NIGHTKILL
US, 1980, 104 minutes, Colour.
Jaclyn Smith, Mike Connors, James Franciscus, Robert Mitchum, Sybil Danning, Fritz Weaver.
Directed by Ted Post.
Nightkill is a routine though interesting thriller, largely financed by a German production company. However, the setting is Phoenix, Arizona, the cast and crew are American.
Jaclyn Smith, in the period after her television success as one of Charlie's Angels, is the wealthy harassed heroine. Mike Connors is the bullying husband, James Franciscus the suave assistant lover. The film really belongs to Robert Mitchum, the policeman - who is revealed to be much more and the mastermind of what goes on. Fritz Weaver and Sybil Danning have supporting brief roles.
The film has the conventional ingredients of the dominating industrialist husband, the rich wife and her affair, the surveillance and the private detective, murder and robbery. However, the twist is concealed until almost the end (though there are some holes in the screenplay, especially when Jaclyn Smith rings the policeman and he is out of his office and audiences make assumption of who the policeman is. What if he had been in his office?). Direction is by Ted Post, director of a number of thrillers.
1. Enjoyable action thriller? Mystery?
2. The Arizona settings, Phoenix, affluent homes, laboratories and plants? Musical score?
3. The title, murder and victims?
4. Katherine, her wealthy lifestyle, her relationship with Steve? Her being taped? The surveillance? Her clashes with her husband, his brutality, sending flowers? Her double dealing - but her shock at Steve's murdering the husband? Putting him in the freezer? Not going to the police? Her nervousness? The arrival of Donner, his questions, searching for her husband, his continued appearances, the search? Taking the body, nervous driving, the police, dumping the body? Her return, confrontations with Donner? With Herbert, her lawyer, with Monica? The growing panic, the phone call with Steve dying? Her maid, her attacking the maid's husband out of fear? Her husband's body in the chair? The ringing of the police? The final confession, Donner ringing the police - and her going to have the shower, his killing her? Her seemingly dead, burnt but going to the telephone? Justice being done?
5. Donner, Robert Mitchum's style, interrogations, inquiries, searching? His handling of police matters? His getting the truth from Katherine, telling her about the tapes? The irony of his being Rodriguez, using the tapes, killing Steve, attempting to murder Katherine, getting the money - his almost being caught, his going off scot-free? But Katherine going to the phone? The credibility of his plot?
6. Wendell, wealthy, brutal towards his wife, using her mother's wealth, relationships, Steve, the surveillance? His being murdered? Steve, ex-CIA, Wendell's hold over him, axing people at the plant? Steve's relationship with Katherine, his decision to murder Wendell, his being killed?
7. The maid, presence in the house, being sent home? Her husband, in the house and Katherine's attacking him?
8. Monica and Herbert, their lifestyle, Herbert drunk, his advice to Katherine, the filming, Monica and her social life, warnings?
9. Entertaining thriller, mystery?
