Some Guy Who Kills People

Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan), a lonely man fresh out of the loony bin, sets out to kill those he deems responsible for his miserable life.

Since I did not know most of the people attached to this (besides Karen Black and executive producer John Landis), I did not know what to expect. I set my sights low, and came out with quite an impressed mind. This is not your typical slasher. It is oddly endearing and has just enough comedy and plot twists to really keep the audience interested.

Kevin Corrigan is superb, Barry Bostwick even better... but, of course, we must salute Ariel Gade in this breakout performance. She adeptly portrays the precocious 11-year old Amy, and is both likable and a good plot-carrier. Gade, even more than Corrigan, keeps the story going.

I have not yet checked out the special features, but would like to. I think they would greatly enhance my understanding and appreciation for this already pleasantly-surprisingly gem.

This has to be the worst title the producers could possibly have come up with; someone must have lost a bet. It's a shame because it is really good and very few people will ever see it, unless the word of mouth helps, as happened with Boondock Saints. I reluctantly watched that and ended up loving it.

Ken works at an ice cream parlor after being released from a mental hospital. He has nightmares of a hazing type of attack from his high school days. One by one the classmates responsible die horrible deaths. Barry Bostwick is the town sheriff, and he is wise ass who is having a good time with Ken's mother played by Karen Black. She and Bostwick are terrific and sarcastically funny throughout. Ariel Gade is Ken's daughter Amy, and she is an actress to watch out for. The chemistry between her and Kevin Corrigan as Ken, her father, are totally believable. The girl is an absolute natural; never mugging for the camera, as many child actors have a tendency to do.

Ken is an outcast living with his mother and spending his spare time drawing sketches. His daughter finds out that he is her biological father and they have an awkward reunion. This is a murder mystery, a comedy, and a sporadically violent family film, all at the same time. Although a bit confused, the acting is so good, I was able to accept some plot holes along the way. Bostwick and Black are funny as hell, and the young Ariel Gade still manages to steal the picture, her potential is unlimited. Ignore the ridiculous title and trust me; try it, you'll like it.

Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan) seems like a regular guy in a regular dead-end job. However, while the job -ice cream parlor server / mascot- is awful, Ken himself has a terrible secret. He's haunted by a nightmarish incident from his past, when a group of town thugs put him through a torturous hell. Now, years later, these same goons start dying in gruesome ways.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Walt Fuller (Barry Bostwick) and his officers are on the case. In the midst of all this, someone enters Ken's life whom he never expected to see. Her name is Amy (Ariel Gade). She's pint-sized and about to change Ken's life forever.

SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE is a smart, wickedly funny, and refreshing take on the cat-and-mouse / serial killer / revenge movie. It works as a black comedy, a murder mystery, and, believe it or not, a touching father / daughter film! It has its poignant moments, which even tugged at this stone heart!

Corrigan is perfectly deadpan as the title character, and Ms. Gade provides the sunlight for an otherwise darkly comedic story. Bostwick makes a great, bumbling lawman, and Karen Black plays Ken's mom, Ruth, with her usual ease and grace. Lucy Davis takes on the part of Ken's suitably bewildered girlfriend.

A definite keeper...

Going into Some Guy Who Kills People it seemed like nobody knew much about the film and going by the trailer, nobody was expecting much either. Was I ever wrong. This film didn't just kill it's own characters, it also had the audience dying with laughter. Don't get fooled by the trailer... you'll only end up a fool yourself.

Karen Black isn't in the film as much as I'd like her to be as she not only has some of the best lines in the film but her performance is absolutely fantastic. Karen really outdid herself in this role and though some veterans might just decide to call their roles in, she goes well beyond what anyone could have expected from her.

A newcomer to the scene, Ariel Gade, is a breath of fresh air. Move over Chloë Moret, there may be some new competition in the young genre actor category. Ariel not only plays a smart character, she's a smart choice and a great find. Who would have thought the little girl from Dark Water and Aliens vs Predator - Requiem would turn out to be such a good actor? She was made for the role and delivers it with a timing you usually only find in seasoned veteran actors.

Finally there's Barry Bostwick. What can I say about a man that first caught my eye as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show? How about being my favourite thing about this film? From the trailer for the film you can see that there is humour involved in his part. What you don't see is the fact that because Mr. Bostwick is the sheriff, he's in the film a lot. His character is absolutely off the wall and Mr. Bostwick plays him brilliantly. He is comedy gold with a deadpan serious delivery that combines super intelligence with hit you over the head obvious observations. He might give Yoda a run for his money.

Some Guy Who Kills People is marketing itself to the wrong crowd. This film is comedy gold through and through but seems to be trying to sell itself as a horror comedy. Sure there are elements of horror with the serial killer aspect but the horror portion of the film is only there so that the comedic elements have a plot to wrap themselves around. This film should focus on selling the laughs and less on trying to win over the genre crowd.

This is just one funny movie.

Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan, Grounded for Life) is a newly released mental patient who works at an ice cream shoppe by day and dispatches the people that he blames for screwing his life up by night. Sheriff Walt (Barry Bostwick, Spin City) is the cop out to get the perp, once he finds out who he is.

This film came as quite a shock. Renting it at Redbox (always a risky gamble) and knowing nothing about it, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that this movie was expertly acted by all involved. Corrigan and Bostwick are both great, as is the eternally beautiful Karen Black as Ken's mother. It's also funny, Bostwick in particularly shines in this aspect. The less said of the plot the better but suffice it to say it could very well be the best horror-comedy of the new millennium.

My Grade: A