The Killing Jar

Entertaining movie. Pressure cooker thriller. In theory the movie has all the ingredients of Reservoir dogs. Gritty storyline and a cast that includes Michael Madsen and Danny Trejo. But the movie falls short... Madsen is brilliant as always and Harold Perrineau delivers a good performance, but they are unable to make-up for Amber Benson's disappointment. Danny Trejo has a total of two minutes of screen time, and he is never shown fully (he is shown through a kitchen window)... Noreen, the central character played by Amber Benson, was the weakest link. Also, the pressure is let out a bit too prematurely... In all, a movie that has potential, but fails. That said, for a direct-to-DVD movie, this is very good. It is not an excellent movie, but a decent one at the very least. If you have nothing else to do, this might be a decent pastime movie.

This is a hidden gem of a movie that a lot more people need to see.

Its a simple set piece taking place in a late night diner.

The story is super solid as is the acting.

What really works for this film above all else is its slightly underplayed. No over the top hyped up hysterics. It allows the drama to do the work.

Great movie :)

I've been clear in the past, I very rarely like it when a film opens with a scene from later on in the story. Even though the scene 'The Killing Jar' chooses to show us isn't from very far into the movie, it completely ruins the suspense and mystery of the opening 20-30 minutes of the film. A terrible decision.

As far as B-level casts go this is a pretty interesting one. Lots of names who have turned in some pretty iconic performances over the years, but have faded away a bit lately. We know that all of them have the potential to be very watchable though and for the most part they are here. Everyone seems to commit to the project pretty well and it shows.

The film has a mystery element, however it doesn't do a very good job of hiding its secrets very well. Even someone like me, who makes a point of not trying to work anything out and just going along for the ride, was able to see pretty clearly who was who and what was what.

I enjoy single-setting films and I love some good old-fashioned violence in my films. This film has both. There's some good stuff and some not so good stuff in 'The Killing Jar'. Give it a chance and it might just surprise you how much you enjoy it. 6/10.

Grabastic - I'm a channel flipper and I stopped flipping for this little gem. The movie was all about acting, it reminded me of 12 Angry Men or Night Of The Living Dead as it took place in a small space and was packed with tension and personalities. Bloody movie if you want street cred. You really didn't know who would be shot next or how or why. Micheal Madsen filled his type cast as a deranged thug and the rest of the cast played through acting school chops. Madsen got to ham it up and his experience showed. The writing was well done and tightly edited. Jake Busey as always bought the air of chaos and wildness along and fleshed his character out well. You could really imagine the actors walking around the green room with a script and talking to themselves.

When a mysterious stranger (Madsen) enters a diner after news of a killing spree, secrets become revealed. After hearing about a brutal killing, a mysterious stranger comes in to a diner at closing time. The waitress and the six customers begin to think this stranger is the killer. After taking control of the situation the stranger begins to uncover secrets of the hostages. Not everyone is who they seem to be. This is yet another movie with a lot of potential but doesn't keep your attention. There are some pretty intense parts but overall pretty slow moving. It's not terrible but not a great first choice for nightly entertainment. I give it a C.

Would I watch again? - No, this is a movie that doesn't get better with repeated viewings.