Instinct to Kill

WANTED: Mercenary. REQUIREMENTS: (1) Must be able to hit his targets with a handgun, or at least come close to them. (2) Must be able to maintain emotional distance with his clients, or at least be able to control them to the point that the clients do not become a liability.

Too bad. I've always liked Mark Dacascos. This film just did not do it for me. It has a lot of good merits but certain obvious things were enough to turn me off to it. I expected more from the police detective. The lack of graphic violence is good, since the story involves lots of violence. I could see the ending coming too easily.

Instinct to Kill 2001

If you are just looking for an action flick with a few good fight scenes, some pretty ladies and a basic plot this movie is for you. The fight scenes are realistic for the most part. The action keeps the movie going more than the semi-plausible plot. The weakest part of the movie is how foolish and inept the cops are portrayed. Most notably, the detective in charge of the task force, Lance. The bad guy is out to kill his wife and her mother and her best friend, but for some reason revenge on his ex-partner that busted him isn't part of the plan. That seems kind of inconsistent to me. Secondly, there is one scene where Missy's character and the good guy go after the serial killer husband on their own, without the police or any back up. I got the impression that scene was just to fill in time for the movie and have another action sequence. There is another scene that is totally implausible but I don't want to include any spoilers in this. You will see it if you watch the movie. Missy Crider is her normal good actress self but she doesn't show any skin in this one. The only nude scene is a brief sexual encounter with Missy's husband (the character in the movie that is) and her best friend. As a movie for simple escapism and fun I would recommend this movie to those who enjoy the genre. My rating, given the generally low caliber of cast: 7 out of 10.

Your typical guy movie! Nudity, fight scenes, explosions, blood, sex, bullets flying by your head, chase scenes, fire, more explosions, and some decent acting as well. Instinct to Kill stars Tracy Ryan and Missy Crider as the eye candy. Crider is best remembered for her red-headed performance as Powder's love interest in the under appreciated, POWDER. Since then, she has lost some weight and done a number of interesting, action films. Both Crider and Ryan make the movie watchable. Started slow and ended fast, the movie has its moments. Overall, if you're up around 3am and there's nothing else to watch on cable, this movie is the best!

"Instinct to Kill" sticks a handful of B-listers in a journeyman production B-flick and lays down a hackneyed storyline which has nothing new to offer. A crime/action/drama, this flick has many deficits including bad acting and direction, gaping plotholes, predictability, obvious cost-cutting, ordinary fight sequences, etc. Pretty much a waste of time, "Instinct to Kill" makes a marginal watch even for the most macho-minded couch potato. (C-)

Loosely based on the book The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner, Instinct to Kill puts Tim Abell and Mark Dacascos back together for the first time since The Base. Turning the story round and telling it much more from the killer's point of view gives the film advantages over the book, not least of which is the fact that we get to see more of Abell. He is the saving of the film, bringing the murderer, his character, to life in a way that Dacascos and Cryder seem unable to do with theirs. Unfortunately interesting characters have been omitted from the book which would have improved the film, but the progress of Jim Beckett reminds me a lot of the Andy Robinson character from Dirty Harry, without the totally over the top acting. It is fervently hoped that Abell does not suffer the same fate as Robinson and remain typecast as the psychotic killer, he is too good an actor for that.

Some of the make up used to disguise the murderer is a little amateurish but other special effects and the fight scenes particularly are very well done. Especially touching is the scene between Beckett and his father. What intrigued me most was Beckett's ongoing murder spree which was conducted without the expected descent into madness or raving looney tunes. He remained the same calculated, in control character throughout, who if you passed him in the street you would have thought nothing of. No rolling eyes giving the insanity away or the dishevelled appearance crying out for the men in white coats to pick him up. Abell plays it straight and it works.

Overall I really enjoyed the film and would recommend it.