Hangman

"Hangman" is yet another by-the-numbers TV serial killer mystery with that sun-never-shines Canadian dreariness all over it. Featuring two under-rated B-movie stars, Phillips as a homicide cop and Amick as a rich and retired shrink, "Hangman" spins a yarn about murder using the child's word game of the title name played via computer with real people getting hung. The film does little to distinguish itself and many will find the ending unsatisfying. However, it also does little wrong, making it a worthwhile small screen watch, albeit marginally so. Just drama with no stunts, shootouts, sex (almost), or sensationalism. (C)

This was an OK thriller, the plot is especially good, but it just isn't as good as it could/should have been, even for a TV movie. The plot seemed great when I read about it, but it just wasn't very special once you got into it. The movie is another typical "guess who did it" mystery thriller, and it primarily fails because it's almost instantaneously obvious who the perpetrator is, and from there, it's just watching the cops get to the bottom of the case, which you've already done. The acting ranges from good to just above average, but none of it's totally bad. The excitement of the movie is barely ever present, as most of the movie consists of the mystery of who did it(which is obvious very early on in the movie), and not the possible suspense of "can we save someones life?". It's just above average, and I guess it's worth watching if it's on TV, and there's absolutely nothing else interesting to watch. You could do a lot worse than this though, as a thriller it's just above average, and that's good enough, as this type of thriller rarely is more than that. 6/10

This isn't a masterpiece, still it's a smart and interesting thriller. Although the genre is a bit over-exploited, this movie has a capturing and really original story. The brutal techniques of the Hangman are something I've never seen on screen before. The acting is OK, not very overwhelming, however convincing. The ending might seem as a let-down, yet it's not stereotype compared with other films.

It's another one of those '2 cops on the trail of a serial killer leaving clues for the police'-genre movies (there are most then you would think in this genre), but this one does have an interesting premise and good pacing, but the acting is rather flat and the ending was a bit of a let-down.

Obviously nowhere near as good as 'Seven' but better than a lot of films of that type, I'm giving 'Hangman' **1/2 out of *****. Watch it if its on TV or if there is nothing better to rent.

Lou Diamond Phillips and Madchen Amick are the only Americans in a Canadian made for television film Hangman. It's a complex psychological homicide thriller about a bunch of murders by hanging that center around some psychologists.

Phillips is the lead detective assigned to a group of killings known as the Hangman murders. That's the way these victims depart this mortal coil and all of them seem to center around former psychologist Madchen Amick.

The film has more twists then those pretzels you see at your local bar. During the course of Hangman, Phillips and his team come up with several theories of the crimes.

There's not a shot fired and the physical violence is kept to a minimum, in the manner of Alfred Hitchcock. Yet things are kept pretty tense in true Hitchcock manner.

Lou does a fine job underplaying his role as a detective who just can't get a handle on the case. His foe is an incredibly cunning one which you won't appreciate until the end.

I wouldn't miss it, especially if you're a fan of Lou Diamond Phillips.