A hooker is found cut in two. Two cops give polygraph tests to the only suspect, James Wayland (Tim Roth), an unstable genius. After some time, the roles change.
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Title: Deceiver (1997)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tim Roth | ... | Wayland | |
| Chris Penn | ... | Det. Phillip Braxton | |
| Michael Rooker | ... | Det. Edward Kennesaw | |
| Renée Zellweger | ... | Elizabeth | |
| Ellen Burstyn | ... | Mook | |
| 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 | |
|
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Genevieve Butler | ... | Mary Kennesaw |
|
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Chelsea Butler | ... | Chelsea Kennesaw |
Textile company heir James Wayland (Tim Roth) is accused of murder of a prostitute named Elizabeth (Renée Zellweger), whose body was found cut in two in the park. The murder is investigated by tough Detective Edward Kennesaw (Michael Rooker) and his less experienced partner Phillip Braxton (Chris Penn). Wayland is a heavy drinker and compulsive liar, he is prone to memory losses and periods of heavy violence. He is rich enough to access necessary information, and he gets the interrogators' own dark secrets - Kennesaw is angry about affairs his wife had and had let off steam with Elizabeth, and Braxton has gambling debts with Mook (Ellen Burstyn), who is demanding payment.
The cast, the camera work, the music and the dialogue all create a dark and surreal tone that's haunting and riveting. Tim Roth, Renee Zellweger and Ellen Burstyn all dominate so completely that you can't look at anyone else when they're onscreen. It's as much an exercise in acting and "mood" as anything, but the story is fun to follow. I don't think it's supposed to be "believable" in the literal sense. How can it be when they throw in epilepsy, absinthe, prostitution, family dysfunction, etc. Every character was well-cast (LOVED the psychologist) and the tension and undertones in the actor's interactions with each other make it an impossible-to-forget movie. It's one of the few I own. The scenes with Mook (Burstyn) as well as those with Roth and Zellweger are ingenious. A movie that must be watched closely to understand the ending.