The Kill-Off
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| The Kill-Off | |
|---|---|
 Video Cover |
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| Directed by | Maggie Greenwald |
| Produced by | Lydia Dean Pilcher |
| Written by | Screenplay: Maggie Greenwald Story: Jim Thompson |
| Starring | Cathy Haase Loretta Gross Andrew Lee Barrett |
| Music by | Evan Lurie |
| Cinematography | Declan Quinn |
| Editing by | James Y. Kwei |
| Distributed by | Palace Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 19, 1990 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Kill-Off is a neo-noir written and directed by Maggie Greenwald and released in 1990.
The film was executive produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher and shot by Declan Quinn.[1]
Tagline: The closer you look, the less you want to know.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in a small coastal community in New Jersey, where the only action in town is a nightclub called the Pavilion. The owner, Pete (Jackson Sims), can barely make the payroll so in an effort to bring in more business, Pete hires a sultry stripper, Danny Lee (Cathy Haase).
Danny Lee's act soon turns Ralph's head, which is not good news for his bed-ridden wife Luanne (Loretta Gross). Luanne's nasty talent is her gift for gossip, and when she begins to suspect that Ralph has adultery on his mind, she starts spreading more ugly rumors that have just enough basis in fact to stick.
Soon things spin out of control and a wave of violence begins.
[edit] Background
The Kill-Off was a part of the so-called Jim Thompson revival in the late 1980s. In fact, the film was one of three Jim Thompson novel adaptations to be made into a film within one year. The other two were: The Grifters and After Dark, My Sweet.
Film noir look
This neo-noir is very darkly filmed and at times the images shot of anyone more than a few feet from the camera can be difficult to see.
Filming locations
The filming locations include: The Keansburg Amusement Park, Keansburg, New Jersey; and other locations in New Jersey.
[edit] Exhibition
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 12, 1989.
Later the film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The film opened in a limited release on October 19, 1990 in New York City.
[edit] Critical reception
The film received some good press. Critic Peter Travis writing for the Rolling Stone called the film, "...a down-and-dirty thriller..."
Film critic Marjorie Baumgarten liked the film and the direction Greenwald gave the film. She wrote in the Austin Chronicle, "[the] protagonists and pernicious moral rot are well-captured in Greenwald's film version of The Kill-Off. The milieu is compellingly perverse, and Greenwald and the actors get the seedy tone just right."[2]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Australia: | M |
| Sweden: | 15 |
| United Kingdom: | 18 |
| United States: | Not Rated |
- Loretta Gross as Luan
- Andrew Lee Barrett as Bobbie Ashton
- Jackson Sims as Pete Pavlov
- Steve Monroe as Ralph
- Cathy Haase as Danny Lee
- William Russell as Rags
- Jorja Fox as Myra Pavlov
- Sean O'Sullivan as The Doctor
- Ellen Kelly as Lily Williams
- Ralph Graff as Henry Williams
[edit] Comparison to novel
Thompson's noted style was his ironic plots and language, yet Greenwald's film eliminates many of the intertwined plots that run through the book and contains very little of its dialogue.
In addition, the film differs from the book in a few ways. First, the movie shows us who the murderer is where the book leaves that a mystery. And second, the movie also spares one of the characters that the book does not, thus turning the character into a moral center.
[edit] Awards
Nominations
- Deauville Film Festival, France: Critics Award, Maggie Greenwald, 1989.
- Sundance Film Festival: Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, Maggie Greenwald; 1990.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Kill-Off at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie. Austin Chronicle, film review, July 12, 1991.
