Amazon.com video review:
Poised somewhere between a serial-killer horror film and an old-fashioned
murder mystery, Armand Mastroianni's smartly plotted The Killing
Hour doesn't quite reach its potential but offers an entertaining ride
to the climax. A handcuff killer is running around New York and the NYPD's
best hope lies in a psychic artist who sketches death
scenes from the eyes of the killer. Norman Parker is a genial New York cop
and part-time standup comic who falls in love with artist Elizabeth Kemp,
while muckraking talk-show host Perry King exploits her for ratings at the
expense of her safety: the killer is out there and he's still hunting. The
opening murder scenes are vivid and accomplished, economically realized
with style and suggestion, and similar scenes sprinkled throughout
punctuate an otherwise flatly directed drama. The film is invigorated by
NYC location shooting, an inventive screenplay, quirky, character-rich
performances by the
always reliable Joe Morton, Jon Polito, and Kenneth McMillan in small
roles, and an engaging, understated lead by Parker.
The DVD also features entertaining audio commentary by Mastroianni and
fellow director William Lustig--who reminisce about the old days as
exploitation auteurs making pictures on the streets of New York--as well as
deleted scenes that illuminate the hard choices directors make,
sacrificing detail for pace and rhythm. The picture's title is explained in
those cut moments. --Sean Axmaker
