DVD Voice

I reluctantly categorize tonight’s showing as “crime” because, yeah, it does deal with crime, but its hard to decide! The Killing Jar, a Michael Madsen driven film about a guy who stops off at a diner late one night after they have heard about a murder across town. The murderer is known to be driving a black pickup truck, which the law officer (Lew Temple) eating dinner there is sure will be easy to spot. What follows is a confrontation, a shooting. A second shooting. A stop by a guy delivering money to Mr. “Smith”, an execution. A questioning, a shooting. A beat-up job, a double murder. Followed by two more killings. All this takes place inside (with a few supporting shots outside) this little diner in the middle of nowhere.

All in graphic detail. For instance, the second killing is of Danny Trejo (of Machete fame – which I sadly never got around to reviewing that fun romp. It started off with a bang, literally when they blow away this really hot nude girl at the beginning. And when you see a girl willing to go naked on screen get killed off so soon.. well… rather sad!). Anyway, I digress, Danny Trejo is the fry cook and gets his head blown off, literally, with a shotgun. You don’t see but a superfast glimpse, but still…

The movie was ok, I guess. I mean I was entertained enough for an already brain dead Saturday night. But, it could of been sooo much better. It is what it is, but you kind of expect to see a better Madsen on the screen. He disappointed slightly. The lead actress, Noreen, was rather cute and a joy to watch (Post-Buffy the Vampire Slayer). But all in all, what do you do if you are faced with a situation like this? Someone goes bonkers in the tiny diner you are at. Are you just royally screwed because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or do you do something about it? And how do you decide what you do, or if you just call the police or what? Makes you think a little about what you’ll do if you ever (god-forbid!) get faced with such a situation!

Things learned from this movie:

1. Diners late at night aren’t the safest of places.
2. If you go somewhere and they don’t run air conditioning, go find somewhere else to eat.
3. Serated steak knives are handy in a pinch.
4. Keep count of gunshots.
5. You can shoot an entire movie in one location.
6. Beware of traveling salesmen. Are they really who they seem?
7. Why do you wear a wedding ring if your wife has been dead two years?
8. Take the money and run.

Rated R. 90 minutes (1 hours 30 minutes). Swearing. Violence. As for sex, well the most is the law officer verbalizing that he’d like to run away with the married waitress – who is at another point called “hot” as an old broad, and retorts that she’s 32. But yes, she’s hot.