The Keeper (2004)

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

Director:

Paul Lynch

Writer:

Gerald Sanford

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Helen Shaver

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In Redwood County, the dancer Gina is attacked and her boyfriend is killed by a maniac in a motel. Gina is attended by Sergeant Burns and Lieutenant Krebs insists in giving a lift to her when she leaves the hospital. However, he kidnaps Gina and arrests her in a cell in the basement of his isolated house. The deranged policeman has a serious trauma from his childhood with dancers of night-clubs and establishes rules and punctuations for Gina while she is imprisoned. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Krebs is stalked by a local, Ruthie, who has a crush on him and wants to promote his amateurish puppet show with the character Deputy Rock, his alter-ego. Sgt. Burns is trying to find a clue where the missing Gina may be.

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Plot Keywords:

puppet show | stabbed in the stomach | underwater scene | shower | memory | 

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Taglines:

The nightmare is just beginning.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

El guardián

Filming Locations:

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peace Arch Films, GFT Entertainment, Studio Eight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 96 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

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"

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Soundtracks

Save Me
(2003)
Written by Duncan Harding and Andy Duncan
Published by A7 Music Unlimited
Produced by Andy Duncan for 7pm Management
Performed by Colin Burt Vidler
© Fightclub 2003. Licensed courtesy of Fightclub

User Reviews

Dennis Hopper is never predictable

This movie, co-starring Helen Shaver and Asia Argento, is in keeping with the oddness expected of Dennis Hopper. His motivation to do a movie like this one is questionable and I would be the first to wonder how much he was paid or whether this was him doing someone a favor for a friend or... I think you can get the picture. Lo-budget film, poor plot, crummy lines for the co-stars all contribute to the mystery of Hopper without saying much for anyone else in the film. I believe it to be the former of the assumptions; they paid Dennis well for this one. It takes place in a small town. The lake region where it was filmed contains stunningly beautiful scenes. The home where most of the movie takes place is itself is a stereotypical classic. The prison like cage dwelling of the costar, Asia Argento is classic too.

There is an interesting amount of testosterone mixed in as well that contributes to some excitement during a puppet scene performed by Hopper toward the end. Shaver's role could have been better defined and Argento could have come across with more emotion, but her acting was good considering the role she played as a kidnapped stripper. Hopper as the psychotic sheriff is not at his best, but Hopper's best, in my opinion, cannot be defined which may help explain why I rented the film in the first place. I gave it a 2 because it is no Titanic or Capote, but given the genre, I could have rated it higher.