Bad Seed

This movie is about obsession, salvation and finally redemption. A loving but absent husband,(Luke Wilson) is told by his wife that she is having and affair,leaves to think things out only to return and discover his wife is dead. He is now the main suspect and needs to find the real killer. In his journey of exploration,hires the private dick, Dick, excellently portrayed by the awesome Dennis Farina. The lover engages the husband in an intricate cat and mouse game that ultimately comes to a shocking discovery. But mostly this film is about normal people when put under pressure do just about anything and think it is reasonable at the time. What makes this one different is that when all is said and done one man makes a choice that will change his life forever.

As far as such "psychological" whodunits go, this one had an OK story-line based on a realistic premise. Unfortunately, the acting was poor, and here I am particularly referring to Luke Wilson in the main role of Preston. He was never really convincing as the "cheated husband" out to avenge both his wife's murder AND the fact that he was cheated in the first place. He tried too hard, as I think someone else also pointed out in a previous comment. Dennis Farina was fair enough in his role as the private Dick (though clearly stereotyped), and overall I liked the way Norman Reedus played the Jonathan character (despite cozing up with somebody else's wife, he turned out to be not exactly a 100 per cent nasty person but actually an interesting character study in himself). Although having said that, there were a couple of things he did over the top ... like setting himself on fire, and walking around with the crucial video-tape in his pocket all along(!)

I thought this was going to be an OK movie but it didn't live up to it's early promise (or it's tag lines) and ended up being a very boring movie.

It's got one or two OK chase scenes & a bit of drama but there's not much else going on. The lead actor is a large part of the problem (he's barely there, maybe he was on tranqulisers or something to help him cope with this abysmal script) and the musical score is another problem. If you're trying to create an edgy thriller why on earth would you use music that would be more suitable for some mediocre schmaltzy sugary Hallmark tragic romance flick. That horrible "angelic choir" music completely destroyed any atmosphere this thinly drawn tale might have dredged up. But even with decent sound I don't think this would have been a whole lot better.

There's no mystery, no suspense and no thrills. The actor playing Johnathon did an OK job with what he had, which wasn't a lot. He was convincing at least. The PI was a stereotype. And there was some weird touchy feely stuff between the main dude and the PI that didn't really belong.

After the first interesting 20 mins the pacing drops to an excruciatingly slow amble and becomes much more of a drama than a thriller. I am not a big fan of drama - unless it's EXCEPTIONAL and deals with important stuff - which this isn't and doesn't'.

The ending just drags on forever with no particular purpose. In fact, it felt like they filmed half a dozen alternative "endings" but the director couldn't decide which one to use so he threw them all in. The final final ending was particularly boring and nonsensical. I also knew "whodunnit" pretty early on. There was no surprises for me. The only bright spot was the kid who played Dillon.

BUT I have given it 4 points because it's actually better than a lot of the mediocre stuff around - and that's not really saying much. I think it had an interesting story even if it wasn't portrayed well. I'd love to have seen what a more innovative & confident director with some decent actors could have made of it.

I can't say this is a great movie, not even sure it qualifies as "good" but it has it's OK points and it isn't a disaster. I didn't even fast forward any of it so that shows it at least held my interest (except maybe the end(s) when I started shuffling papers etc while it tried to find a point to finish on).

I DO think it's an excellent choice for say, a guy who wants a night in watching movies with his girlfriend (or vice versa) and can't work out whether to get a chick flick or a boys action/adventure/thriller movie. This will cover both of you, albeit in a not entirely satisfactory way. But if she likes sob-movies she'll probably like it. You can just watch the chase scenes and even score brownie points for offering to make drinks during the slow bits. :D (PS But not if she's a chick like me. In which case you'd be better off renting Suspiria or Ils)!!)

Not for serious fans of the genre or movie buffs but OK for a slow night/rainy afternoon popcorn fodder.

I picked up this film on DVD titled as Bad Seed, because I was in the mood for a mystery and the fact that Luke Wilson and Dennis Farina starred in it.

At first, I found things to be a bit standard as far as "thrillers" go, almost on the level of a basic TV movie. But something really starts to draw the viewer in and by watching through to the end, there is really a nice payoff.

Don't try to compare this to Hitchcock, just sit back and let the story unfold. When Preston (Luke Wilson) hears his wife confess to having an affair, he storms out to a cafe and when he comes back home he finds her dead. By trying to confront her lover Jonathan (Norman Reedus), things get way out of control, even hiring a private detective (Dennis Farina) proves to make a messy situation even worse. It's easy to say these guys do a LOT of stupid, stupid things (like busting up a motel room) and one would think that in reality no one would make such bad decisions, but I took into consideration that people really act in the strangest ways when confronted with a situation that's extraordinary and no time to really think things through. Preston has his flaws, but he's really an okay guy, as is Jonathan. By appreciating the quiet desperation and increasing tension between them, along with the effective rainy locations in Tacoma and Seattle, the film is somber yet tense.

I actually love grey, rainy landscapes -- to me they're calming instead of gloomy. But considering the sadness in Preston's life and both he and Jonathan (as well as the detective) knowing that no matter what they do it's going to end rather messy, the wet greys of the sky and deep greens of the Northwest accent the film in a very melancholic way. The score is beautiful in many scenes, and rather grand for a film of this type made today (particularly one with such a low budget). Actually, the dramatic cues seemed a bit too grand in places, but it reminded me of how mysteries and thrillers back in the 1970s used to have full orchestral scores instead of everything being done on an electronic keyboard. Some very nice piano work, wish I had a soundtrack recording of it.

I know that some would just get fed up with these characters' behavior and think that the film just going to have a typical knock-down, drag-out fight to end it all, but I for one was pleasantly surprised to see the way the story took a turn and threw in a twist here and there. Even the ending seemed just right (even if it gives you a Shawshank Redemption deja vu moment). I felt a little sad yet satisfied by the turn of events, as is how I truly think the ending is supposed to affect you. After listening to the audio commentary on the DVD, you may also appreciate more what writer/director Jon Bokenkamp was trying to accomplish.

Not a perfect film, but by no means a misfire. I found Preston Tylk/Bad Seed to be a nice diversion from the common Hollywood "thriller" and would recommend it for those not wanting grandiose style and wanting a dramatic tale, something just right to watch with some snacks on a night at home, relaxing.

It's not like "Bad Seed" aka "Preston Tylk" insults our intelligence with all the stupidity from its bizarre and hurried script, but it feels like that. A story that starts out of nowhere with plenty of one-dimensional characters, repetitive situations and we're neither thrilled or entertained by it, except for some minutes. It's about betrayal, cheating, revenge, a mystery murder, all intricate elements most of us love to see in movies, but here it all goes to waste because nearly everything is told in a dumb manner, with dumb characters and unbelievable, at times hilarious, things.

The Tylk title character is played by Luke Wilson, a hard-working man in whatever it is that he works so hard that not only he doesn't have any money with him when most needed but he also manages to neglect his beautiful wife (Mili Avital) to the point she tells him, right in the first scene, that she had an affair with another man. When he walks out of the house in a furious manner, she ends up dead. We know it wasn't him who did it, and we think it's the lover, a mysterious dude (Norman Reedus) who pops out of nowhere over and over persecuting Tylk after the latter kills his brother, and that dude is a God-like character, very oniscient of Tylk's movements and whereabouts.

By the time all of those events happen the film is already pathetic with its B-movie style of editing, photography, some of the acting with cheesy lines and the script only goes dumber by the minute. But wait. It gets a little better. Tylk gets blackmailed by the guy who wants him dead, so he turns for help and that comes in the form of a cheap detective (Dennis Farina) who knows how to handle this situation. The detective is the best character in the film, the only one with depth, wisdom and humor. Maybe because I miss Farina so much, or maybe because he's not playing a tough bad guy or a cop for a change, whatever it was his acting was solid and very enjoyable. The story becomes interesting and watchable whenever he's on screen. When he's out it's all a series of problematic encounters between Wilson and Reedus fighting and chasing each other, being the ultimate painful and hilarious bit when Wilson is inside of his car, a gunshot blasts the window behind him and instead of running away with the vehicle, he gets out and run towards a building.

There's no space for surprises and twists, except one or two revelations but nothing so interesting. It's completely lifeless, dull and pointless. And if we look at the beginning it does not make any sense. If the lady wanted to stay with her husband, despite his neglect on her, why bother confessing the cheating in the middle of an arguement about a missing umbrella? That's how crazy this movie went. 5/10.