On K List of Movie Reviews

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Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 7/04, 10/20

KillerJourn
10/20: Killer: A Journal of Murder is an interesting but mostly ordinary, pointless biopic about a notorious convict named Carl Panzram.

I picked up this movie solely for James Woods because of the strong exclamations from various critics that he gave "a powerful, searing performance" and that it was a "galvanizing Oscar-caliber portrayal." Um, okay, if they say so.

Well, I didn't see it, even three times when the movie was first released, then in 2004, and now. James Woods gives his usual best, but he was more brilliant in The Onion Field, Salvador, Best Seller, The Boost, Citizen Cohn, and Indictment: The McMartin Trial, among others. All of them are more Oscar-worthy than what James Woods did in Killer: A Journal of Murder.

Instead, I think Robert Sean Leonard gives stronger performance. It's probably the best of his career despite not thinking much of him as an actor. What works the best is Robert's projection of innocence. Therefore, it's easy to believe the idealistic side of his character, hence the message of the film which is silly but typical of liberals. Then again, he blew away a rare coin to buy drinks for the undeserving barflies, giving the film an unsatisfying ending until it was rescued by the narrator to summarize what his act of kindness for Panzram had been about.

All in all, Killer: A Journal of Murder is an easy watch, but the actual life story of Carl Panzram was a lot more detailed and adventurous than what's shown in the film.