Crimetime

i'm not totally sure what to make of this film, it has a weird mix of actors, some classy and some not so. the good actors were unable to lift crimetime out of utter mediocrity, and in my humble opinion it was over long, and bordering on painfully tedious in some places. i stuck with it simply out of curiosity, having read the other reviews, but in all honesty i just feel cheated out of 2 hours of my life that will never come back. i think it is to be avoided at all costs, except for those wanting to enjoy looking at the oil slick that is stephen baldwin's hair, or the grotesque mask like appearance of karen black's face. 4/10 is the best i can do, and those points are probably all pete postlethwaite's, whom one can say, did his best in the face of adversity.

I remember seeing the trailer for 'Crimetime' back in the VHS days. I didn't bother watching it then, but the look combined with starring Stephen Baldwin, coming from dtv company Vidmark made me think it'll be a routine crime slasher. So imagine my surprise sitting down for it now,. Nearly two hour long runtime and also not the throwaway serial killer thriller I thought it would be.

Sidney (Pete Postlethwaite) kills a woman and the murder is made part of a sensationalized reality tv show called Crimetime who hires all too serious method actor Bobby Mahon (Baldwin) to play the role. It grabs Sidney's interest and gives Bobby a lift, but when the killings stop so does any sort of sick & twisted fame for both men. Sid resumes now solely to be famous and Bobby blurs the line between fantasy & reality losing himself to the role.

I'm in the minority of people who enjoyed what this had to say. Neither man is likable - one for obvious reasons, the other because he gets a big head - but the descent into delusions of grandeur worked. People being murdered capitalized on for money isn't done over the top or with a heavy hand trying to install some deep message. There's some silly moments, but they don't distract. The weakest portion is the failing relationship between Bobby and his actress girlfriend (Sadie Frost).

Oddly the most commonly available version of 'Crimetime' in North America has a 95 min runtime. I'm curious if this tighter version is a better film, but otherwise I was happy with what this 'original' cut did. Postlethwaite is a fine actor and does a good job of bringing a sick man to life. Stephen Baldwin is no thespian actor, but he makes the role work for him and actually shows some range. The idea of the media, tv, serial killers might be played out material past or present, but I liked this little film blemishes and all.

Crimetime (1996): The plot is a tad convoluted but basically you have a crime reenactment television series. The studio executives are satirised to high heaven, after an old man is set on fire along with his dog one of the producers wants to get a dog from the pound to set on fire. Only viewership figures matter to them. Stephen Baldwin is a small-time actor who takes himself too seriously; his method acting style and histrionic outbursts costs him roles. But the Crimetime programme recruits him to re-enact murders carried out by a serial killer. Baldwin shines in the role and attracts the attention of the actual killer, Pete Postlethwaite, who leaves him encouraging voicemails with tips. The resulting relationship results in a synergy where at times Baldwin finds it difficult to differentiate fantasy from reality. A violent film with graphic scenes of murder and mutilation including one nauseating sequence with Postlethwaite lining up the trophies he's cut from his victims. The disjointed nature of the script means that I was, like Baldwin, unable to tell what was real from fantasy. Still there is good acting from Postlethwaite, Baldwin and Karen black on a supporting role. It might have failed to fulfill its potential but Crimetime is certainly worth watching. Directed by George Sluizer, Written by Brendan Somers. 6.5/10.

Thinking that it could only get better was the worst assumption I ever made....

Drivvle does not describe this movie appropriately enough!

Not only is the plot thin, but I get more emotional acting from my pet fish!

It was a shame to see Pete Postlethwaite, whom I respect as an actor trying to do the best with the little he had to work with...

I think that a cardboard cut out of Stephen Baldwin would have done a better job , and in fact have been more animate.

Avoid at all costs! This could really be hazardous to your health!

OK, I agree it is not the great film it could have been, but we have to accept that the problem is not the film itself but the script. The film contains everything to be a hit: nice story, good plot and well done characters, even its soundtrack is excellent.

Some people say the problem is the lack of deep characters, but since when this art is made only with characters? most of them represent nothing but emotions, in other words, they are symbols the writer and the director use to say something...

The film is trying to establish an atmosphere of uncertainty; the big real problem is that the movie is trying to show too many different things, but it can not do so.

Watch it and then judge by yourself.