Jennifer 8 (1992)

An LA homicide investigator moves and starts a murder investigation after a woman's hand etc. are found at a dump. Could it be a Jennifer (victims of a serial killer are called Jennifer).? It leads him to a witness, a cute, blind woman.

Director:

Bruce Robinson

Writer:

Bruce Robinson

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Uma Thurman, Lance Henriksen

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Garcia	...	John Berlin
Lance Henriksen	...	Freddy Ross
Uma Thurman	...	Helena
Graham Beckel	...	John Taylor
Kathy Baker	...	Margie Ross
Kevin Conway	...	Citrine
John Malkovich	...	St. Anne
Perry Lang	...	Travis
Nicholas Love	...	Bisley
Michael O'Neill	...	Serato
Paul Bates	...	Venables
Bob Gunton	...	Goodridge
Lenny von Dohlen	...	Blattis (as Lenny Von Dohlen)
Bryan Larkin	...	Bobby Rose
Debbon Ayer	...	Amanda

Storyline

A big-city cop from L.A. moves to a small-town police force and immediately finds himself investigating a murder. Using theories rejected by his colleagues, the cop, John Berlin, meets a young blind woman named Helena, who he is attracted to. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and only John knows it.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | blind woman | christmas | blindness | number in title | 

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Taglines:

On the trail of a serial killer, Detective John Berlin has no clues. No suspects. And no alibi.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and terror, and for language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jennifer 8

Filming Locations:

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$11,390,479

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This would be the final film directed by Bruce Robinson until The Rum Diary (2011) 19 years later.

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Goofs

The premise of the film is that missing women are being murdered or disappearing within a 300-mile radius of San Diego, California. However, the initial discovery of a new victim and the setting of the film is in Eureka, California, which nearly 800 miles from the San Diego metropolitan area.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Travis: You can drive down there, sir.
Freddy Ross: I'm already walking. Where is it?

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Quarterfinal 1 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Someone To Watch Over Me
by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
Performed by Willie Nelson
Courtesy of Columbia Records by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Classic Thriller with a GOLD Nugget!

Director Bruce Robinson got robbed! Would have been nice if the film company put into their budget advertising. This movie has it all folks.

First, the cast. Excellent. Several budding stars in the making. Lance Hendriksen is just fabulous. Like any great film actor there is little time to develop a character so casting must be spot on. Lance is believable from the first seconds of the opening scene. Sets the tone of his character Freddy Ross. Uma is great. Her eyes are eerie. She plays this role with softness and depth. All the characters are well thought out. Graham Beckel is just a scary dude. We don't know his name, but he plays the bad guy perfectly. Those eyes! All the supporting cast hit the bulls-eye like watching Seinfeld...memorable from the get-go.

Secondly, the atmosphere. Blind girl in a school for the blind in the cold mountains--rain and snow. What more could you ask for? Thirdly, the first little nugget. Christopher Young. The soundtrack is amazing. Haunting. Beautiful. When I first saw this movie I actually searched to buy the soundtrack. I never do this. It's that good! Lastly, the gold nugget. This is a movie with a twist of an ending. Remember, it is 1992. This was not done to my recall at the time. Rent this, buy this movie and watch with close friends late at night when it rains. Trust me! A great movie for male-female company. OK...the actor I never saw before had one core scene and just for this it is worth watching. Enter the brilliance of Mr. John Malkovich! We have all seen many movies where FBI agent interrogates suspect. But Malkovich takes extremely well written dialogue and it comes alive off the page. He should have won something for this performance. What I thought was just another actor for a pivotal scene made the move. His nuances, tone, pace, timing...just being Malkovich is acting at the highest level. This should have been another scene in the movie and he now becomes a main character stealing the scenes. Incredible performance.

Watch this movie. There are so many little details that are engaging. The time clock that speaks freaks you out. The empty light sockets. The sound of the mattress in the house. On and on...