Absence of the Good (1999)

**SPOILERS** Nail biting thriller that has Salt Lake policeman Caleb Barnes confront his deepest fears in a serial killer who, as Caleb says, is totally absent of any good inside of him. In short the person is pure evil.Already suffering from deep emotional trauma in his 12 year old son Michael getting shot to death in school by a friend who tried to show off his father's gun Caleb is now involved in a deranged serial murderer who after murdering his victims tidies up the place as if he didn't want the victim's blood to dirty up the house. It takes a while but Caleb soon discovers that the killer was someone who just happened to live, as a boy, in the very houses that he's now committing his horrendous crimes in.The stress of Caleb's investigation as well as Michael's death soon takes it's toll on his wife Mary who's at the point of being committed into a mental institution. Trying to get Mary help Caleb asks police psychiatrist Dr. Marcia Lyons to treat her which goes nowhere in Mary feeling that she'll be declared insane, by Dr. Lyons, and put away for good. Together with his police partner Det. Glen Dwyer Caleb narrows down the killer to the now grown up Gaskin kids Jack Brad and their sister Julie who fit the bill in having lived in the places where most of the killings were committed.As things turned out the Gaskins were brutally abused by their father Mr. Gaskin when they were young and that may have lead to them, or one of them, to have grown up with a serious mental disorder that lead to murder. What puzzles Caleb is why murder those living in the places where the killer once lived if only to retrieve items that he hid there when he was just a child?***SPOILERS***Heart stopping final with the killer coming out of the shadows just when Caleb felt that he finally solved the case and captured the real killer. Bludgeoned almost to death, with a hammer, by the totally crazed psycho Caleb was saved from having his skull smashed in, the favorite method of doing in his victims by the shadowy lunatic, by non other then his wife Mary who, after being held hostage by who at first was thought to be the serial killer, had the presences of mind in all the confusion to blast him before he could finish off her by then, after being hammered almost unconscious, helpless husband.

This is a fairly dull, yet still moderately engaging police procedural. Stephen Baldwin plays the detective who tries to stop a serial killer by finding the clue to his motives in his sordid childhood. The detective has also lost his son recently, a side-plot which adds nothing to the main plot whatsoever, except perhaps that it gives Baldwin the opportunity to be brooding and soulful throughout the film, making the already grim atmosphere (although there is almost no on-screen violence) even more gloomy. The biggest shock of the film comes at the very end, in the credits, when it is revealed that the female psychologist-police consultant is played by Tyne Daly! I wouldn't have recognized her in a million years! (**)

Firstly stephen baldwin isn't that big of an actor, but his total films list are incredible. That says something, im gona tell you this guy is great. his ability to make you feel at ease but tense and alwasy aware is unbelievable.This film was great i was flickering through the channels after watching east enders and thought whats this , my girlfriend being a big fan herself said leave it on, so i do. and boy im so glad i did. Not saying to much about the story guys its great , a real treat.

I liked this movie overall, with its strengths being the cohesive plot, a mystery that continued to the denouement, decent performances by the actors, and real-life subplots in the background. However, no acting awards are expected for anyone here, and the musical score was nothing special. Also, I appreciated how the storyline made one think and stay focussed to keep track of how the criminal investigation proceeded. I actually felt like I was following around these detectives on the case and able to understand their thought processes as more clues were obtained. 7 out of 10.