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Cast: Michael Madsen, Harold Perrineau, Amber Benson, Jake Busey, Danny Trejo
A stranger armed with a shotgun takes seven patrons hostage in a remote roadside diner. But as the body count increases, the desperate survivors discover that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their captor.
The story takes place in one evening and it's shoot entirely in one location, a diner. Maybe a bit unusual for a thriller to be set in only one location but "The Killing Jar" works for several reasons. The first being the story, this is a well-written tale that slowly builds on both mystery and suspense as it moves along, it does a good job at keeping you guessing and at the edge of your seat. The second reason for the film's success is the casting, Michael Madsen and Amber Benson are the two main leads here and they both give terrific performances. Madsen in particular chews up the screen and is a delight to watch. Some might think that the story and just the one setting would make for a slow moving film but Writer/Director, Mark Young does a great job at keeping the film moving at a nice place. Obviously done on a limited budget but you would never know with the film's fine performances, great photography and it's perfect choice of music for the soundtrack.
"The Killing Jar" is by no means a great film but it's a good one. If you like the genre or are a fan of Madsen then I highly recommend checking it out. I avoided going into details as far as the story goes because the less you know here the better, I had a good time with this one and think any fan of thrillers will enjoy the film as well, it's different, original and suspenseful enough to keep you watching till the shocking end. With all the remakes and sequels today it is nice to see something a bit different, it certainly has it's flaws but for the most part it over comes them all.
You can order the DVD HERE.
Released by Image Entertainment
*** 1/2 Out Of *****