Cruel and Unusual

Tom Berenger playing a serial killer! That's something new and since I'm a huge fan of this underrated actor I was very eager to get my hands on this flick. Did it disappoint? Not really, but it's far from being anything special. Berenger plays a homicidal drifter who assumes the identity of his latest victim, a professor, and heads to a small community where he gets involved with a local woman and her brother. As his relationship with the woman progresses her brother becomes more and more suspicious of him and it's only a matter of time before things get nasty. A semi well written character study of a psychopath which sadly doesn't delve too deeply into his motivations, and thus, leaving the viewer wanting more. Berenger, as always, does well with his role but the fact is it's an underdeveloped one and therefore doesn't have the intended impact. The end conclusion is mostly satisfying but overall the film is long-winded, has stereotypical supporting characters, particularly the brother, and ultimately fails mostly in the suspense department along with being very predictable. In the end Berenger elevates the film with his performance and one is left with the impression that this film could have been so much better. Sadly it's just average.

This Canadian film starts with Art Stone(Tom Berenguer),he's a stranger with a magnetic personality.He results to be a psycho-killer who killed several people from South Carolina till Washington State.The psycho is picked up hitch-hiking on the roadway by a professor(Gabay) going to an Oregon watchtower.Stoner takes his identity and one time in the fishing village, he befriends two brothers, Kate(Rachel Hayward), an attractive spinster and Mike(Tygh Runyan), a troubled young man.

This independent picture packs suspense, thriller, sensational outdoors and stunning performances. However contains some moments little boring and slow movement, furthermore a strong sexual scenes, for that reason is rated ¨R¨ for sexuality and language. Nice acting for starring pair, Tom Berenguer and Rachel Hayward, and enjoyable Tygh Runyan who plays with his guitar on the summit of the lighthouse, because he's actually a singer, playing in a Vancouver experimental band. The film displays a glimmer cinematography by Peter Benison, filmed in locations of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.The motion picture is regularly directed by George Mihalka who had previously directed similar stories( Psychic, Relative fear).He's usually movies television director( Crossbow, Da Vinci's inquest, Windsor protocol) and occasionally motion pictures director (Bullet to Beijing, the return of Harry Palmer). Rating : Average but entertaining for serial-killers genre buffs.

"You should see this place I'm going to. It's one in a million," Professor Adam Durrell (Eli Gabay) tells his passenger (Tom Berenger). The prof doesn't know it yet but he is never going to see his favorite getaway. You see, the hitch-hiker he picked up is a serial killer who assumes the identities of his victims. Posing as the now deceased Durrell the charming psycho pulls into a little coastal community in search of fresh prey. He targets lonely vulnerable Kate (Rachel Hayward) and her troubled kid brother Mike (Tygh Runyon) for a violent death. However, this time he may have met his match. Although the cast delivers competent performances the picturesque Cowichan Valley locations (doubling for Oregon) are the real stars in an otherwise routine entry in the tired 'erotic thriller' genre.

This film seemed atmospheric and tense, but it was a little boring and the ending was anticlimactic. The music came across as intrusive and annoying - there was no point of the high pitched electric guitars used in dramatic scenes. Smoking scenes were just too much and they became distracting.

This might be recommended for thriller fans only, but people who are not in to this genre will become very bored, as this is a slow-burn type of thriller. It's mostly a drama with the brother slowly and slowly starting to suspect that the serial killer is dangerous.

Between the two there is a lot of talking scenes, and at times there is tension. There is also a erotica, between his sister and the killer, towards the middle-end of the film. I believe the whole romance between the two was forced.

The film has the annoying cliché where the main character thinks a person is crazy and his friends don't believe it (here, it's the sister), even though the main character is always right.

The ending was awful. I hated how it just abruptly ended. Who stabbed who? There was some bad editing there.

i love Tom Berringer and i love serial killer stories but this movie was absolutely terrible. i put down like 3 other DVD's when i rented this, just for the sake of the plot description and Berringer's name. i regret it. it was a waste of time. stay away.