The Keeper (2004)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Paul Lynch

Writer:

Gerald Sanford (written by)

Release Date:

2004 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Life has rules

Plot:

When an apparently exemplary cop abducts and secretly imprisons a beautiful dancer, a deadly battle of wills between captor and captive ensues.

Plot Keywords:

Puppet Show | Kidnapping | Attempted Rape | Helicopter | Serial Rapist

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20	9:00 AM	TMC
Mon. July 20	6:15 PM	TMC

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	Krebs
Asia Argento	...	Gina
Helen Shaver	...	Ruthie
Lochlyn Munro	...	Sgt. Burns
Charles Frederick	...	Joe Cody - Man in Black
Alex Zahara	...	Derick
Alejandro Abellan	...	Burley Driver
Fred Keating	...	Mayor Watson
Philip Granger	...	Lt. Stone (as Phillip Granger)
Joe McCoy	...	4th Man
Angela Uyeda	...	Raven Starr
Brad Loree	...	Bouncer
Robert Saunders	...	Trucker
Charlie Gudgeon	...	Bus Kid
Garfield Wilson	...	Alex

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

95 min | Canada:96 min (Ontario)

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Peace Arch Films

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Sgt. Burns is showing a police mugshot of Joe Cody to Lt. Krebs, the words "Sacremento City Police" appear across the photograph instead of the correct spelling of "Sacramento City Police"

Soundtrack:

Save Me

Don't listen to the critics - a decent little film

It's truly odd how individuals who can't seem to master simple grammar and syntax will unabashedly critique a movie as if they have the cinematic genius of Roman Polanski.

If you fall into the category of viewer who thinks a film just isn't gosh darn entertaining unless things are "blown up real good", then by all means, give this one a pass. However if you don't spend your day breathing through your mouth and admiring your unibrow, then you will probably find this film to be the entertainment it aims to be.

If there's one type of role Dennis Hopper has down, it's that of a restrained nut job. And in this movie he gets to sink his teeth into the meaty role of a supreme nut job by playing a twisted small town sheriff who thinks he can convince a woman to fall in love with him by abducting her and locking her in a cell in his basement.

Heavily dialog driven, Hopper at times carries this film on his back with his highly compelling performance. Asia Argento, the daughter of Italian horror director Dario, is easy on the eyes and does a perfectly capable job in the role of the captive. Veteran Canadian actress Helen Shaver, surfaces as an equally unhinged groupie to Hopper's character, and her scenes with him eerily evoke fleeting similarities to that of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, Canada's infamous serial killer couple.

The film is capably directed by Paul Lynch, who has made a career out of directing Canadian-filmed US television shows, something which isn't a leap considering that this film was shot in British Columbia.

Overall it's a pretty decent and entertaining little movie. It will hold you to the end and not leave you feeling ripped off. As for some of the other reviewers of this film, well, let's just say it's probably time that they changed the batteries in their singing wall-mounted fish and sat down to some more engaging entertainment.