''The Kill-Off'' is a 1989 American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
film written and directed by
Maggie Greenwald
Maggie Greenwald is an American filmmaker.
Most recognized as an independent writer and director, Greenwald’s most notable films include ''Sophie and the Rising Sun'' (2016), starring an ensemble cast that included Margo Martindale, Julianne N ...
, based on a 1957
novel of the same name by
Jim Thompson. It was an independent film, produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher and shot by
Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn (born 1957) is an American cinematographer. He is a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.
Early life
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of four children. His mother, Teresa, was a ...
in his film debut.
Plot
In a small coastal community in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, the only action in town is a
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
called The Pavilion. The owner, Pete, can barely make the
payroll
A payroll is the list of employees of some company that is entitled to receive payments as well as other work benefits and the amounts that each should receive. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time worked or tasks pe ...
so in an effort to bring in more business, he hires a sultry
stripper named Danny Lee.
Danny Lee's act soon turns the head of Ralph, which is not good news for his bed-ridden wife Luanne. Luanne's nasty talent is her gift for
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...
, and when she begins to suspect that Ralph has
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
on his mind, she starts spreading more ugly rumors that have just enough basis in fact to stick. Soon things spin out of control and a wave of violence begins.
Cast
* Loretta Gross as Luan
* Andrew Lee Barrett as Bobbie Ashton
* Jackson Sims as Pete Pavlov
* Steve Monroe as Ralph
* Cathy Haase as Danny Lee
* William Russell as Rags
*
Jorja Fox
Jorja-An Fox ( ) is an American actress and producer. She first came to prominence with a recurring role in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' as Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring ro ...
as Myra Pavlov
* Sean O'Sullivan as The Doctor
* Ellen Kelly as Lily Williams
* Ralph Graff as Henry Williams
Production
''The Kill-Off'' was a part of the so-called
Jim Thompson revival in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The other Jim Thompson novels to be adapted into films were ''
The Grifters'' and ''
After Dark, My Sweet
''After Dark, My Sweet'' is a 1990 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by James Foley and starring Jason Patric, Bruce Dern, and Rachel Ward. It is based on the 1955 Jim Thompson novel of the same name.
Plot
Ex-boxer Kevin "Kid" C ...
.
'' ''The Kill Off''
's US release would arrive in the same year as the aforementioned films.
Director of photography
Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn (born 1957) is an American cinematographer. He is a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.
Early life
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Quinn is one of four children. His mother, Teresa, was a ...
shot the film with low lighting; at times, footage of characters more than a few feet from the camera can be difficult to see. This was done to mirror the stylistic photography of the
film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s.
Filming took place over a twenty-one-day schedule in January 1989 on a budget of less than $1 million.
Exterior shots were filmed in the New Jersey seaside town of
Keansburg, where the Keansburg Amusement Park can be seen in the background.
Interior scenes were filmed on sets in New York.
Release
The producers used the following tagline when marketing the film:
:''The closer you look, the less you want to know.''
The film premiered at the
Cannes Film Market
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
on May 17, 1989.
It went on to screen at the Women in Film Festival and the
Toronto Festival of Festivals that year. Later, it was shown at the 1990
Sundance Film Festival and Maggie Greenwald was nominated for the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. In the UK, the film opened at the
Screen on the Hill in London on February 9, 1990,
grossing $8,775 in its opening week.
The film was given a
limited theatrical release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
by Cabriolet Films beginning on October 19, 1990 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
It also opened in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
for a week on December 14, 1990 in order to qualify for
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
consideration.
Home media
The film was not released onto videocassette in the United States until 1996, when
Xenon Entertainment released it onto VHS. In 2014,
Films Around the World released the film on a manufactured on demand DVD-R.
Reception
Critical response
Critic
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
, writing for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', called the film "a daring, down-and-dirty thriller." In the ''
Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
'', critic Marjorie Baumgarten reviewed the film positively, writing the "protagonists and pernicious moral rot are well-captured in Greenwald's film version of ''The Kill-Off.'' The
milieu
The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educate ...
is compellingly perverse, and Greenwald and the actors get the seedy tone just right." Critic Dennis Schwartz felt though the film "wasn’t psychologically deep, nor was it morally arresting", it succeeds at "showing a feeling of deep noir malaise", noting "It’s rare that a woman directs a noir film and especially one as hard-boiled as this one."
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' was less impressed with the film. Critic
Caryn James
Caryn A. James (born Caryn A. Fuoroli) is an American film critic, journalist, university lecturer and writer.
Biography
James is one of at least three children born to James M. Fuoroli Sr. and Joan A. Ford. A native of Providence, Rhode Isla ...
wrote, "
hompson's lurid dramais tossed away by Ms. Greenwald's flaccid script and scenes so badly paced that the actors seem to be holding their breath between lines, waiting for their next cues."
Accolades
Wins
*
Torino Film Festival
The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...
: Jury Special Prize, Maggie Greenwald; 1989.
Nominations
*
Deauville Film Festival
The Deauville American Film Festival (french: Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, link=no) is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France.
It was established by Lionel Cho ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
: Critics Award, Maggie Greenwald, 1989.
*
Sundance Film Festival: Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, Maggie Greenwald; 1990.
Differences from novel
In the book, the author never reveals the identity of the murderer, in contrast to the film.
The film also spares one of the characters that the book does not, and turns the character into a moral center.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
''The Kill-Off''film review by Neil Young
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kill-Off, The
1989 films
1989 independent films
American crime drama films
American drama films
1980s crime drama films
1980s drama films
Films set in New Jersey
Films shot in New Jersey
Films shot in New York (state)
American independent films
American neo-noir films
Films directed by Maggie Greenwald
Films based on American novels
Films based on Jim Thompson novels
1980s English-language films
1980s American films