Plot: What’s it about?
James McGregor (Charlie Sheen) is trying to make the transition from his previous lifestyle, and leave it as far behind as possible. You see, McGregor used to be a professional serial killer profiler, where he was held in very high regard, but became burned out both on his profession and on life it seemed. So he moved on to a different profession, one more relaxing and less stressful than the previous one. As a novelist, McGregor can escape his memories and total past, if only while writing his works. In order to escape as far from his past as possible, McGregor makes the trip to Scotland, where he takes up residence for the time being. The town is quiet and peaceful at first, but soon McGregor learns no matter how far you run, there are some things you just can’t get away from. In a strange twist, a serial killer has been preying on the town, leaving his path littered with bodies and broken lives. This killer even has a unique trait, he creates obituaries for his victims before he kills them. After some incidents, the townsfolk seem to think McGregor is behind the killings, but he claims his innocence is true. Can McGregor ever leave the world behind he once embraced?
Ever wonder what would happen if someone made a low budget version of The Silence Of The Lambs, took away the great cast and writing, and shot the film in a rushed twelve days? If so, then this movie serves as your answer, although it’s not as bad as that statement makes it seem. Given the nature of the film and circumstances around its production, the movie turns out pretty well, but that’s not to say this is a great film, by any means. This is no The Silence Of The Lambs, not even the half-wit cousin of that film, so don’t expect anything that good out of this movie. But if you lower your expectations a little, this will serve as a terrific rental when you’re in the mood for a new serial killer driven movie. The acting is actually decent compared to what I expected, and the writing is mediocre, which means again, better than expected. The manner in which the storyline unfolds can be baffling at times, and not in a good way either, but it is more fluid than you might think. Despite the drawbacks of this film, I do recommend it as a rental to fans of the serial killer thriller, but I don’t think multiple viewings are called for, unless you’re a Charlie Sheen nut.
This film was directed by Albert Pyun, who is a chiseled veteran of low budget cinema, although he has yet to break out of that area of filmmaking. While Pyun is a decent director, there’s good reason he isn’t behind major motion pictures, and you get an idea why when you watch this film. He manages to create a decent movie here, but his lack of technical skill shines through more than he’d like it to. No matter how he seems to stay in a rut, he keeps making movies all the time, so maybe he’ll get better in the future. If you want to peruse other Pyun films, check out Omega Doom, Brainsmasher: A Love Story, Nemesis, and Cyborg, all of which stand as some of his finest work. The lead role in this film is played by Charlie Sheen, who once rocked the cinematic world as Rick Vaughn, in the Major League Series. Here, Sheen gives an above average turn, although given the material, I can’t understand how he managed to do that. Sheen (The Chase, Being John Malkovich) is not the best actor out there, but he sure is an interesting character, isn’t he? The supporting cast here includes Michael Halsey (Mean Guns, Monolith), Ivana Milicevic (Enemy Of The State, Crazy Six), Gary Lewis (California Sunshine, The Good Son) and Stephen McCole (Rushmore, Orphans).
Video: How does it look?
Postmortem is presented in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The reason for the full frame ratio is due to the film’s nature, which was to serve as a direct to video release. The image looks like a direct to video release, lacking shine and overall sharp visual appeal. The colors seem bright, although the natural spectrum doesn’t allow for much vibrance, and flesh tones look normal as well. I can’t judge the contrast that well, since the lighting is so bad for the film. The shadows look solid, but it’s hard to tell since the lights were obviously turned up to eleven by the production crew. Some minor compression errors surface, but nothing to lose sleep over.
Audio: How does it sound?
This isn’t an audio driven film, so you won’t notice the lack of surround sound on this release. The simple stereo track seems to suffice well enough, although the music cries for a richer scope. The effects and music sound good, never cluttered together and quite clear. Dialogue is crisp and without problems, and the mix has good volume and consistency.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains the trailer for this film and some minimal talent files.
