The Man Who Was Death 

After the death penalty is abolished, an executioner continues his former job through freelancing...

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Steven Dodd (creator), Walter Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

William Sadler, J.W. Smith, Roy Brocksmith

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
William Sadler	...	Niles Talbot (as Bill Sadler)
J.W. Smith	...	Charley Ledbetter
Roy Brocksmith	...	Vic
David Wohl	...	Warden Havers
Gerrit Graham	...	Theodore Carne
Dani Minnick	...	Cynthia Baldwin
Tony Abatemarco	...	Detective
Mimi Kennedy	...	Distraught Woman
Robert Winley	...	Jimmy Flood
Eve Brent	...	Judge #1
Edgar Small	...	Judge #2
Mark Lowenthal	...	District Attorney
F.J. O'Neil	...	Priest
Raymond O'Connor	...	Jury Foreman (as Raymond O'Conner)
Jennifer Evans	...	Newscaster #1 (as M. Jennifer Evans)

Storyline

After working for two years in the electric workshop of a penitentiary, the electrician Niles Talbot has been promoted to executioner, operating an electric chair, and he appreciates his job. When the death penalty is abolished in his state, Niles loses his job. But he decides to become a vigilante, punishing criminals that are released by justice system. Until the day that the death penalty is implemented again in the state.

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Plot Keywords:

death of protagonist | unhappy ending | death penalty | executioner | electric chair | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1989 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Harbor Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tales From The Crypt Holdings, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Did you know that the scene with Niles Talbot William Sadler standing at the overpass was filmed at the intersection of 6th Street and Harbor Freeway & Transitway in Downtown Los Angeles. The former Arco Towers building can be seen briefly in the background.

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Quotes

Crypt Keeper: [flies buzz then get zapped by a bug zapper] Aww, poor little fellas. When I think of their childhood, all those cute little maggots hahahahaha. Our story is about a man with nobler ambitions. He likes to kill human pests and he does it in front of an audience. Now that's entertainment hahahaha. So hang onto your hats kiddies, this one's a real shocker.

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Connections

Referenced in Tales from the Crypt: Crypt Keeper's History of Season One (2005)

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Soundtracks

Tales from the Crypt Theme
Composed by Danny Elfman

User Reviews

He's the judge, the jury, and above all else… The Executioner

(Plot) The death penalty is suddenly abolished, and the means The Executioner, Niles Talbot (William Sadler) is out of a job. He decides to take matters into his own hands, and deliver his own brand of execution.

This is the very first episode of the classic series, Tales from the Crypt. I worshiped this show as a kid, and this is the first time I've revisited it in years. I'll be watching a lot of this show in days to come, so expect a lot of reviews. I immediately smiled when I saw the Cryptkeeper delivering his cheesy one-liners. It brought back such great memories. There was nothing outstanding about this episode, but it does provide the thrills that I was looking for. William Sadler is in virtually every scene almost, and he narrates the whole thing by talking to the viewers. I thought that was a really cool touch. He also had some great lines about death, which I won't spoil. It was just a really fun episode, and I give a lot of credit to William Sadler. He was a lot of fun, and rather bad ass at times. My only complaint is I felt they caught on too easy at the end. I realize you have time constraints, but it felt a little too easy for me. I would have liked a bit more development, but that's a minor carp.

Final Thoughts: This provides great entertainment for Horror fans, and it's a good starting point for this series. You'll have some laughs and some thrills. What more can you ask for?

7.6/10