...tailored to fit well with fans of many genres, and suitable for an occasion where you fancy something a little special.
This film brings an 'art-house' sensibility to the serial killer oeuvre, delicately interweaving the more macabre elements of shlock horror with a sweet tale of Americana.
The characters, though all somewhat disquieting, have a warmth which is slowly revealed. This is to be found most especially in our protagonist; the restrained and morose, yet decidedly murderous 'Ken Boyd', who at 34, still bears both the mental and physical scars of a kidnap and torture by several members of his high-school - snippets of which we are shown in flashback from the start, and which quickly evoke sympathy for our anti-hero.
That same sympathy is snatched away from us several times throughout the flick, only to have it returned as we see him begin to open up to his estranged daughter 'Amy', who walks into his life one day - and decides to stay, her sweet nature bringing a light of life into his dark world, her enthusiasm so infectious, it even persuades him to try dating.
All this is played against the backdrop of a small-town America where an intriguingly eccentric cop is trying to solve the spate of killings that have recently occurred there, while several more, most fascinating characters walk in and out of Ken and Amy's lives.
If I have any major complaints, it would be that the pacing is at times quite staid - on two occasions I found myself wanting the story to move along a bit faster. I also found the violence a little too understated, but then, that was in keeping with the rest of the movie, where subtext and understatement were the words of the day.
I also think I would have appreciated some of the characters being fleshed out a bit more, Ken's Mother being the prime example, for at times she is quite truculent toward him, then in other moments she shows a sweet tenderness toward Amy, I really couldn't quite grasp where her deep bitterness came from.
But again, it's fair to say I found everyone portrayed in this piece quite alluring, yet like the perfect guest who doesn't outstay their welcome, this little black comedy tottered off into the night...leaving me wanting more.
This film brings an 'art-house' sensibility to the serial killer oeuvre, delicately interweaving the more macabre elements of shlock horror with a sweet tale of Americana.
The characters, though all somewhat disquieting, have a warmth which is slowly revealed. This is to be found most especially in our protagonist; the restrained and morose, yet decidedly murderous 'Ken Boyd', who at 34, still bears both the mental and physical scars of a kidnap and torture by several members of his high-school - snippets of which we are shown in flashback from the start, and which quickly evoke sympathy for our anti-hero.
That same sympathy is snatched away from us several times throughout the flick, only to have it returned as we see him begin to open up to his estranged daughter 'Amy', who walks into his life one day - and decides to stay, her sweet nature bringing a light of life into his dark world, her enthusiasm so infectious, it even persuades him to try dating.
All this is played against the backdrop of a small-town America where an intriguingly eccentric cop is trying to solve the spate of killings that have recently occurred there, while several more, most fascinating characters walk in and out of Ken and Amy's lives.
If I have any major complaints, it would be that the pacing is at times quite staid - on two occasions I found myself wanting the story to move along a bit faster. I also found the violence a little too understated, but then, that was in keeping with the rest of the movie, where subtext and understatement were the words of the day.
I also think I would have appreciated some of the characters being fleshed out a bit more, Ken's Mother being the prime example, for at times she is quite truculent toward him, then in other moments she shows a sweet tenderness toward Amy, I really couldn't quite grasp where her deep bitterness came from.
But again, it's fair to say I found everyone portrayed in this piece quite alluring, yet like the perfect guest who doesn't outstay their welcome, this little black comedy tottered off into the night...leaving me wanting more.