Meurtres sous contrôle

Trust something this darkly warped to come from the creative juices brewing from the mind of Larry Cohen. The 70s through to the mid 80s was the pinnacle for Cohen, and "God Told Me to" would have to be ranking at the top of his greatest achievements. With a limited budget, Cohen resourcefully constructs a fascinatingly chilling, bewildering and off-kilter little winner. Talk about the strangest film Cohen has ever done, and probably his most ambitiously versatile in the story's ever-changing format of genres! Subtexts aplenty. And they manage some depth too.

The cryptic story is cleverly utilized, as the mystery holds together and the fearful psychological undercurrents of repressed faith make it rather interesting. Though it's so hard to follow due to that fractured story-telling. It shifts from grounded reality to utter weirdness, which has you totally feeling the confusion and frustration that the main protagonist would be going through trying to come to terms with what's going on. So does it make sense? I'm not quite sure, but hell it's entertaining and bizarre. Too much for me to worry about thinking of the bigger picture. But hey it makes great for repeat viewings! Some sequences can unsettle, while others thoughtfully delve into the characters at hand. A compact, but involving script is complicatedly put together and drives hard with an audaciously literal sense. Some of the dialogues actually raise most of the tension than some visual set-pieces involving violence and shocks. Cohen's capably understated direction is well presented and shines with his own distinctive personality, as he ably uses the authentic New York Locations with the use of intimately taut cinematography. He manages to install a haunting air throughout the whole feature, and Frank Cordell's dreamily sombre music score largely complements the atmospheric awe.

A quality cast lend solid performances. Tony Lo Bianco is undeniably excellent in the lead role of a religious NYPD detective. Sandy Dennis and Sylvia Sidney offer strong support. Sam Levene, Al Fann and James Dixon (a Cohen favourite) are also good. Richard Lynch appears in a small, but unusually striking part and Andy Kauffman in an out-of-the-ordinary performance.

Cohen's "God Told Me To" is a loopy, but challenging b-grade exploitation of the highest order. An unforgettable cult gem!

Very fine and spunky little movie that covers a lot of ground in a short time as it speeds along. Fourteen people die in the opening minutes as a sniper does what he is 'told' in his head. Some of the smaller parts are a bit wooden, but then they may be amateur or near amateur and Tony Lo Bianco is excellent in the difficult central role as first Police officer, then ex-cop investigating on his own and gradually discovering he too may be a son of God ready to go on a killing spree. We get everything from alien abduction and naked donors cast into the night to gory self stabbings. Cohen even has the audacity to show us his mutant Christ and get away with it. Unique, gutsy, on the run film making.

I must have seen close to twenty movie written and/or directed by Larry Cohen ('Q', 'Black Caesar', 'Maniac Cop', 'It's Alive!', 'Best Seller', 'The Stuff', 'Uncle Sam',etc.etc.) and I have greatly enjoyed most of them, but 'God Told Me To' is without a doubt his best movie. It's an extraordinarily original picture, one of the best low budget horror movies of all time. Horror movie? Horror, mystery, science fiction, whatever you want to call it! Tony Lo Bianco plays a religious cop who is faced with a seemingly random series of murders committed by various people who, when asked why, simply say "God told me to". This is just the beginning of a very strange and fascinating story that will leave the viewer continually guessing! Lo Bianco was a last minute replacement for Robert Forster who was sacked after two days filming and a personality clash with Cohen. Lo Bianco gives a terrific performance, his best in my opinion after 'The Honeymoon Killers'. The movie features a strong supporting cast: Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, screen veterans Sylvia Sidney and Sam Levene, plus cult favourite Richard Lynch ('Scarecrow', 'Open Season', 'The Ninth Configuration'), and even the movie debut of the enigmatic comedian Andy Kaufman. 'God Told Me To' is one of the 1970s most underrated horror/exploitation movies. Any fan of the genre must, I repeat MUST, see it!

You cannot hate a film that uses Plymouth satellite's as cop cars just something iconic about them. There are a few featured as well as the Dodge version Coronet as taxis. This film was an interesting blend of Cop movie, Sc fi, Religious questioning and Schlock. All the acting was decent especially Sylvia Sidney and officer Peter Nicholas. It plays out like a made for tv movie and contains an interesting twist mid way. Look for Andy Kaufman playing a police officer in the St Patrick's Day parade. This feature was on a horror disc that purchased, I wouldn't have called it a horror but it is an interesting film.

Larry Cohen the New-York based director (Q-The Winged Serpent , Black Ceasar , Stuff) brings us this oddity. The title was changed to Demon after most television stations refused to run the trailer for the film. A deeply religious cop (Tony lo Bianco) is involved in the investigation of a series of seemingly unrelated sniper killings in the New York area. His investigations however only start when he tracks down a sniper and is given the answer "God Told Me Too" , thats about all I can say without ruining the film and giving away one of the most effective plot twists in years. Andy Kaufman (Latka in TAXI) turns up as a kill crazy policeman at a parade, with lots of other surprises along the way this little known gem is well worth the hunt if you can get a copy on video. And with we have the best of all excuses to watch it.."God Told Me Too"