The Guilty (2000)

A young person gets hired to kill someone completely unknown, by someone equally unknown. Or is that true? Nothing is what it seems.

Director:

Anthony Waller

Writers:

Simon Burke, William Davies (screenplay)

Stars:

Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Pullman	...	Callum Crane
Devon Sawa	...	Nathan Corrigan
Gabrielle Anwar	...	Sophie Lennon
Angela Featherstone	...	Tanya Duncan
Joanne Whalley	...	Natalie Crane
Darcy Belsher	...	Dennis
Jaimz Woolvett	...	Leo
Ken Tremblett	...	Brent Frazer
Gillian Barber	...	Maddy Corrigan
Duncan Fraser	...	Martin Corrigan
Bruce Harwood	...	Miles
Hiro Kanagawa	...	Police Detective
Garry Chalk	...	Police Chief (as Gary Chalk)
Peter Kent	...	Benny (as Peter H. Kent)
Kurt Evans	...	Conor

Storyline

Callum Crane is in line for appointment to the federal bench during the same week he forces himself, while drunk, on a new secretary at his office who has firmly said no to him. It's also the same week Nathan Corrigan (a young, callow ex-con) goes to the city to meet his biological father, the same Callum Crane. They meet and before Nathan can tell Crane who he is, Crane offers him money to kill the secretary, who has threatened to go to the police. Nathan takes an envelop of cash and the woman's photo, tells friends about it, and throws away the envelop. One of the friends, who needs money, retrieves the envelop and sets out to kill the woman. Can Nathan stop the crime?

---

Plot Keywords:

secretary | police | biological father | woman takes off shoes | federal judge | 

---

Taglines:

Una vita pubblica, un segreto privato, un debito da pagare (A public life, a private secret, a debt to pay) (Italian DVD)

---

Genres:

Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

J&M Entertainment [us] synopsis trailer, reviews

Country:

UK USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2000 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

A bűnös

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

J&M Entertainment, Dogwood Pictures, Muse Entertainment Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 112 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Pullman announces that he had received a phone call that he has been offered a Federal Judgeship and will take the bench in a week. In fact, Federal Judgeships require Congressional approval which is lengthy process, often many months.

---

Soundtracks

"Unsafe @ Any Speed"
Written and Performed by Furnaceface

User Reviews

Dark, stylish thriller with solid acting

I wasn't expecting much of this film when it first came on HBO, but I was suitably impressed; so much so, I now wonder why they never had a theater release!

Devon Sawa stars as the unlikely hero, a ne'er-do-well named Nathan who heads to the big city to find the father (Bill Pullman) he never knew. Unfortunately, his father is a slimy, calculating lawyer named Callum Crane, who is being blackmailed by the young woman whom he assaulted. Looking for a way out, Callum tries to recruit Nathan to help him out of this mess. Nathan soon finds himself wrapped up in a web of murder, blackmail, and double-crossing in which he doesn't know who to trust. The actors do a tremendous job of allowing the characters to *breathe* -- they all elicit sympathy or at least interest, they all have dreams, nightmares, secrets, failings, and passions. This movie brings out the best and worst in human nature and every person in this film, and I was enthralled as I watched it unfold. This is just my kind of movie -- dark, stylishly shot, with a steady plot and characters who shock you with their vindictiveness yet captivate you with their surprising humanity. Truly, don't miss it.