An Ordinary Killer (2003)

I was enthralled by "An Ordinary Killer," the story of a search for a serial murderer, and frankly, I'm usually I'm much put off by all the "serial killer" movies we get flooded with all the time. This one, though, was different (and based on a true story). It was more than just a whodunit or a "sympathy for the victims' friends and family" type film, though those elements were there. DJ Perry does an excellent job playing a detective, Lynn Kendall, who doggedly looks for a criminal that knows no bounds of "ordinary" human decency. However, the murderer does not seem like an evil monster either but just a plain somebody like you and me. Kendall ultimately comes to realize the potential monster lurks in all of us, though cloaked in everyday garb. His slow realization of this truth forms his arc as a character. Kendall, instead of becoming cynical, ends with hope, knowing that although the beast lurks within humanity, there is also heroism and sacrifice in us all, which triumphs over this evil. "An Ordinary Killer," though not a "big story" or complex drama, is not just an "ordinary" murder mystery either. At it heart, it's a morality tale, a voyage of discovery that urges us onward to see the good, as well as evil, residing in every human soul.

I was at the world premiere in Owosso and was thrilled with it. Now that I have viewed the official release, I have found it to be truly excellent. The performance given by the entire cast. It was truly on the mark and very warming. Each actor and actress portrayed their characters very strongly. I believe that the DVD was better than the premiere. I was happy at that time, now I am thrilled. I want to spit out a spoiler but I won't. I will leave that to someone else. To Tony Hornus I say, "Job well done. You wrote it well. As well as directing it well." To the cast I say, "Way to go. You guys took a true story to the limits." I hope you all get to go to the Oscar's with this one. And if not the Oscar's... maybe the Emmy's when it gets seen on the tube.

This is a plot driven tale of midwestern values applied to a horrible set of real crimes. I for one tire of not only the same bare Los Angeles topography in most films but of the big city f*** you attitudes that are increasingly taken as a societal norm. Well thank god most of the world isn't as messed up (yet) and communities of people often work together for a better good than getting the next Benz or getting into some dope club.Ordinary Killer is like the good part of a funeral; acknowledging the tragic, but recognizing the love and caring that can arise from that same tragedy.

I was also at the premiere in Owosso, MI this past weekend for the show on Saturday evening. This movie kept me wondering throughout the whole time as to who was the murderer. I liked it so much that I went back for the Sunday afternoon showing. The actors were fantastic and very convincing (ie:Dan Haggerty, DJ Perry, Terrence Knox, Terry Jernigan, Dennis Haskins, & Charles Matthau). Thumbs up to Tony Hornus!