"a.k.a "The Perfect Witness"
*** S P O I L E R S ***
"Do You Fit His Profile?"
RATED-R
RUN TIME- 100 MINS
WRITER(S)- MARK BORKOWSKI AND THOMAS DUNN
STARRING- WES BENTLEY, MARK BORKOWSKI AND JOANNE BARON
DIRECTOR- THOMAS DUNN
Synopsis taken from IMDb
Mickey is about to get his big break as an amateur film maker, from a serial killer who turns him and his camera into 'the perfect witness'.
STORY: "The Perfect Witness" had me intrigued instantly by it's description. However, I wasn't sure how well it would hold up. There's a lot of movies out there that sound intriguing and when I put them on I shut them off 10 minutes later. So I was pleased that this film brought the good stuff. This isn't just a slasher movie. It takes you inside the mind of a killer, it's as psychological as they get.
Mick (Wes Bentley) has been tracking down a local serial killer James Lemac (Mark Borkowski) and the movie picks up with him finding James in an alley talking to a woman. While Mick hides behind a dumpster with his camera he records James sweet talking the broad before stabbing her to death. This scene was shot very gritty and raw, so I knew this movie had some potential and wanted to see where this was going. James sees Mick behind the dumpster and is shocked. Mick has James meet him on a public bench in a park the following day to make a deal; Mick won't turn James in or show anyone the tape, in return James has to allow himself to be filmed and interviewed by Mick on camera.
James is is hesitant and doesn't open up immediately. He even tries to snake in some conversation to get Mick to say somethings about himself, like where he goes to school and where he lives. Luckily, Mick isn't stupid and sees right through it and keeps it professional. He just wants James to open his mind to the camera and show people how he functions. Most importantly, Mick wants to get to the root of why James murders women so savagely. Mick starts to get closer than he wants as James opens up with him completely and introduces Mick to his sister, Megan (Joanne Baron).
Mick interviews Megan and learns that James and Megan's mother was a wretched woman and extremely abusive. This is proven to him when James takes him into the basement where his mother used to keep him chained up to pipes. There's even old drawings and notes that James made stuck between the pipes from when he was chained up. Mick comes to the conclusion that James kills women because in his mind he's killing his mother for all the abuse and torture he endured. Only his mother's already dead and in an ern in the house.
When Mick gets home he finds out his mother gave a strange man their address. She said he was nice and charming. Mick knows it was James and that despite playing along with Mick's deal, James has been doing some digging on his own. Soon after, Mick's mother goes missing and James won't let her go until Mick plays along with his new game. To tag along with James during his kills and assist him as well as record them. The stress and insanity of the whole situation drives Mick to heavy drinking and pill popping. Mick re-evaluates the stories told by Mick and Megan about their mother and puzzles together that their mother isn't dead, Emma Lemac (Beth Grant) is alive.
After disclosing this information with James things go from bad to worse when James gets violent with his sister for lying to him all these years about their mother. Mick does some work and discovers where Emma Lemac is so James can finish his work and cut out the root of his evil. Once face to face with his mother, James is faced with the toughest choice of his life. And Mick is too far gone to save.
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| James (left) and Mick (right) pay Emma Lemac a visit |
KILLS/GORE: The kills are done in a gruesome way that not only makes it realistic but makes you uneasy as the viewer. James Lemac is a twisted, sick man and getting in his head isn't good for anyone. I love how they showed you his methods and how he gets the ladies to open up to him. It was well done and made it rough to watch him when he go going.
OVERALL: This movie takes you into a psychopaths head but what it really shows you is the extent some people are willing to go to make a name for themselves. Regardless of how egotistical and low he has to be, Mick gives up everything. Risks his life and the lives of those around him for the sake of his own potential fame. Ultimately it's all Mick's fault. James says something like, "if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here. If you'd turned in the tape and done the right thing we wouldn't be here right now." and that pretty much sums it up.
THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5
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