A Killer Within

A Killer Within
by Brad Keller

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DVD details

Actor: C.Thomas Howell, Sean Young
Director: Brad Keller
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Color, Digital Sound, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-15
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Fireside Entertainment

DVD Reviews of A Killer Within

DVD Review: Transparent Plot - Horrible Script - Browder saves the Day
Summary: 2 Stars

Unfortunately this movie did not have much to work with, considering the horrible script by Chris and William Peirson, who are real life attorneys. They should probably stick to their day jobs.
I knew who the killer was and the murder weapon to be used long before Sean Young's character was actually killed. It was that transparent. The whole cast gave a somewhat lackluster performance, but C. Thomas Howell as the bumbling attorney who is trying to solve his wife's murder was simply ludicrous. Again though - he didn't have much to work with. For someone who was supposed to once have been one of the top prosecutors in a city like Dallas, he behaves like a naive newbie from some backwoods town, who has absolutely no street smarts, or common sense for that matter. It was actually painful to watch. Sean Young gives a solid performance, albeit appearing a bit bored with her part. Who can blame her. The only performance that somewhat saves the movie is Ben Browder's. Too bad he is seriously underused. However, he is allowed to shine and give us a glimpse of what he is capable of during his final scene and the flashbacks thereafter. The man can express more with one look than other actors can with two pages of dialogue. He is definitely one of Hollywood's best kept secrets. Will someone cast him in an A-movie lead already! We need to see more of him.

DVD Review: Was this actually released theatrically?
Summary: 1 Stars

Putting this on DVD seems like a big enough waste of money. You can tell the film is going to be chintzy on the budget when the lead actress's wig looks like a Halloween prop at your local Party City; however, the beautiful house used for the main characters was the real star here. But this film's redeeming quality is how laughably bad it is. You will find yourself rewinding scenes to laugh again as you won't believe how cheesey it looked the first time - like when the hooker gets shot - a classic death scene! The cinematography never rises above a primetime episodic on a low budget giving it a shot on video feel. The dark night scenes were overlit, and the supporting cast were the real jewels here insuring they never work again. The mention of "Dr. Pepper" numerous times was so ridiculous - did the Texas-based Dr Pepper demand to be featured throughout this Texas production or were they offered some free publicity? Either way, Dr Pepper sure tastes good with Turkey.

DVD Review: Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars

An entertaining 94 minutes of "who done it" intrigue.
Was good to see Sean Young again.
C. Thomas Howell looked a bit ragged.... is his health OK ?

Admittedly we guessed the plot and the killer at around 30 minutes into the movie and at times the plot twists made us think we might be wrong.... but we were right.

Despite figuring it out so early, it was still entertaining

DVD Review: A Killer Within
Summary: 4 Stars

A Killer Within does a good job of coupling some original surprises with a character-driven plot. No easy feat for sure, and trust me, the script could have easily been turned into a lousy Lifetime Channel movie of the week without the right direction and cast.

Becky Terrill, played by Sean Young, leads the caricatured life of a stereotypical Dallas socialite. Her posh North Dallas house is ridiculous, her Mercedes is pristine and her dependency on alcohol is ravenous. The only thing that seems to bother Becky's Prada-clad existence is her 4 year-old son.

Becky's husband, Addison, played by C. Thomas Howell, is a high-powered corporate attorney with some codependency issues and a raging Dr. Pepper jones. Addison comes home from work to find Becky brutally murdered, apparently at the hands of someone targeting Addison. The lead detective fingers Addison as suspect number one and his investigation basically ends there.

But Addison, who has made some dangerous enemies during his climb to the top of the food chain, has a suspect of his own. In order to find the killer and protect his innocence, Addison reaches into his past and enlists the help of Jesus Vargas, a former cop played with enthusiasm by Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito's performance as the renegade ex-cop is the most authentic in the film. The lawman and the lawyer strike an uneasy alliance as they navigate the seedy side of Dallas in search of Becky's killer.

Director Brad Keller does a masterful job of introducing just about everyone as a suspect and the guessing continues to the very end.

DVD Review: A Killer Within
Summary: 3 Stars

A Killer Within is a decent murder mystery. This indie flick isn't the next Million Dollar Baby, but it will keep you entertained for about an hour and half.

The plot is well written and there's a good ensemble cast (C. Thomas Howell, Sean Young and Giancarlo Esposito). The basic premise is that Addison (Howell) is a big-shot lawyer, who comes home one night to find that his wife Becky (Young) has been murdered and his young son is unconscious and badly injured. With the help of his business partner and an ex-cop, Addison goes on a search to find the real killer.

Ben Browder's performance as Addison's business partner is also worth mentioning. Sci-fi buffs will probably recognize Browder from Stargate SG-1 and Farscape.

If you're into murder mysteries, it's definitely worth taking a look at.

Description of A Killer Within

Addison Terrill (C. THOMAS HOWELL), a former district attorney now in a lucrative private practice, has what seems to be the perfect life. Sharing a successful law firm with his best friend, Sam Moss (BEN BROWDER), Addison?s career is on the rise and he has a luxurious home, a beautiful, sexy wife, Becky (SEAN YOUNG), and a bright young son. But life as he knows it is turned upside down when he arrives home from work late one night to find his wife brutally murdered and his son unconscious in critical condition at the hospital. Now, fingered as a suspect by the police, Addison must race to find the real killer and prove his innocence before it's too late. Out of desperation with no where else to turn, Addison must put his trust in the only other person tied to the case, ex-cop Jesus Vargas (GIANCARLO ESPOSITO). Bitter and humiliated by his removal from the police force, Vargas holds Addison personally responsible for ending his career in law enforcement, and his motivation for finding the killer may not be to Addison's advantage. In order to solve the case and find the true killer, both men must put their differences aside and their lives on the line. Their search leads them through the city's underworld and into a wicked web of deceit. As hard truths become revealed and dark secrets begin to unfold, the ring of suspects close in around Addison and he finds himself questioning the very people he trusted.

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