Emmett's Mark

Scott Wolf plays a young detective called Emmett Young, who's said to have one week to live.He hires someone to kill him.When he wants to cancel the order, it's not so easily done.Emmett's Mark (2002) is a fine thriller drama that manages to keep the suspense on from the beginning till the end.Scott Wolf, who played Bailey Salinger in Party of Five, is very good in the lead.Gabriel Byrne, who plays the guy after him, is very good also.Other actors I could mention are Khandi Alexander and Tim Roth.Everybody's great in the movie.The plot is, I think, something unique.You don't see movies like this every day.Sure it's not a masterpiece and soon to have a classic status, but who cares.It's great entertainment.I think this movie is way underrated and you should give it a chance.All of you.

The story follows Detective Emmett Young who finds out that due to a sudden and very rare disease his death will be very soon and very unpleasant. He soon meets someone who offers him a way out. He then puts out a hit on himself that is sent to a former police man and now security guard (Tim Roth). Emmett Young is soon met with another challenge of finding a violent serial killer/rapist within the time of his hit. The story unfolds perfectly with some great character study. From start to finish the story is bleak and dark which blends perfectly with the over all theme. The story also has a surprising and unsettling twist in the middle which gives the movie more tension and well as adds to the protagonists struggles. The use of dialog throughout the story helps set the mood as well as give the audience a truthful look at the 3 main characters. We see what exactly separates Emmett Young from his assassin as well as what can drive someone to make the choice to kill another person. Tim Roth gives a brilliant and chilling performance as a broken former cop who has more reason to kill than just money. Anyone who likes smart story telling as well as fine character performances will enjoy Killing Emmett Young.

Screw what anyone says about movies where everything is not about action, 'cause this is a very very good film. I don't know the first thing about what a good cameraman is supposed to do or what good special effects are (if there even are in this one), but I look at the big picture and that must count for something. The acting is good, natural, down to earth, the atmosphere is a bit cold, distant and autistic. But that made the whole movie worth watching it, I thought, and the absence (finally!) of any wild romance or crazy love made it a big Hansaplast on a bleeding wound. Really. If you have lost hope in Hollywood, see this.

Just saw this film at its world premiere in Philadelphia. I thought it was beautifully shot (wait till you see the shot of Roth in the closet), nicely directed (that closet shot again), and impressively acted (even Scott Wolf) but the story seemed a little unfocused, even cliched at times. There was a subplot involving a murder investigation that was never given the attention it should have received. And there is a certain extremely cliche plot-twist about midway through the film that should have been eliminated in the writing stages. On the other hand, both Wolf's and Roth's characters were well-written, each receiving a nice amount of screentime to showcase their characters' depth. Overall, this was a solid, above average drama/thriller. And with today's lack of quality films, that's a huge compliment.

Young cop Emmet Young gets the news has only weeks to live. An ex-cop offers him a solution: A hit-man will kill Emmet thus sparing him a long and painful deathbed. Emmet takes the deal, but than finds out the hospital screwed up. He isn't dying. Now he has to stop the hit-man. In a substory he is also pursuing a serial killer who rapes en kills young women. On all fronts time is running out.

I liked this movie very much. The actors are good, especially Wolf and Roth. The script is original and avoids the pitfalls of cliché and stays logical. This is the first time I really liked Scott Wolf in a role. He plays Emmet as a young and intelligent but obsessive cop. I liked the fact that the director really took his time to let us in the life of the hit-man (Roth). It made the final showdown so much more powerful.

Though the film probably had a fraction of the budget most blockbusters have, this doesn't show in the film. The sounds and visuals are very well done. I highly recommend it