Un tueur dans New York

The movie presents a horrific time in New York in a very positive way. Giving facts. Also letting us in on what it is like to be a policeman with a family. Very good movie.

I didn't realize this was a TV movie while watching it, though in retrospect it makes perfect sense. This film tries to be a cop film and a romantic drama all wrapped into one package. It fails miserably; in the end it's pure cheeze. I don't know how historically accurate this is (though I assume it's quite accurate as Ed Ziggo was technical advisor - and appeared in the film (look for him as the negotiator with a megaphone) but accuracy aside, it doesn't matter how realistic it is because not enough time is spent on the story anyhow. There's *way* too much focus on Ed's private life, and the focus, though interesting at times, doesn't fit in with the main plot. Too much background, too much straying into his personal life, too much time spent on detail we don't need to see. Much of it doesn't have anything to do with the main story or an effect on the main story. And we need more of a main story - there's not enough tension in the cop part of the film, and I quickly lose interest without it.

On the other hand, Sheen and Elizondo steal the show. Their normally brilliant acting isn't quite as brilliant as usual (mainly due to a poor script and hopelessly generic characterization) but nonetheless saves the film from utter horror. Sheen especially makes this film much more interesting than it should be. Trebor was also quite interesting as Berkowitz, though his dialogue was pretty cheezy as well... Unfortunately, most of the rest of the cast, each playing stereotypical and cliched characters, are not of nearly the same acting caliber and therefore pull the film back down again. Especially annoying was his daughter, a second-rate job on a character who was much more instrumental than she should have been.

Sightings: look for a *very* young Eriq LaSalle (aka Dr. Peter Benton on ER) playing Bobby. And look for D.B. Sweeney (Cutting Edge) in another small role.

Overall: Was mildly amusing. I don't particularly regret seeing it. But it was definitely nothing special. Because of the solid acting job by Sheen, Elizondo and Trebor: 5/10.

I didn't have any expectations when viewing this movie so I couldn't say I was disappointed. In fact the performances of the actors came across as quite impressive, especially Martin Sheen's performance. So well did he do that it seemed to bring out the best in many of the other actors also. Another aspect of this film that I thought was exceptional was the writing. The dialog was captivating. Being a made for TV picture gave it serious limitations I'm sure but the end product turned out excellent. My compliments to the film markers. I will yield to the other reviewers as to the historical accuracy of the story but in no way should the qualities of this movie take a hit because it was deeply moving and interesting. 7.4 out of 10.

The above average ratings of this made-for-TV movie seem way too high. I expected an in-depth look at the search for the "Son of Sam," and instead found a mushy look at the familial life of the lead investigator, played by Sheen. In fact, the Son of Sam character was not developed at all. The only reason I stuck through the film was my prior interest to find out how the police captured Sam. It is very difficult to believe that this is the same Sheen who made Apocalypse Now just six years before this.

"Out of the Darkness" isn't worth the trouble. Martin Sheen is a lot better than the material. The supporting cast is fine but they can't save the movie. The script is weak and unfocused. The dialogue is pretty bad too. That said, Sheen makes the movie almost watchable.