Objectif meurtre

Despite a small role from a tall actor, there is nothing lanky about Steve Merchant's performance as Kirk in Killer Image.

Even though this only seems to be his first Hollywood movie, he displays the cool attitude of a modern day actor like Clive Warren.

While he wasn't able to display them in this movie, Merchant's past experience with wire work and stunt falls truly shone through in this movie.

Mark this movie as the start of his now budding action star career. His next role should have his imagined riches turning real, with these kinds of performances.

As for the remainder of the cast, they turn in serviceable performances. While Ironsides is as good as usual, I'd rather just watch an episode of Columbo over this forgettable movie.

This is a great film. Can't believe this film is so underrated. It's one of the best thrillers of the year. You really should watch this one. You'll like it. The performance are very good. Good psycho thriller.

Why is it that Canadian-made movies are so wooden?

The script of this movie has potential but it just doesn't work. I think it may be the editing. There is no pacing. The scenes just move along without any buildup of tension.

The movie includes two experienced actors, Michael Ironside and M. Emmet Walsh, with Ironside taking the lead as the anti hero.

Nothing really happens to make the movie interesting. The hero, John Pyer- Ferguson is unimpressive; the dialogue is boring and the plot is predictable and moves like molasses. Even the color was washed out.

I started to watch this movie on the late show and got so bored that I ended up surfing the Internet at the same time and felt that I missed nothing.

My review was written in December 1992 after watching the movie on Paramount video cassette.

"Killer Image" is a well-made Canadian suspense feature debut that has inexplicably opened at year's end in Los Angeles to qualify for Oscar consideration. Its natural home is home video, where Paramount Home Video released it this past summer.

M. Emmet Walsh toplines as a corrupt senator whose brother, perennial screen baddie Michael Ironside, is shown dumping a body in the film's opening.

Incriminating photos of Walsh with a prostitute, snapped by Paul Austin, cost the shutterbug his life. Austin's brother Max (John Pyper-Ferguson) is out to set things right, but Ironside frames him for the murder of another hooker and discredits him with the police as a "boy who cried wolf".

Filmmaker David Winning, in his second feature assignment, has a plot that becomes increasingly far-fetched as Ironside's complicated schemes keep going awry. Pyper-Ferguson teams up with his brother's girlfriend, lovely American thesp Krista Errickson, and of course a romance develops.

Storyline resolves itself with Pyper-Ferguson turning Walsh and Ironside against each other. The symmetry of brothers versus brothers is not fully developed since Austin's role is minor.

Though the film is set in the U. S., its Calgary area locations are attractive, including a cliffhanger finale above surging water rapids. Cast is okay.

Edgy, atmospheric little psycho thriller made the more interesting for having Michael Ironside in his usual typecast role. Yep you guess it right… no one does stone-cold, dangerous psycho better than Ironside. What I thought was going to be a political/conspiracy sort of thriller, transcended into a basic on-the-run, cat-and-mouse format between a psycho (whose brother just happens to be a senator up for re-election) and young photographer (whose older brother just recently died taking some discriminating photos). It becomes a battle of wills between the two as Ironside toys around with John Pyper-Ferguson's out-on-his feet character; blackmail, murder and a lot photos. We are thrown right into it, but the narrative while taut and quick moving is quite hazy and unfocused on the details. Things just seem to happen with little insight and can be unbelievably ludicrous. There's no question though, it's as mundane as you can get but David Winning's sharp workman-like handling impulsively engages and so does Ironside's deviously menacing turn as a brother living in the shadows of older brother. Pyper-Ferguson is modest across from him and Krista Errickson is reasonably good as a lady who gets up in it all. Also starring was another well-known face; M. Emmet Walsh adequately holds his own in the small moments he's in.

"You killed my happy ending"! "To hell with your happy ending"!