 |
 |
HOME
 THE
DRILLER
KILLER
With Jimmy Laine, Carolyn Marz, Babi Day, Bob DeFrank, Peter Yellen Directed by Abel Ferrara Controversial director Abel Ferrara stars in his first name making feature under the pseudonym Jimmy Laine. He plays Reno, a passionate (and annoying) struggling New York painter who slowly starts losing his mind and ventures out to kill (mainly homeless) people with a drill and portable power pack. He's stuck on one particular painting of a buffalo while the rent money is low - his girlfriend footing the bill. With a questionable budget, Ferrara, writer Rochelle Weisberg and the inexperienced cast managed to put together a gritty and sometimes tacky little piece of work around 1977-78, making big waves in the "video nasty" debacle of the early '80s. With a lot of time spent on Tony Coca-Cola and The Roosters as the band who performs in the club frequent by the artist and his girlfriends, this extends even further into the picture as they rent a room below theirs for rehearsals. Powertool murders became a horror staple after the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and to a certain extent this 16mmm feature also holds a dirty charm. Extra features include a trailer and Ferrara filmography (containing some interesting additions like his episodes for TV shows like Miami Vice and Crime Story). But the low highlight is Ferrara's whacked out commentary track (recorded at the Chelsea Hotel in 1999). His incoherent mumblings hint at not all his faculties being present (for whatever natural or unnatural reasons) as he waffles to the pictures like a drunk watching some of his old home movies. Interesting, but hardly informative. 3 / B - PB 1 2 3 4 5 6 A - B - C |
never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
| 6
- Volcanic
5 - Blistering 4 - Hot 3 - Smolder 2 - Room Temperature 1 - Fizzled 0 - Extinguished |
A:
Multi-Viewing Potential |
© 2005 Flamedrop Productions
