User reviews

When i first saw this movie appear on my local DVD store shelf, i wondered why it never saw light of day at my local cinema.

Michael Madsen and Amber Benson are the main stars here, and they put in a couple of fine performances. Possibly Michael Madsen most similar performance since his infamous role one in Reservoir Dogs. In fact, there is even a "Mr Green" here too! The film is shot entirely in one location (a diner) during one particular night. The diner is home to Noreen, a waitress who although unsatisfied with her job, is the type of small town girl who is happy to just do it. Meanwhile, the patrons comprise of various people who are stopping by on their way through, and we get to know each one a little more in detail as the movie progresses.

The movie flows along at a steady pace, and the director ensures this is maintained throughout the movie. This is a positive thing, as it allows us to enter the small town philosophy a little easier. The music throughout is also excellently chosen, and by the time the titles came up at the end i was ready to rush out and buy the CD.

However, one essential thing to take into account when you watch this movie is, don't take it too seriously. I became a little frustrated at why some parts of the story weren't removed and other parts put in. For example, why out of two strangers who walk into a diner does Noreen warm to one, and alienate the other all based on a radio report? And why doesn't the director utilise the video camera that the 2 kids bring to the diner to add some depth to the plot? But maybe this on purpose, as a red herring for people who look too deep into plot lines.

Putting these small gripes aside, if you enjoy a small town thriller that may have a small budget, but sure has a big heart, fried up with a couple of fine performances then this is a great Saturday night movie.

I certainly enjoyed it, and whilst it wont go down as a classic, i would recommend it for those late night Saturday blues, its intriguing, exciting, but if you're looking for a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this isn't the one for you.

The movie plays in a little coffee-bar only, different people come together. It's an interesting play of tension and violence. The movie is professional done while it's still a rather cheap production (probably the salary for Michael Madsen and the other actors was by far the most expensive thing). Good actors in this movie, good acting by them. It's by far not a brilliant movie, I wouldn't even say it's very good. It's a good movie, an OK movie, that is quite entertaining and let's the time go by fast. You will want to see it through to the end after the first 20 or so minutes at least that's how it was for me. A must for Michael Madsen Fans, and still a possibility for everyone else.

Grabastic - I'm a channel flipper and I stopped flipping for this little gem. The movie was all about acting, it reminded me of 12 Angry Men or Night Of The Living Dead as it took place in a small space and was packed with tension and personalities. Bloody movie if you want street cred. You really didn't know who would be shot next or how or why. Micheal Madsen filled his type cast as a deranged thug and the rest of the cast played through acting school chops. Madsen got to ham it up and his experience showed. The writing was well done and tightly edited. Jake Busey as always bought the air of chaos and wildness along and fleshed his character out well. You could really imagine the actors walking around the green room with a script and talking to themselves.

I've been clear in the past, I very rarely like it when a film opens with a scene from later on in the story. Even though the scene 'The Killing Jar' chooses to show us isn't from very far into the movie, it completely ruins the suspense and mystery of the opening 20-30 minutes of the film. A terrible decision.

As far as B-level casts go this is a pretty interesting one. Lots of names who have turned in some pretty iconic performances over the years, but have faded away a bit lately. We know that all of them have the potential to be very watchable though and for the most part they are here. Everyone seems to commit to the project pretty well and it shows.

The film has a mystery element, however it doesn't do a very good job of hiding its secrets very well. Even someone like me, who makes a point of not trying to work anything out and just going along for the ride, was able to see pretty clearly who was who and what was what.

I enjoy single-setting films and I love some good old-fashioned violence in my films. This film has both. There's some good stuff and some not so good stuff in 'The Killing Jar'. Give it a chance and it might just surprise you how much you enjoy it. 6/10.

When a mysterious stranger (Madsen) enters a diner after news of a killing spree, secrets become revealed. After hearing about a brutal killing, a mysterious stranger comes in to a diner at closing time. The waitress and the six customers begin to think this stranger is the killer. After taking control of the situation the stranger begins to uncover secrets of the hostages. Not everyone is who they seem to be. This is yet another movie with a lot of potential but doesn't keep your attention. There are some pretty intense parts but overall pretty slow moving. It's not terrible but not a great first choice for nightly entertainment. I give it a C.

Would I watch again? - No, this is a movie that doesn't get better with repeated viewings.

Very late at night, a crummy dinner. 30-something waitress Noreen is stuck with this job, with this life. Her boss is obnoxious and stingy. The regular customers boring as hell. But all of a sudden, a report on the radio speaks of the murder of an entire family in a town not too far from there and a shady guy played by Michael Madsen, who looks and acts like every character Madsen ever played in every B-movie he was ever part of walks in. And all hell breaks loose in the best (or worse, depends how you feel about it) tradition of Madsen B- movies.

I left a few details out so as to not spoil the plot but the thing is basically an overstretched thriller with a plot that relies on the most unlikely of coincidence. Writer/director Mark Young (who's got a list of crappy, forgettable credit on his resume) tries to make things tensed but since the characters are so bland and cliché, we don't really care about what happens. Several scenes are gory, almost going in horror territory but they don't really work. And so the film doesn't really work as a thriller and it's way too little to be an entertaining horror flick.

Young's writing and direction seems to point at Noreen (Amber Benson) as our protagonist but everything is so spread out, it's difficult to care about her. To her credit, Benson probably delivers the most engaging performance but that's not saying much considering every other character has little to no depth and most actors are mailing it in. Even underrated actor Kevin Gage is unremarkable, as he has nothing to work with most of the time.

Of course, because this stupid movie has no budget, the whole plot is confined to the crappy dinner, where almost nothing happens. What really, really kills the movie is its gloriously overextended climax. After 90 minutes or so of boring events, the resolution is a final confrontation between two characters that lasts five minutes of them basically arguing "yes", "no". I'm not kidding or exaggerating here. Over five FULL minutes of absolutely nothing happening. Talk about weak writing and directing here.

There are movies which have a good idea but a bad execution. There are movies that are all about a stupid plot but high entertainment values. And then there are B-movies like the Killing Jar, which have not much redeeming about them and seem entirely to be vehicles for actors in need of a paycheck. Looking at the producing credits, you will notice Michael Madsen's name as well as Harold Perrineau and that's pretty much all you need to know about this movie.

I've seen even worse movie than this one but I do think people can find much, much better than this, even in the realm of B-movies.

Avoid.

Some real bad acting, lots of cheesy lines and situations (especially the ending) - but it's all delivered in a way that you feel like you're watching a small play, and it just manages to let you kick back and see where the story goes. You're simply watching a movie, finding out what happens next. It's a very basic and "by the books" film experience, and it seems to know it.

What really saves it is nearly perfect pacing and editing.

It won't impress you, but it won't drive you nuts. "It's just a movie." That phrase actually fits this film really, really well.

6/10

I just finished watching this film. And what a waste of 90 minutes that was. I'm not much of a film critic, but this was truly awful.

At first, I was fairly excited by the line-up. Some fairly half-decent actors to grace this film, however poor writing caused poor acting. Especially Amber Benson, whose awkward silences between dialogue and general crappy deliverance skills made the majority of this film unbearable.

In all fairness however, Harold Perrineau and Michael Madsen's acting was not overly bad, but the poor acting around them brought their performance down too, along with the poor script.

Plot not overly exciting, twist could have been more of a boost if executed properly and made more of a deal about it. However, nothing seemed to come of it, except a 5 minute conversation right at the end.

I haven't seen any of Mark Young's other films, but if I ever get the chance to see another one... I will be avoiding it.

Poor Show.

Entertaining movie. Pressure cooker thriller. In theory the movie has all the ingredients of Reservoir dogs. Gritty storyline and a cast that includes Michael Madsen and Danny Trejo. But the movie falls short... Madsen is brilliant as always and Harold Perrineau delivers a good performance, but they are unable to make-up for Amber Benson's disappointment. Danny Trejo has a total of two minutes of screen time, and he is never shown fully (he is shown through a kitchen window)... Noreen, the central character played by Amber Benson, was the weakest link. Also, the pressure is let out a bit too prematurely... In all, a movie that has potential, but fails. That said, for a direct-to-DVD movie, this is very good. It is not an excellent movie, but a decent one at the very least. If you have nothing else to do, this might be a decent pastime movie.

Upon reading the film's summary you may think that Michael Madsen returns yet as another villain in a B-movie. But, there's a little twist! Playing both the bad guy and the lead, Madsen pulls it of by mixing his most famous roles Mr.Blonde and Budd and adds a little bit of The Gent (from "Hellride")in there for his portrayal of Doe. The screenplay is one of the most original and suitable ones ever for a B-movie setting. One location, right amount of dialogue and gore with a storyline that connects the unique with the cliché. However, Mark Young cannot perform as well in the director's chair. There's so much potential in the film for it to become the Reservoir Dogs of the 21st Century: a great setting, an unexpected and fun-to- watch turning of events & a solid cast led by legendary Madsen and also starring likes of Harold Perrineau, Jake Busey and Danny Trejo. Yet Mark Young's incompetency behind the camera drops a possible rating of 8.5/9 to around 7. Still, this picture is a must for Michael Madsen fans and lovers of minimalistic crime flicks.

I'll try to wrap this up quick: great cast but they're either misused/underutilized, extremely slow pace, horrible stilted dialogue, pathetic "political commentary" horseshoed in, unbelievable situations, pointless violence, amateur photography.. but it's not all bad. There are some well done effects (especially with regards to Danny Trejo's character), and some of the acting was decent at times.

There just is nothing much to enjoy here, it is too violent for grandma, and there's not enough schlock for me. Just a depressing storyline amateurishly doneThere are twists and turns but none of it earned. Characters ending up being red herrings, characters eliminated from the plot at random, it's a real hack job as far as the writing. A waste of the actors' time and ours.

Horrible acting by lead actress, Amber Benson, as a put upon waitress of a diner that finds itself taken over by a gun-toting criminal. (not to mention Lew Temple who is just as atrocious as an over eager Keystone-esque cop) And while I didn't particularly care for writer/director Mark Young's startlingly mediocre previous film, "Tooth and Nail" (which I also reviewed by the way), it's still a better film than this one. Strictly stemming from the fact that that film possessed a modicum of atmosphere, something which this movie sadly lacks. No tension and the fact that I couldn't emphasis with any of the characters. So with utterly no emotional investment the film becomes stale and tedious long before it limps to it's ending.

If you are like me, I will scroll through the free movies and then come to the reviews and see whether they are worth watching. I don't go by the score alone, I will check out the reviews as well. This one had a decent score and reviews, so I watched it. It did not disappoint. It was very entertaining and pretty well acted, although maybe a bit over the top at times. You will recognize most actors byou their face, even if you can't remember their names. The script draws you in and you will want to watch it to the end to see what happens. It's entertaining and keeps you guessing. The negatives include a lot of blood, so not foelr the squeamish or kids. I also didn't like how inept they made the police officer, as I doubt any police officer would act like that, and not sure what the point of 2 of the characters was. (Trying to keep this spoiler free)After the first five minutes, they barely have any lines. It's almost like they won a contest to be in a movie. The twist, was good, but not too hard to figure out if you thought logically. When I thought about the big question about half way thru, it could really only be one person.

So in summary, If you come across this movie and you are debating watching it, Give it a watch. You won't regret it, in my opinion. It's much better than many of the other free movies out there.

The Killing Jar has a lot to recommend it, especially the great acting by Michael Madsen (a favorite of mine), Amber Benson, Jake Busey, and Harold Perrineau (he played Damon Pope on "Sons of Anarchy" and Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet"). But what might be a tight thriller gets a little too bloody, to the point where it is gratuitous rather than adding to the story. Toned down it would have made for a much better story.

I'm a big Michael Madsen fan and I never tire of his walks on the dark side in films like "Kill Bill", "Sin City", "Getaway" and, of course, "Reservoir Dogs". He's capable of playing other types of roles ("Wyatt Earp", "Species", "Free Willy") but audiences come to expect the violent portrayals. In this film I think he does a lot more acting and his character is not as one dimensional as Mr. Blonde. It's certainly the equivalent of his multi-faceted character from "Kill Bill".

The film is a definite must for Madsen fans.

The Killing Jar has one of those scripts that is almost too perfect. It recalls iron-clad thrillers like Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" and David Mamet's "House of Games" with its no-detail-is-too-minor subtleties. And it even brought to mind shades of Mark Medak's "When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?" And then there are the Tarantino influences....

Look, any script that can rarely veer outside of one location for an hour and a half and still keep your attention is doing something right, but film-fest fave Mark Young's The Killing Jar, save for a few bad MINOR character performances (Danny Trejo phoning it in as Danny Trejo is the most obvious), does practically everything right.

It's late one night at a local diner in a no name redneck town, and all the locals are there, killing time. A report comes on the radio about a mass-murder in the next town over. When an anonymous stranger (Michael Madsen) arrives with a surly, stand-offish attitude, they gradually begin to suspect he's the perpetrator.

What follows is an elaborate set of mind games and mental torture that reminded me favorably of "Ryder" in their intimate intensity, interspersed with a lot of sudden violence and gore. I liked how violent this movie was. It drove home the immediacy of the character's peril, fit with the script's over-arching theme, and looked very real...the blood is dark red and there are buckets of it...very similar to how it was used in Tarantino's classic Reservoir Dogs.

That smacks of homage, as does the casting of Michael Madsen, who is playing, for better or worse, Mr. Blonde again. But you know what? I didn't care. The dude is good, and he has that role down pat. What surprised me were the alluring performances by the rest of the cast, most notably Amber Benson (who even contributes the closing song). She plays Noreen, a waitress who's drawn painfully true-to-life. Something in Ms. Benson's facial expressions and delivery really sell you on the goodness of her intentions and she's the badly needed anchor for this film. Harold Perrineau and Kevin Gage also provide solid support within difficult-to-pull-off multi-layered characters.

The Killing Jar keeps you guessing and is ultimately very satisfying. It feels like a very well-written stage play. It deserves your attention, especially if you like character-driven suspense films.

I remembered watching this movie on TV late at night but I didn't get the name of it. It was so suspenseful, but I was haunted not remembering the name. Well, I watched Reservoir Dogs tonight and it hit me that Michael Madsen was in this movie! He does loathsome and despicable so well. Michael kept the movie from being dry and boring. Not bad movie.

When I say Danny Trejo was going to be in this, I knew this movie wouldn't be very good. I don't know why people like him. His acting is not acting at all. It is like he is just yelling all the time with a stick up his butt. The acting by the others are okay. I think it is just the writing and directing by the director that made this movie a fail in my opinion. Not even 20 minutes into the movie and I was irritated by the writer's/director's inability to understand that showing something is stronger than having an actor follow up with the obvious. For example, the waitress is rubbing her temples which could only mean one thing, she has a headache. Well the male actor sitting next to her asks what's the matter when we can obviously tell she has a headache. Second, when the waitress gets in an altercation with a patron, Trejo, the cook and owner, waits until it is over to jump to his waitress's aid.

Finding out who certain people are and the backstory is very good, but all the violence wasn't necessary. It just felt like it was thrown in. You never know why some people do the things they did and you still won't for the main shooter really. If you are into gory movies this is for you and if you like a good attempt at a plot this is it, but I wouldn't watch this again for most of the acting, or directing. Although the guy from lost was amazing in this movie!!