Coldblooded

I watched this film at an obscenely late hour the other night, and it was like a breath of fresh-air. As soon as I saw Jason Priestly, I assumed it would be one of those terrible straight to TV movies that involved a cast of C-list celebrities wondering what on earth they were doing making such rubbish.

Not so. As the film progressed I realised, to my utter surprise, that I was actually really enjoying it. The dialogue was funny, the characters interesting and the ending inspired. Priestly was excellent, only ever achieveing such dizzy acting heights in another quirky classic, 'Love and Death on Long Island', and the supporting cast were genuinely talented.

It wasn't perfect; it could have been longer, but it definietly had all the assets of a cult movie.

I went to see this at the Seattle International Film Festival in 1995. I went because the synopsis sounded interesting. Plus the guy who had written and directed it was connected with the Simpsons, surely a major plus when it comes to comedy. The audience was filled with teenage girls, obviously drawn by the name of Jason Priestly on the marquee. It made the subsequent viewing of the film THAT much funnier (well, at least to me) to sit there and wonder what these girls were thinking as the film progressed and Priestly started killing folks with such wonderful deadpan indifference. This movie is incredibly funny. Peter Reigert is top-flight comedy gold in every scene he has as the burned-out veteran hit-man but the real revelation is how funny Jason Priestly can be when given a chance. His character here is almost like Peter Sellers from BEING THERE; he is so impassive and deadpan, yet the film revolves around his performance and it must be good for a film like this to work; well, Priestly delivers. His character is goofy and sweet and yet somehow chilling too in his casual attitude to murder. Why this film has languished in total obscurity is a mystery. When i saw the film, most of the audience didn't know what to think; the teenage girlies were rather shocked;they didn't find it amusing to see their 90210 heartthrob pistol-whipping people before icing them, but I did. When the film ended, the director, Wallace Wolodarsky, was just sitting there, alone.He had introduced the film briefly beforehand and said he'd be happy to field questions when it was over. I approached him (since no one else was going to) and I think I frightened him a bit with my exuberance; I had a shaved head at the time and i looked a bit weird and I said, too loudly, "That movie was brilliant! It was hilarious!" He said,"Thank you," and slowly backed away from me. I thought, "Well, you can't win them all." And I left him in the theater filled with people who didn't understand his movie.

this movie is completely underestimated. Jason Priestley really shocked me that he was able to play such a good character after what i've seen from him in the past. i highly recommend this movie to anyone with an intelligent sense of humor. the only thing I'm not too happy about is that this movie has not been released as a DVD yet but hopefully that will change. it's a dark comedy for anyone that is into them. one of the best ones i've ever watched. i caught this movie late one night about 3:00 in the morning knowing i had to get up for school at 6:00 a.m. and lets just say i had a rough day at school the next day. i couldn't take my eyes off of it from the first second i saw it. it's rare that a movie can actually have that effect on me especially that late at night. once again if you ever have a chance to see this movie, take the opportunity, Preistley is magnificent. Catch it on VHS at the video store if you have a VCR still

I rented this movie a few years ago on a friend's recommendation. I did not want to see it, strictly because of Jason Priestly. Boy was I wrong! This is one of those rare gems that you wish you could show to all your friends. This movie is what others like "The Big Hit" and such crime/comedy movies WISH they could be. It is smartly written, greatly acted (and subtly acted, no over-the-top histreonics as an attempt at humor) and excellently cast. Robert Logia is fantastic as the new Mob leader. Priestly is great as the title role. Please watch this movie with an open mind and be ready to be shocked, both at the black humor, and at the intelligence and care the story receives.

Take one very introverted bookmaker and transform him into a highly successful hit-man. Now add an attractive yoga instructor to the mix and you have a talented killer in love. Though he clearly enjoys his work, he has no clue about relationships. This off-beat scenario easily drives "Cold Blooded" into black comedy territory. With sharp dialog, and fine acting from Jason Priestly, Kimberly Williams, Peter Riegert, and Robert Loggia, this is a must see for admirers of dark humor. The clever script is never boring, but is unpredictable and charming in a perverse sort of way. There is no DVD, but I highly recommend seeking out a VHS copy. - MERK