chicken ass, good day for a hanging, huh?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tomorrow by Midnight (1999)

Soundtrack:

WILDWOOD

Doesn't live up to its potential

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.