Killer: A Journal of Murder (film)
| A Journal of Murder | |
|---|---|
Dutch DVD cover of "Killer: A Journal of Murder"
|
|
| Directed by | Tim Metcalfe |
| Produced by | Janet Yang Mark Levinson Lisa Howard (line producer) George Linardos (associate producer) Lisa Moiselle (associate producer) Oliver Stone (executive producer) Melinda Jason (executive producer) |
| Written by |
Carl Panzram (book) Tim Metcalfe (screenplay) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Edited by | Richard Gentner |
|
Production
company |
Breakheart Films
Ixtlan Productions Spelling Films |
| Distributed by |
First Independent Films (UK Theatrical) Legacy Releasing Corporation (US Theatrical) Republic Pictures (US VHS/DVD) |
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Release date
|
September 1995 (Japan) September 6 1996 (US) 16 May 1997 (UK) |
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Running time
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91 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $65,682 |
Killer: A Journal of Murder is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Tim Metcalfe. It is based on the life of serial killer Carl Panzram, and uses passages from his autobiography of the same title. James Woods stars as Panzram and Robert Sean Leonard as Henry Lesser. Other stars include Ellen Greene as Elizabeth Wyatt, Cara Buono as Esther Lesser, Robert John Burke as R.G. Greiser and Richard Riehle as Warden Quince. Michael Jeffrey Woods, James Woods' young brother also made an appearance as Harry Sinclair.
The film was theatrically shown in America in 1996 through Legacy Releasing Corporation, although limited, and in 1997 by First Independent Films in the UK, whilst in Spain, it was shown through Ufilms. It was first shown in September 1995 at the Tokyo International Film Festival. In America, the film grossed $31,993 on its opening weekend across 9 Screens. Total gross in America totaled $65,682.
In America the film was first released on VHS in the Netherlands via Arcade Movie Company, and on DVD in Japan via Beam Entertainment and Culture Publishers in 1998. On VHS it was released in Canada via Malofilm Distribution, in Greece via Nea Kinisi Video, in Germany via VCL Communications and in Brazil via Top Tape. In 1997 it was given a VHS release in America via Republic Pictures, who also released a DVD version in 2001 and a widescreen DVD edition in 2006.
During the latest of many imprisonments for burglary, Panzram (James Woods) forms an uneasy friendship with prison guard Henry Lesser (Robert Sean Leonard). Panzram asks Lesser for writing equipment and proceeds to write his life story, in which he confesses to several murders.
After recounting his life of homicide and crime, and refusing to apologise for any of it, Panzram ends up beating to death a prison trustee, and is sentenced to death. Lesser tries to convince the condemned man to appeal by claiming insanity, but Panzram stubbornly refuses, and in one scene makes his hatred of his own existence clear to Lesser by angrily declaring "I want out of this body, I want out of this life!"
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Wikipedia