American Killing

My review was written in July 1985 after watching the film on CBS/Fox video cassette.

"The Killing Hour" is a well-crafted but mediocre thriller. Lensed in Manhattan in 1981, low-budget indie was picked up by Jensen Farley Pictures and retitled (more appropriately to subject matter) "The Clairvoyant", subsequently acquired by 20th Century Fox after JFP went under, but unreleased theatrically, appearing instead as a cassette via CBS Fox.

Perry King toplines as Paul McCormack, Mack for short, a tv newsman/phone-in talkshow host who successfully exploits on the air a series of handcuffed-victim murders to increase his ratings and secure job advancement. At first he is aided with inside info by policeman Larry Weeks (Norman Parker), who improbably moonlights as an unfunny standup comic/impressionist (he has to identify his carbons, such as Al Pacino or Geroge Burns for the viewer), but his sensationalist reporting soon puts him at odds with the police led by Lt. Cullum (Kenneth McMillan).

Both the police and Mack are aided by Virna Nightbourne (Elizabeth Kemp), a young artist who is clairvoyant and makes drawings of each murder unconsciously.

After a promising beginning, spotlighting the ingenious rather than gory murders, pic becomes sluggish. Because of the script's paucity of suspects, the identity of the killer is quite predictable. Acting is okay and direction by Armand Mastroianni (previously known for "He Knows You're Alone") is effective within the screenplay's limitations. Lensing by British cameraman Larry Pizer is excellent.

I saw this on VHS under the title The Killing Hour.

This movie starts off really well with several unexplained killings involving handcuffs. A woman is fished out of the river, a man swims alone in a swimming pool reminiscent of a scene from Cat People, a construction worker goes down a manhole. The latter two killings are quite graphic, though without being bloody. Meanwhile, an artist draws strange pictures.

A cop who does lousy impressions in his side job as a standup comedian (yet he gets laughs, surprisingly) leads the investigation, leaking information to a tabloid television reporter. Both he and the reporter start courting the artist once they meet her.

Some additional deaths occur. The ending may be predictable, since it's possible to make a good guess as to the identity of the killer early on in the movie. Unfortunately, after the strong opening, no other scene quite lives up. Some scenes have lengthy dialog that doesn't serve the plot or characters. Still, not a bad movie by a long shot.

"The Killing Hour" a.k.a. "The Clairvoyant" is a clever scripted who done it, however over analyzing the plot would make you crazy. If you accept the fact that the storyline stretches reality beyond the breaking point, then just go with it. The New York handcuff killer is finally revealed through a series of sketches made by an art student who posses the gift of seeing the past and future through her drawings. I suppose you could do worse for a preposterous storyline? The acting is OK, the New York City locations are a plus, but if you demand a certain amount of logic in your twisty thrillers, then this is one to avoid. For entertainment only it succeeds, and for low budget entertainment it is way above average. The film is almost bloodless, and has brief nudity. - MERK

As a fan of B-rated movies, I didn't know what to expect when I saw this film advertised in the TV guide on a local independent UHF station known for showing off-the-wall movies. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, this movie is perfect for people who love those tacky memories of the early 80's. You'll see the rotary dial phones. The 1980 Ford Fairmounts. The old rabbit-ear televisions. But this movie is more than all that. Despite having a lot of lesser-known actors/actresses, the storyline was unlike most other B-films. It was actually very good ... as a TV reporter and a cop try to figure out who's committing various murders in New York City ... both seemingly having personal interests vested in solving the crimes ... and both getting on each other's nerves in the interim ... this all being made worse when a supposed clairvoyant steps into the picture who seems to have the ability to know someone's going to die before it actually happens. All this makes for a film that I think deserves more credit than it must have ever got ... being I never even heard of it. If you manage to find it at the bottom of some discount barrel of old VHS movies, or you see it advertised on some late night channel, by all means, watch it. It'll be worth your time.

Fun detective/psychic/serial killer flick

Odd mix of murder and humor at times. The jokes don't always land. It's sufficiently light in spots to make it feel like it won't get too dark. But it does get dark. It's about a serial killer.

The always great Kenneth McMillan has a supporting role here. The man is incredible! He could make picking his teeth seem fascinating.

Elizabeth Kemp plays the psychic. I was not impressed with her psychic scenes - they were okay. But strangely, I was wowed by her romantic scenes. Like the couple romantic scenes in this were so good I kind of wanted to see more of that and less of the psychic stuff. Good romance in a film like this... I didn't see that coming.

The mystery here is really not so great. You'll probably spot it coming. But it's an enjoyable ride and an odd mix of tones that works better than it really should. Worth a watch if you're into this kind of thing.