O Jogo da Forca

"Hangman" is yet another by-the-numbers TV serial killer mystery with that sun-never-shines Canadian dreariness all over it. Featuring two under-rated B-movie stars, Phillips as a homicide cop and Amick as a rich and retired shrink, "Hangman" spins a yarn about murder using the child's word game of the title name played via computer with real people getting hung. The film does little to distinguish itself and many will find the ending unsatisfying. However, it also does little wrong, making it a worthwhile small screen watch, albeit marginally so. Just drama with no stunts, shootouts, sex (almost), or sensationalism. (C)

I really thought the first hour of this movie was really exceptional. However, the last 30+ minutes of the movie literally ruin it. The plot simply becomes too unbelievable to suspend your disbelief. And the ending is just a big disaster as far as movie endings go.

This isn't a masterpiece, still it's a smart and interesting thriller. Although the genre is a bit over-exploited, this movie has a capturing and really original story. The brutal techniques of the Hangman are something I've never seen on screen before. The acting is OK, not very overwhelming, however convincing. The ending might seem as a let-down, yet it's not stereotype compared with other films.

Lou Diamond Phillips and Madchen Amick are the only Americans in a Canadian made for television film Hangman. It's a complex psychological homicide thriller about a bunch of murders by hanging that center around some psychologists.

Phillips is the lead detective assigned to a group of killings known as the Hangman murders. That's the way these victims depart this mortal coil and all of them seem to center around former psychologist Madchen Amick.

The film has more twists then those pretzels you see at your local bar. During the course of Hangman, Phillips and his team come up with several theories of the crimes.

There's not a shot fired and the physical violence is kept to a minimum, in the manner of Alfred Hitchcock. Yet things are kept pretty tense in true Hitchcock manner.

Lou does a fine job underplaying his role as a detective who just can't get a handle on the case. His foe is an incredibly cunning one which you won't appreciate until the end.

I wouldn't miss it, especially if you're a fan of Lou Diamond Phillips.

OK, so not the greatest move of all time, but definitely one of the best TVmovies I've seen. I've always enjoyed it when we get to watch the cops figure out what the audience already knows. If the truth can be told, I didn't figure out the whole thing before time, I had suspicions, but was filled with reasonable doubt (you see what I did there?) Then again, this unusual brain lapse can be attributed to the fact that it was 2am. And I do like the ending, even if it was inconclusive, simply because it seemed a bit more real than some (insert Arnie voice here) "taking out da trash" ending.

The characters were well drawn enough for the purposes of the movie and it was an especially strong performance from Lou-Diamond Phillips, even if a few of the other performances weren't quite up to scratch. But hey, its a TVmovie, whaddya expect? Perhaps the best thing I can say about it, is that I was gonna give it a little while then go to bed, but it held my attention until the end. And thats a good sign!