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 ...
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Title: Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995)
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2 wins & 2 nominations.
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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 |
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Plot Summary
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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. Written by Jon Reeves <jreeves@imdb.com>
Plot Keywords:
watching a movie | hatred | homeless person | peeling a potato | raking |Taglines:
Liar. Thief. Murderer. He hated all of humanity, himself most of all.Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong language and strong, brutal violence, including a rape | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
6 September 1996 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Killer See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$31,993, 8 September 1996Gross USA:
$82,029Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$82,029Company Credits
Show more on
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Music by Bill Elliott
Courtesy of Windswept Pacific Entertainment Co.
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Did You Know?
Goofs
The amount of beer in Henry Lesser's glass at the speakeasy. See more »Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Tin Cup/House Arrest/Killer: A Journal of Murder/Alaska/Butterfly Kiss (1996) See more »Soundtracks
WILDWOODMusic by Bill Elliott
Courtesy of Windswept Pacific Entertainment Co.
See more »
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Carl Panzram was a viscous creep with a real life bite-your-face-off attitude. Woods played him to smithereens.
Sure he overacted a bit, but Panzram was not the most laid-back guy.
The problem with this film is that it couldn't decide if it was a character study or a condemnation of prison conditions. They also managed to throw in religious bigotry and left-wing politics. It did it better than some films would have, but the ending left too much open.
Woods owned the film. He had Carl as both Genius and loose cannon. The real Panzram was similar. And many quotes contributed to him are scattered about the film. ("I wish you all had one neck..." "I could hang a dozen men...") Leonard did an adequate job as Henry Lesser but played him a bit to "nice." Most of the guards kept their distance from ol' Carl. With good reason too.
Woods fans see this now. Anyone else...your call.