Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

namashi_1 Tim Metcalfe's 'Killer: A Journal of Murder', which is based on the life of serial killer Carl Panzram, and uses passages of his biography, works because of one particular reason: James Woods. He plays Panzram, with terrific understanding & amazing ease. Woods, undoubtedly, was the Marlon Brando of the 1990's. 'Killer: A Journal of Murder' explores the journey Panzram. Panzram was a multi-faced person, he was unpredictable, unforgivable & very different, if I may say so. 'Killer: A Journal of Murder', though, not the most efficient take on a person so multi-faced, it at least tries to explore his vision. However, this film isn't as no-holds-barred as I thought it should have been. I thought there was a lack of emotional connect. Though it makes up for a viewing, thanks to Woods's terrific act, but as a whole of a motion-picture, it doesn't reach the level it could've. I was engaged at times, but Woods, well his performance left me thinking about what Panzram must've been thinking before he was hanged. Woods is a genius actor and 'Killer: A Journal of Murder' proves that fact right.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews I haven't read the novel, and if it's comparable to this, I have no intention of doing so. My father purchased this for me, on account of the name attached to it. I had never heard of it, and it's not surprising that this was pretty forgotten. It's uncompromising, that's for sure. However, it really doesn't "work" on us. We're not that engaged. This borders on propaganda for the death penalty and for the idea of some people just being "evil", or "bad seeds". Everything that Panzram is seen doing in this can be explained through psychology, even if his actions are not exactly admirable. When we first see Woods, he's mugging in extremis; this he fortunately stops, and gradually, we do come to understand him. His guard, too. Those are about it. Everyone else is there either to provide opposition, or because they were in real life. The only characters we get are a hateful one and a seemingly naive one(certainly by this movie's logic). Well, the Irishman is interesting enough. The acting is good. Editing and cinematography are average. This is close to being pure emotional porn for those who read/watch stories about serial killers. There is a lot of strong language, a bit of brutal, bloody violence and disturbing content including a rape in this. I recommend this to those who catch all of these, and big fans of James. 6/10

bjerke1972 This is my first post but i felt i needed to when it comes to this movie. First i didn't know anything about the real story behind the movie before i watched it, so i cant take this into consideration. What i can say is that i have seen thousands of movies, and that this is one of my top 10.why? James Woods. He is this movie from start to finish. His performance is breathtaking, and you go from loving him to hating him i 2 seconds. Some of the scenes i have seen so many times and makes me react the same way ever time.I don't want to give anything more away so please go and see this movie, i promise u will not

Travis Marriott Carl Panzram lived an amazing life and scribbled down his memoirs on scraps of paper for possibly the only person who ever did anything selfless for him. The book "Panzram: A Journal of Murder" by Thomas E. Gaddis and James O. Long, which came out the better part of a century after Panzram's death, gives the historical context to a first-generation American's account of running away from home to go west and be a cowboy, getting caught, thrown in the boy's home, getting away repeatedly and thrown into prison over and over all the time getting tortured and sodomized. As Panzram grew huge and strong, he sought to take revenge for the wrong done to him as he traveled to South America, Europe and Africa, and it didn't matter what people he raped, robbed, or murdered because we are all equally worthless.This film casts skinny James Woods as the rough neck, mean-ass, son of a bitch Carl Panzram who in the film is a "drunk", overly-dramatic and emotional, and who never mentions the joy of sodomizing men and boys. The film neither elaborates on anything else particularly of note about this world traveler and career prisoner (like robbing former President Taft or being released from the Oregon prison as long as he gave his word to return). In short, I don't think Carl would be too happy.