The Spreading Ground

is a question answered (one of the characters, albeit with a spelling change and no relation to Rand's...)

Derek Vanlint's directorial debut shows us the talent that can come from moving into directing from being a D.P. It shows in ever shot, and a friend of mine in the biz has always said that DP's really "make the movie" anyway.

Frederic Forest is always good, and Hopper was over the top in playing a somewhat "normal" person, even as a cop investigating a horrific series of child murders.

Some people might find the film slow, but I was rapt in every minute, and look forward to more fare from Vanlint.

It starts of good, but quickly becomes bad The actors seems to be reading the manuscript for the first time during the takes. I thought Kojak would show up, and the crooks are just awful. I got surprised when i saw it was from 2000, my guess would have been 1980 I liked some scenes and gave it a 3 because of them. But any episode of Kojak is better

Derek VanLint has done an outstanding job with this film. As I watched it, I imagined that either he had immense control over his director of photography or that he WAS one and the same, aside from being the overall film director. I was right. His eye for making a scene as intense as possible, and for finding what not to SAY, but what to SHOW, is amazing! Anyone who didn't enjoy this needs to re-evaluate just how many explosions or car chases they still need to see in their lifetime. This film does not rely on the overused junk that "mass appeal" films can't seem to do without. Also, Dennis Hopper is great in a role completely against typecasting! Frederic Forrest seems strained and pained as the overworked and overtired sidekick detective.

The movie to me represented a battle for supremacy, not only between good and evil but the morality play it invoked on the societies perspective. The Detective represented justice and truth. The Gangsters represented society. And the Mayor & Chief of Police represented the conflict of interest between the society and the law. And the Criminal represented the evil and the main conflict. I personally believe this movie is an interesting Psychological and Sociological study of not only society, but of our own psyche. I think the movie did however miss out on a few things, minor though but slightly visible. But overall the movie with an overall unknown cast displayed an interesting showcase of entertainment, and after all isn't what it's all about!

Maybe I've seen one too many crime flick, or maybe I don't take the right drugs.

This was the most cliché ridden, plot deficient, plot-absurd, just plain stupid movie I have seen in a long time.

As for the direction, it looks like it took less time to show this than it did to put it together.

In fact it looks like to made it straight to video before it was completed.

It's a bad rip off of "M" the classic Fritz Lang film starring Peter Lorre. You'd be SO much better off renting that instead.