Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995)

Carl Panzram is sent to Leavenworth Prison for burglary. While there, he is brutally beaten by a guard. Neophyte guard Henry Lesser feels sympathy for Panzram, befriends him, and gets him ... See full summary »

Director:

Tim Metcalfe

Writers:

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

Stars:

James Woods, Robert Sean Leonard, Ellen Greene

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Carl Panzram is sent to Leavenworth Prison for burglary. While there, he is brutally beaten by a guard. Neophyte guard Henry Lesser feels sympathy for Panzram, befriends him, and gets him to write his life story. Lesser learns that Panzram's past is much more violent than he thought, but also that he's capable of being a much better person than the rest of the prison staff believes - or so Lesser thinks.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | sympathy | father son relationship | jew | reference to eugene debs | 

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Taglines:

Liar. Thief. Murderer. He hated all of humanity, himself most of all.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killer

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$31,993 (USA) (6 September 1996)

Gross:

$65,682 (USA) (13 September 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Breakheart Films, Ixtlan Productions, Ixtlan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Carl Panzram: Naturally, I now love Jesus very much. Yes, I love him so damn much that I would like to crucify him all over again!

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Connections

Referenced in Tomorrow by Midnight (2001)

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Soundtracks

"BLUEBIRDS"
Music by Bill Elliott
Performed by Bill Elliott & His Orchestra
Courtesy of Windswept Pacific Entertainment Co.

User Reviews

No mercy, and little effect

I haven't read the novel, and if it's comparable to this, I have no intention of doing so. My father purchased this for me, on account of the name attached to it. I had never heard of it, and it's not surprising that this was pretty forgotten. It's uncompromising, that's for sure. However, it really doesn't "work" on us. We're not that engaged. This borders on propaganda for the death penalty and for the idea of some people just being "evil", or "bad seeds". Everything that Panzram is seen doing in this can be explained through psychology, even if his actions are not exactly admirable. When we first see Woods, he's mugging in extremis; this he fortunately stops, and gradually, we do come to understand him. His guard, too. Those are about it. Everyone else is there either to provide opposition, or because they were in real life. The only characters we get are a hateful one and a seemingly naive one(certainly by this movie's logic). Well, the Irishman is interesting enough. The acting is good. Editing and cinematography are average. This is close to being pure emotional porn for those who read/watch stories about serial killers. There is a lot of strong language, a bit of brutal, bloody violence and disturbing content including a rape in this. I recommend this to those who catch all of these, and big fans of James. 6/10