Deceiver (1998)

Well-acted and creepy film. Tim Roth's American accent was so amazing I had to verify it was him. Phenomenal. Roth plays a cynical, sometimes vicious, alcoholic given to apparent epileptic blackouts who hates his wealthy parents. Renee Zellweger is moving as the prostitute he is accused of butchering. Michael Rooker and Chris Penn are Kennesaw and Braxton, the rough-edged cops investigating but Roth's moneyed character is able to learn the cops' own embarrassing and ruinous dark secrets which he intends to use for his own purposes. He at times essays a contemptuous upper-class dudgeon, sneering at those he considers his lessers but that seems more ostensible than genuine, done for effect, if you will.By the time the table have briefly turned and Kennesaw is attached to the lie detector, the film strains credibility in a way that it had managed to avoid doing primarily through the viewer's willing suspension of disbelief and the strength of Roth's performance. At this point, while Kennesaw is undergoing a mini-meltdown, Rooker's thick Southern accent rendered much of what he was saying unintelligible (at least to these NYC ears) and the film never quite recovers its equilibrium. The ending is a shocker in more than one way (although the quids pro quo that lead to it are manifest) -- but not one which lasts too long.

Deceiver is another of these must see movies. It's one of my top ten favorites. The movie works partially because of the solid performances from it's leads, Roth, an actor who never disappoints, the best of the three. Very much like that AFI winner, The Interview, Deceiver is much more fun in the way Roth screws with you. He's the prime suspect in the murder of a high class call girl, Elizabeth Loftas (Renee Zewellger) who oozes a lot of damn sexiness, as well being a pitiable character, who you really feel sorry for, not just in her demise. There are moments in the film, and it's mainly towards the end, that you don't believe Roth is actually the killer. In his interview, where he's hounded by two cops, (Michael Rooker and Chris Penn) over a couple of days, Roth is obviously playing his own game, prolonging the interview, failing a polygraph, by faking a cough, whatever. We don't know what trick he has up his sleeve next. One scene, this game, involving cards and lies, one that Roth was obviously spose' to get caught out on, he outsmarts them, by playing funny buggers. I loved it. He's also an epileptic, we discover, this disability working to his advantage. We learn some interesting facts on epilepsy, and it's effects if mixed with this lethal drink, Roth's drunk, where a famous artist is referred as told by Michael Parks, always great, as a psychiatrist. In one violent scene, Roth explodes under pressure and begins throttling Rooker. These two cops have their own demons, Penn a gambler, Rooker, an old acquaintance of the dead hooker. Roth knows all the background of these cops, as we can see how this fits into the story, also as in Roth's plan of deception. Roth has ties with Penn's gambling friends where money can buy information. As Roth tells them "I'm filthy rich, loaded". We even have one imaginary scene in a rich dining room with Roth and his parents. They're seated, at one end of this long, table, Roth sitting at other. Obviously from this, we get the gist he's not on social grounds with his parents, or, he's just an isolated child. It's a funny scene due to some of Roth's dialogue, where he gets up, goes to his mother and stabs her, then sits back down and continues buttering his bread, some blood merging with the butter on the knife. Roth makes this movie, enjoyably entertaining, that you wouldn't want another actor to fill this character's shoes. He's so funny in many scenes, being smug and grinning loud. The relationship between Rooker and his wife (Rosanna Arquette) who's just scenery in this movie was just puzzling, like an enigma. Like Roth, Rooker flashes out too, one weird scene in Rooker's kitchen. What the hell what that about. Things become quite heated as the film comes to wraps, with Rooker even being putting on the stand. When Rooker, is questioned as to killing Loftas, he can't answer. This movie never loses it's fire, right, up to the end, and it's killer twist. I never found any bit of the movie boring. It's solid background story is great in one hell of an underrated movie. Ellen Burstyn, as evil auntie Mook, who runs the gambling operation, where Penn's indebted to them, rules. Whatever happened to that really nice mother/actress she played the Exorcist.

(Major Spoilers) The film "Deceiver" has to do with a routine interrogation of a murder suspect that goes completely haywire with the person being interrogated turning the tables on his interrogators.As were introduced to the three major players in the film were also given, besides their backgrounds and extent of their education, their IQ scores! By the time the movie is over the persons IQ's more then explains how they grasps the situation, or situations,that they ended up finding themselves in.The heir to the Wayland textile fortune James Walter Wayland, Tim Roth, has been picked up as a prime suspect in the brutal murder of prostitute Elizabeth Loftus, Renee Zellweger. Elizabeth was found dismembered, like the infamous Black Dalia back in the 1940's, with her body sawed in half and in two different locations.The two cops on the case detective Ed Kennesaw,Michael Rooker, and his partner Phil Braxton, Chris Penn,seem to have broken the case with Wayland suddenly changing his testimony, during a lie detector test, and almost-but not quite- admitting his guilt! You at first get the impression that Wayland is truly guilty and is somehow trying to construct an insanity defense for himself. This is all due to Waylands severe infliction of temporal lob epilepsy that causes him to forget what he does after he all of a sudden loses it. Despite Dr. Banyard (Michael Parks), who diagnosed Wayland's illness, warning not to as much as touch Wayland when he goes into an epileptic fit Det. Kennesaw grabs an out of control, while he's being interrogated, Wayland and almost gets killed by him. This has Kennesaw, who had no love for Wayland in the first place, to get really aggressive towards Wayland in trying to pin Elizabeth Loftus's murder on him.As the movie reaches the midway point Wayland's actions become more and more obvious in that he's somehow using both Kennesaw & Braxton most hidden fears and secret lifestyles, that has both men on the very edge, to his own advantage. Braxton a compulsive gambler is in hock to big time bookie The Mook, Ellen Burstyn, for $20,000.00. The Mook, like all bookies, a sore loser is furious that Braxton got a hot tip from horse-racing tote Jebby, Bob Hungerford, in a race where a 50 to 1 shot ended up winning. The mad as hell Mook feels that Braxton somehow stiffed her out the money that he, as far as I can see, won fair and square.Now with his, as well has his families, life on the line Braxton desperately needs the 20 grand to keep The Mook's henchmen from breaking both his arms and legs as well as doing harm to his wife and two young daughters! With no one to go for help but his partner Kennesaw, who can only cough up half of what Braxton owes The Mook, it's turns out that the very rich and manipulating Wayland is Braxton's only hope to settle the score with the Mook. ****MAJOR MAJOR SPOILER**** The stuff that comes out, from Wayland, about Det. Kennesaw is far more shocking in that he in fact was involved with the murdered Elizabeth Loftus, as one of her Johns, on the very evening that she's was murdered! This in fact explains why Kennesaw is so determined to have Wayland indited in Miss. Loftus murder! Or is it!The ending in "Decevier" will blow you away in that everything that you, as well as Det's Braxton & Kennesaw, thought you knew about the brutal murder of Elizebeth Loftus is in fact turned upside down! And believe it or not that's, which should have been the big surprise in the movie, what turns out to be the films only as well as major flaw!

This film is one of the very best and very heaviest criminal thrillers I've ever seen. The screenplay is full of twists and turns so even if you watch with much attention you'll have no clue till the end. And in the end the film makes his final turn that amazed me because I've missed some important details - thanks to those who explained it here.Tim Roth is fantastic as James Walter Wayland, it is HIS role with all its contempt, psychotic mind twists and bizarre behaviour. He takes the cops for Untermenschen and, though really being in a very bad and vulnerable position, fools them throughout the movie. The other cast does the job good too.A must-have for every Roth fan and may be interesting to those who dislike Renee Zellweger - she is quite good in The Deceiver.