In den Fängen der Bestie

For surly he walks away with this and his portrait of a demented serial killer. This is unusual as Keith is always the victim, ala OFFICER AND GENTLEMEN. He was excellent. Kelly McGillis I usually like but felt there was a monotone level of work in this. Her face never showed any emotion except fear. Does she ever enjoy anything? I liked her in WITNESS and TOP GUN where she at least had interesting moments. But wasted in this. I guess we're supposed to see she's a tough detective and determined to catch her prey. Aging Bruce Dern plays a small role of a detective. Dern would have been more interesting if he had ended up the killer as he plays strange roles better. D W Moffett (what does the D stand for?) played another detective and love interest to Kelly. I remember him in AN EARLY FROST as the love interest to Aiden Quinn. A good looking guy too. But give the laurels to Keith for a wonderful job. And to all those lovely ladies he managed to charm into his den. Maybe sometime we could see a serial killer who takes all the beautiful boys and torments them. It would be different as most of the time it's always the women that get chosen.

For those that think "Perfect Prey" was better cinema than "Witness" this movie is the "perfect fare" for them. Well acted, the grizzled Kelly McGillis does take her role seriously, and for that we thank her. D.W. Moffett gives a splendid performance, but the true star of the show is David Keith. Never have I seen an actor take such demented delight in smearing red lipstick all over his characters sick, depraved lips. The storyline is decent, with an ending that borrows liberally from "Silence of the Lambs." Great cinema for that Saturday evening when Mom has to wait up for the teen that is out for the night with the family car. "Perfect Prey" is intriguing enough to keep the mind off worry, yet mindless enough that a viewer doesn't have to think as the clock nears one in the morning. For those that love a good storyline that offers a little more bang for the buck, try "Witness." Definitely Kelly McGillis at her finest, if only for the classic scene with a younger and sturdier Harrison Ford where they dance alone in an Amish country barn, a scene where McGillis truly sizzles and smolders with implied sexuality and Amish girl heat.

I have to say I didn't expect too much when I decided to watch this movie. Well it turned out to be a pretty good thriller. It makes you think a little, so I would say the plot's got something good too. I gave 7/10 stars.

Described as a TV movie, I don't know whether "Perfect Prey" was planned as a TV pilot. Far worse have been deemed suitable for series production. I don't think this watchable piece of work got the exposure it deserved when it first appeared. This is a better than average serial killer thriller. The main characters are certainly well cast.

Kelly McGillis is a natural as the troubled but intelligent and determined investigator, Audrey Maclean. David Keith's performance as the handsome, persuasive killer is chilling. Watching him, you can truly believe that evil is abroad and relishing the suffering of its victims. Bruce Dern does well with the part of Captain Swaggert, with murders on his hands he knows are beyond the abilities of his team to solve without the fresh eye of outside help. Interested viewers will, I'm sure, enjoy the contrast in characterization between Dern's lawman in this movie and his marvellously venal sheriff in "Last man Standing". Last but by no means least, D W Moffett shows real style with his Detective Jimmy Cerullo.

There's a pleasing professionalism about the rest of the cast, who aren't well known. Their work helps to ensure an enjoyable movie. Particularly worth a mention is the young actress given the thankless role of the murder victim in the pink dress. With her body propped up against a nodding donkey, her frozen eyes allow a peek into hell for the imaginative movie watcher. The feeling of brooding sadness in the scene surfaces at various times during the duration of the film, and adds considerable atmosphere.

The movie is effectively directed by Howard McCain and nicely scripted by Robert McDonnell. There's some neat editing by Hanneh Rudkilde. The rest of the crew weren't asleep on the job either. What really damages "Perfect Prey" is the marked resemblance of the plot to that of "The Silence of the Lambs", which many of its potential audience will have seen. In my opinion Kelly McGillis is a more believable investigator than the otherwise admirable Jodie Foster, but that, as they say, is neither here nor there.

It's worth a look, seek it out next time you intend making the sofa look untidy for a couple of hours.

Not sure why this movie got such mediocre ratings - it was well acted, well written, and well casted - - and most importantly, suspenseful!

It's downfall is only that it is totally reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs.. If you liked Silence, you'll probably like this movie too.

It had everything from the serial killer on the loose to the interview with the psychopathic killer in jail (sniffing the air, even!).. But, I loved Silence - and though I didn't realize the similarities until the end, this held my attention up until the last suspenseful minute.

Well worth my two hours! Bruce Dern and Kelly McGillis stood out in their roles - good casting.. good movie..