The Perfect Witness - Der tödliche Zeuge

Wow!!! This is what Indie films should be. I didn't know what to expect going in but was totally on the edge of my seat the whole way through! It was sort of disturbing but in a very real, can't look away, can't wait for what will happen next sense. The two main characters, Mickey (Wes Bentley) and James Lemac (newcomer Mark Borkowski) are locked in a psychological cat and mouse as Mickey, a documentary filmmaker, hatches a crazy plan to blackmail and film James, a serial killer, for just a few days and then turn him into the police. One of the coolest things is that we don't really see the police in this film. We know they must be out there searching but we stay with the two main characters and just keep delving deeper and deeper into their psychology, morality and obsession. Every time you think you get to breathe, the air gets sucked right back out of you and there's a new crazy plot twist. The acting was really subtle (with Borkowski capable of erupting at a moment's notice) and the dark, edgy feel to the cinematography/directing made it really stand out as a risk-taking, no holds barred independent film. One particular murder scene was one of the most emotionally disturbing and visceral 5 minutes I've watched in a long time...wouldn't be surprised if this was a love/hate film for people because it gets under your skin and takes so many chances but I'm firmly on the side of loving it! It was clear the filmmakers wanted to be relentless with their audience so be prepared...

Let me comment on the comparisons of this movie to "Mr. Brooks" or "Henry." This one is not in the league of those two very well-done films.

Unlike "Mr. Brooks," this one does not give more insight to the mind of a serial killer (or even to the interaction of other people with the killer) than an average "48 Hours" episode would. In my opinion, the characters here are flat or, at best, two-dimensional, while "Mr. Brooks" is amazingly written to provide real character depth. So if you're looking for a psychological thriller that *could* be real life, go rent "Mr. Brooks" instead, because you won't find that here.

But if you've already seen "Mr. Brooks" and have nothing better to do, AND you can watch this for free, then it's entertaining for a night. I especially enjoyed the last 1/2 hour or so, and it is there that this film finally becomes somewhat worthwhile.

On a whole, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the interaction and some of the surprises. But caveat emptor -- if you are a fan of depth of character and intelligent, probing writing and acting, don't expect this to be the 10-star movie some reviewers here seem to think it is.

Good serial killer flick.

Production values were not stellar, but it might have been the director's aim to go "real" looking.

Both male leads were good. The beginning was somewhat slow and you have to suspend some reality to imagine that a serial killer would just sit there and have a conversation.

What keeps the movie going is the viewer's desire to see who's going to turn on the other first. There are several plot twists which were interesting.

Ending - I liked.

If you are looking for an above average horror movie take a peek.

In A PERFECT WITNESS, Wes Bentley stars as documentary filmmaker Mickey Gravatski, who tracks down a serial killer (Mark Borkowski). Mickey has no interest in turning him in. He wants to film him in the act, blackmail him, and use him in his documentary.

What could possibly go wrong?

This is an excellent thriller with some nasty twists and unexpected revelations. The cat and mouse aspect keeps changing, so we don't know how it will turn out. Bentley is especially good, as his character falls irretrievably deeper into moral decline.

There are a few hard-to-watch scenes that establish the true wickedness going on. This movie certainly earns its hard R-rating...

Unlike the other posters so far, I'm not falling over in my seat at how amazing and awesome this movie was -- because it wasn't. Don't be fooled by the fanboy stylings of earlier posts, this is not the latest "Henry." To its credit, it wants to be a movie that good, but it falls short on a variety of levels. The acting is pretty good, but there are no star turns here, except perhaps for the always under-appreciated Beth Grant, in a small role at the end. The story is so-so, but it is filled with logical holes and strains credulity many times.

But the biggest problem for me was depth. The movie wants to be weighing in on the way in which the filmmaker ends up behaving like the killer, but the plot doesn't slow down long enough to really explore it. It just keeps plowing ahead into new unlikely turn after turn, with no time left for a real reckoning for anyone.

At the end, I'm not sorry I watched it, but it wasn't all that great.