The Killing Time (1987)

A psychopath murders a man who was on his way to a job as a deputy sheriff in a small California coastal resort town. He takes on the deputy's identity and arrives in town to start his new ... See full summary »

Director:

Rick King

Writers:

Don Bohlinger, James Nathan,

Stars:

Beau Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Wayne Rogers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Beau Bridges	...	Sam Wayburn
Kiefer Sutherland	...	The Stranger
Wayne Rogers	...	Jake Winslow
Joe Don Baker	...	Carl Cunningham
Camelia Kath	...	Laura Winslow
Janet Carroll	...	Lila Daggett
Michael Madsen	...	Stu
Gracie Harrison	...	Mary Ellen Knoeller
Harvey Vernon	...	Dick
Shiri Appleby	...	Annie Winslow
Jeb Ellis-Brown	...	Brian Mars
Harriet Medin	...	Nell
Richard Bolik	...	Coroner
Mark Barkawitz	...	Stranger's Father
Mathew Brady	...	Young Stranger

Storyline

A psychopath murders a man who was on his way to a job as a deputy sheriff in a small California coastal resort town. He takes on the deputy's identity and arrives in town to start his new "job." What he doesn't know is that the recently appointed sheriff and his mistress are plotting to murder her evil husband and blame it on the new deputy.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | murder | california | small town | seaside | 

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Taglines:

To commit the perfect murder, you need planning, guts, and luck. Practically nobody has luck.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

A gyilkosság ideje

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$500,283 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tapestry Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kiefer Sutherland's father, Donald Sutherland, portrayed Hawkeye Pierce in the film version of "MASH," while cast mate Wayne Rogers portrayed Trapper John on the television series "M*A*S*H"

User Reviews

A decent thriller, but directing leaves to be desired

Above all, I mean the opening and ending scenes, which could be different: the first killed a lot of thrill for subsequent events, the latter was too abrupt and short. The tensions are also not maintained high throughout the movie and events connected to the past remain vague and uncompleted. Dramatic scenes end as suddenly as they begin and do often not provide additional value to the movie; the plot does not run smoothly, the scenes are rather "minced".

But performances are good (Bridges, Baker, Kath) or great (Sutherland, Rogers); Madsen could have played a bigger part. The Killing Time fits quite well into its title, especially if you like something happening in a quiet American town, without constant chases and bursts.