Deceiver (1997)

Directors:

Jonas Pate
Josh Pate

Writers:

Jonas Pate (written by)
Josh Pate (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

There are two sides to every lie.

Plot:

Textile company heir Wayland is accused of murder of a prostitute named Elizabeth, whose body was found cut in two in the park...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Violence | Textile Company | Liar | Compulsive Liar

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Chris Penn	...	Detective Phillip Braxton
Ellen Burstyn	...	Mook
Tim Roth	...	James Walter Wayland
Renée Zellweger	...	Elizabeth
Michael Rooker	...	Detective Edward Kennesaw
Rosanna Arquette	...	Mrs. Kennesaw
Don Winston	...	Warren
Michael Parks	...	Dr. Banyard
Mark Damon	...	Wayland's Father
J.C. Quinn	...	Priest
Jody Wilhelm	...	Mrs. Wayland
Ocie Pouncie	...	Boogie
Bob Hungerford	...	Jebby
Genevieve Butler	...	Mary Kennesaw
Chelsea Butler	...	Chelsea Kennesaw

Also Known As:

Liar (UK)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:93 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Brazil:18 | Chile:18 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

MDP Worldwide

You'll love the movie if you are intelligent enough to understand the psychological games

It isn't too hard to understand why this movie wasn't a great success at the box office. Most people expect to see an average Hollywood version of a cop movie and they will be very disappointed when seeing this one. No, it isn't about the good cop chasing the bad guys, making a beautiful little hole in the forehead of everyone that doesn't obey the law. This movie is much more subtle and probably a lot harder to understand for a lot of people.

In fact, the whole movie is created around only three actors. But not just three actors, we are talking about Chris Penn, Tim Roth and Michael Rooker, who all did an excellent job. Trust me, never have I been more fascinated by three men in a darkened room, pushing each other to their mental and physical limits.

This is how the story goes: A prostitute has been murdered and there is one suspect. He's an extremely intelligent, epileptic alcoholic who is able to deceive everybody, even the polygraph. His investigators try to make him confess the murder by playing little mind games, only to see that he outsmarts them time after time.

The dialogs are fascinating, the use of flashbacks very interesting. Add some tense interrogation scenes with a lot of psychological war fare and a huge plot twist at the end of the movie and you know you have something special. I guess those psychological games will not be understood by everybody, but you'll love it if you are intelligent enough to understand them. I know I did and I give this movie an 8/10.