Love Comes to the Executioner

If hell exists, this movie will win an Oscar over there. The torture would be that you will be made to watch it, and watch it get an Oscar.

TOTAL WAISTE OF TIME, LIFE AND ENERGY.

Story sucked, started sort of OK, might have been something but then turned into some stupid boring redneck crap. I had to forward it to see the end and that's it.

I waisted 40 min before I realised that this is going nowhere.

When it started and we got to the death row topic, thought this might be an interesting "noir" ,some sort of black comedy about death row.

Turned out it is SH#T.

How this film never made it to the top of immediate cult status is beyond me. It is clever, witty, dark in a very heavy way (turn off for people who have kin in jails) and some of the best dialog which, in many cases require a better than high school education. If you studied Latin, there are some double meanings or "entendres" all through this film. Really good performances by all and if you have to, buy this one. Not for grannies who watch cook shows and knit. To give one a taste of the writing, check out the memorable lines here which are out of context. Also, look up the cast to see the credits and the dark roles a couple of the actors have appeared. This is not to say they can only do dark, hilariously witty films. One of the actors played the lead in "Dahmer" and goes from a very somber character to one that it a great comic flair.

I saw Love Comes to the Executioner Friday, March 18 at SXSW Film Festival. It is the most original film I've seen, maybe ever. Memento was also very original. (just to give you my point of reference) I've literally never seen anything like this film. It's going to be billed as a dark comedy, but it's not that dark. It's just hysterical in a smart, sick sort of way. I wish I could find the screenplay online, because it has some of the best lines I've ever heard in a film. I have a feeling if it gets distribution, and I can't imagine it won't, it'll be a cult classic and be quoted along the lines of Office Space. While the plot is pretty simple, although not entirely predictable, it really is the dialog that makes this movie so unique. The main cast really pull off their quirky characters.

Jonathan Tucker (Hostage, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) play Heck, who gets a job as the Closer in a prison. That's a nice term for executioner. His brother Chick (Jonathan Tucker - Dahmer, 28 Weeks Later) is on death row, as is Chick's former girlfriend, Dori (Ginnifer Goodwin - Walk the line).

This movie just gets weird as Heck falls in love with Dori and wants to do the job of his own brother. Heck and Dori manage to have sex in a position that I doubt is in the Kama Sutra - through the cell bars. Getting her pregnant is a way of delaying her execution. I told you this was weird.

If you liked Clay Pigeons or Heathers, then this film is for you.

This is a mixed film - it could be darker, it could be funnier - but the plotting was unpredictable, and there are moments of strangeness.

The characters are too whimsical to be really effective - even in broad comedy. The ideas though are original - though I got the sense that the writers sat and said how can we make this more original - but originality is no substitute for soul - and though the filming, script, and acting are good the film lacks a soul - it ends up feeling like a darker but weakly weak episode of My Name is Earl - and it just isn't funny enough. The humor is OK, but it definitely is not on target most of the time.

Could have been the next Buppa Ho-Tep ends up as a kookie film without a soul...