Stressed to Kill

Just watched it on Amazon, frame rate was a bit off at some points but that could just be my connection... apart from that there's nothing really wrong with it, in fact it was really entertaining, didn't mind the acting at all, didn't come across too cheesy, budget was low but I've seen way way lower... the lead actor I liked, his buddy I liked, everyone they hated I hated... the crazy cop was fun... yeah I had a good time... I'm no movie critic but it is what it is and if you try and pick at things like a lot of the reviews do then you probably don't want to enjoy it, where's the fun in that? Give it a watch, if you like it you like it, if you don't you don't, it's that simple....

Bill stressed himself out with the everyday cycle of life..so much so he gave himself a heart attack. His Doctor insisted upon him eliminating stress from his life! He started on a rampage killing random people who stressed him out! At the insistence of his doctor (who had no idea what he was doing to be stress- free) he kept it up because it was alleviating stress! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie ....it kept you in suspense with a dark portion of humor! It was funny, suspense filled and not quite the obvious! Plus the bad guy ...well I want to tell the whole movie movie but I won't! Go check it out! You will receive your money's worth! It also teaches you to be careful who you stress out or you could be next!

Idea for the plot was good, but the acting was ... not. Almost coukd have worked as a spoof, but acting wasn't quite good enough for that. But couldn't stop watching. Does pick up at the end.

I was actually excited to screen this. I heard mixed reviews, but the negative reviews were from colleagues that I don't necessarily respect. This is a nice mash up of a dark comedy and a thriller, the concept is fresh and the characters are well developed for the most part. The technical side isn't really newsworthy, good or bad, about what you'd expect from a higher end indie which is certainly my cup of preferred tea. Although some of the continuity errors stick out, in particular a magic coffee cup that can't seem to find a consistent home(you'll see what I mean when you watch it) I'm a big fan of Bill Oberst Jr and this role was right in his hot zone, the perfect role for him. I'll pretty much watch anything he's in. Without having access to the script, I can venture an educated guess that some of his dialogue that fell short was a writing issue and most of the dialogue that was on point was likely improv on Oberst's part. The other lead, Armand Assante, complimented Bill well but unfortunately struggled to hold his own from a pure talent standpoint. The supporting cast was passable, bright in some spots but fell short in others. Not sure if I can chalk this up to poor direction or poor casting by the producers. I'm familiar with Mark Savage's work and skill so I'd probably put this one on the producers. Savage puts out work that I am happy to pay to see. All in all I am pleased with this film. It drags a bit in the second act, but not horribly. Some of the performances are uneven, but overall good.

I know it's not nice to accuse other people of fake reviews, especially when it's my first but I have no choice. I really can't believe someone could actually praise this film. First of all: it's not low budget, it's extremely super uber low no budget. Nothing wrong with that itself but be aware - it shows. The story itself isn't too bad. Sure, it was done before and all but it doesn't have to be original to be good. Unfortunately, to make a film that takes itself seriously you need a few things, like good casting which means - good actors. Sadly that can't be found in 'Stressed to Kill'. The film 'stars' Armand Assante and I'm sure all the actor's budget went to pay his salary. Assante was a decent actor once. He delivered few really memorable performances but it was all 20+ years ago. Since then...drugs, booze, I guess. Now he's one of these small names, affordable for super low budget movies because nothing better comes his way. Here, he plays the detective and like the other reviewer have said 'mumbles his lines'. It's not even acting, this guy couldn't speak properly and I had trouble understanding what the heck were his lines. Luckily enough, he only has a small part. Lead actor in the film is Bill Oberst Jr. (I hope Oberst Sr. wasn't an actor as well) and he's the worst casting choice possible. He looks like a combination of devil/psychopath/bum/local creep/. Definitely not someone you will feel sympathy for. Ever. Under any circumstances. Plus, Oberst can't really act. He's one of these actors who will do any film that pays 100 bucks/day and well, that's the quality you will get. He will pass as someone who needs to look scary but won't carry your film because he can't act. Marshall Hilton plays his best pal and overacts pretty much every scene he's in. Must be another 100 bucks/day Wonder. I checked his profile on here and saw he was in kids show 'Beetleborgs' many moons ago. All these years later, he still overacts like he did before, except that it made sense in 'Beetleborgs'. It doesn't make sense in 'Stressed to Kill'. Sonia Curtis who plays Oberst's wife might be as well best actor in the entire film but trust me...that doesn't mean much. Curtis had a small part in another film I watched recently 'Relentless Justice' and while she wasn't too bad there, it's obvious she had much stronger competition. Have to say she looks pretty good for her age, though. So the acting pretty much sucks. That's one huge problem. Another problem is it's running time. It drags for way too long. I mean it runs for almost 2 hours and should be at least 40 minutes shorter. Some say it's a dark comedy but really...It's a boring thriller with absolutely horrible acting, directing and lack of production value. Do yourself a favour and don't spend your money on this joke of a film.