Crimetime

Crimetime (1996): The plot is a tad convoluted but basically you have a crime reenactment television series. The studio executives are satirised to high heaven, after an old man is set on fire along with his dog one of the producers wants to get a dog from the pound to set on fire. Only viewership figures matter to them. Stephen Baldwin is a small-time actor who takes himself too seriously; his method acting style and histrionic outbursts costs him roles. But the Crimetime programme recruits him to re-enact murders carried out by a serial killer. Baldwin shines in the role and attracts the attention of the actual killer, Pete Postlethwaite, who leaves him encouraging voicemails with tips. The resulting relationship results in a synergy where at times Baldwin finds it difficult to differentiate fantasy from reality. A violent film with graphic scenes of murder and mutilation including one nauseating sequence with Postlethwaite lining up the trophies he's cut from his victims. The disjointed nature of the script means that I was, like Baldwin, unable to tell what was real from fantasy. Still there is good acting from Postlethwaite, Baldwin and Karen black on a supporting role. It might have failed to fulfill its potential but Crimetime is certainly worth watching. Directed by George Sluizer, Written by Brendan Somers. 6.5/10.

I liked this movie enough to buy it. I am not sure why other people see it as being such a terrible movie and screenplay.

I don't even like Stephen Baldwin, I should say that I am a huge Alec fan, but I thought he pulled this one off in some strange way. Sadie Frost was weak at times, but it wasn't really her sort of role to begin with. She is the reason I give this movie 9 stars instead of 10 stars. Pete P. was awesome as always. The script seemed fine to me. It has holes, but few don't. I am a writer, and have been working on a script of my own. Writing scripts has proved more difficult than writing the novel I have been working on.

The movie has its flaws, but few movies are flawless. It was enjoyable, entertaining, and I would recommend it to people who haven't seen it. Just my opinion.

It may appear that I was lording it over all commentators, that it was I and not they who was brilliant enough to write this or any script. NO!!! And a thousand times NO!!! My lording it is ONLY over those who hysterically criticised the film and not those who saw good things in it. And please ..... have a little sense ..... a first time screenwriter is not at all powerful enough to force a bad screenplay on the financiers/producers etc. They made me write about ten scripts until I got what they thought was right. Crimetime was meant to be a funny/clever/ nasty little slasher movie and I think the producers and financiers were afraid of that - the video nasty scare was still in the air and they hadn't the guts to understand what the public wants. I'm afraid the acting with the exception of Pete and that wonderful actress playing the waitress(I'm serious!) wasn't what I wanted at all. Bobby was meant to be an utterly normal nice guy not the brooding presence that Baldwin was from word go. Finally read the Sight And Sound review (1996) for a less hysterical view that my detractors (one even criticised me for only having written German TV films!!!!).

OK, I agree it is not the great film it could have been, but we have to accept that the problem is not the film itself but the script. The film contains everything to be a hit: nice story, good plot and well done characters, even its soundtrack is excellent.

Some people say the problem is the lack of deep characters, but since when this art is made only with characters? most of them represent nothing but emotions, in other words, they are symbols the writer and the director use to say something...

The film is trying to establish an atmosphere of uncertainty; the big real problem is that the movie is trying to show too many different things, but it can not do so.

Watch it and then judge by yourself.

George Sluizer of THE VANISHING fame ( He made both the haunting European original and the Hollywood remake ) directed CRIMETIME . He shouldn't really be blamed for this confused , poor movie because all the problems lie in Brendan Somers script . It's ill focused and lazily written . For instance the killer hangs around a nightclub waiting to pick up a victim , any victim and starts talking to a teenage girl . Cut to the next scene where she tells the villain " I've told you everything about myself , tell me about your life ? " Unfortunately the girl has told the baddie her life story off screen and is a terrible example of the screenwriter not being able to bring a character to life through dialogue . I know for a fact how bloody difficult this is but for a screenplay that is produced the writer should have tried harder

It's difficult to explain the message of the film . At some points it feels like it's trying to be a British NATURAL BORN KILLERS satarising the media's voyeurism with crime ( Perhaps it even influenced the infamous video game MANHUNT ) but the script isn't witty enough to carry this off . When you've got a sex scene that doesn't progress the plot or characters or hint of subtext you know you've got a badly written screenplay and CRIMETIME is a badly written screenplay