Messages (film)

Last updated
Messages
Messages.jpg
Directed byDavid Fairman
Written byWayne Kinsey and Ivan Levine
Starring
Release date
  • 2007 (2007)
Running time
102 min.
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Messages is a 2007 British film written by Wayne Kinsey and Ivan Levine, directed by David Fairman and starring Jeff Fahey and Bruce Payne.

Contents

Plot

The film is set in England where an American pathologist Dr. Richard Murray is grieving for his late wife Carol who died in a car crash a few months previously. Murray's grief is accentuated by the guilt that he feels as he was having an affair with another woman prior to Carol's death. As a consequence, Murray has started drinking large amounts of whiskey and is having blackouts, forgetting what has transpired in his previous drinking sessions.

Murray begins to receive messages on his computer which he believes to be clues to his wife's death. When he realises that in the same area a serial killer is attacking women he begins to suspect himself of the murders and of the murder of his wife.

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. A reviewer for British Film magazine described the film as "exuberantly acted" and a reviewer Cinemas Online stated that it contained "some mesmerizing performances". [1] In contrast, Mark Kermode described the film as "an abysmal serial-killer thriller" with a "clodhopping script". [2] Peter Bradshaw stated that "if you've a soft spot for a certain British kind of retro-Hammer silliness there's some enjoyment to be had here". [3] Jamie Russell described the film as a "catalogue of crimes against horror cinema". [4] In Jennie Kermode's view "if you like serial killer movies, Messages may not have the tightest story but it does deliver on gore" and "if you like ghost stories, it does a fairly good job". [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Vanishing</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

The Vanishing is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by George Sluizer and starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, and Sandra Bullock. It is a remake of Sluizer's 1988 French-Dutch film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Klein (actor)</span> American actor

Frederick Christopher Klein is an American actor who is best known for playing Paul Metzler in Election, Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in the American Pie comedy teen films, the serial killer Cicada on The Flash and most recently as Bill Townsend in the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias.

Bruce Martyn Payne is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, film director and theatre director. Payne is best known for portraying villains, such as Charles Rane in Passenger 57, Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame, and Damodar in Dungeons & Dragons and Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Fahey</span> American actor

Jeffrey David Fahey is an American actor. His notable roles include Duane Duke in Psycho III (1986), Pete Verill in Clint Eastwood's White Hunter Black Heart (1990), Jobe Smith in The Lawnmower Man (1992), and Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost (2008–2010). He is also known for his collaborations with director Robert Rodriguez, appearing in his films Planet Terror (2007), Machete (2010), and Alita: Battle Angel (2019).

<i>Highwaymen</i> (film) 2004 action thriller film

Highwaymen is a 2004 action thriller film directed by Robert Harmon. An American-Canadian production, it stars Jim Caviezel, Rhona Mitra, Frankie Faison, and Colm Feore. The score was composed by Mark Isham. The film was released on 13 February 2004.

<i>Fuck</i> (2005 film) 2005 American documentary film directed by Steve Anderson

Fuck is a 2005 American documentary film by director Steve Anderson about the word "fuck". The film argues that the word is an integral part of societal discussions about freedom of speech and censorship. It examines the term from perspectives which include art, linguistics, society and comedy, and begins with a segment from the 1965 propaganda film Perversion for Profit. Scholars and celebrities analyze perceptions of the word from differing perspectives. Journalist Sam Donaldson talks about the versatility of the word, and comedian Billy Connolly states it can be understood despite one's language or location. Musician Alanis Morissette comments that the word contains power because of its taboo nature. The film features the last recorded interview of author Hunter S. Thompson before his suicide. Scholars, including linguist Reinhold Aman, journalism analyst David Shaw and Oxford English Dictionary editor Jesse Sheidlower, explain the history and evolution of the word. Language professor Geoffrey Nunberg observes that the word's treatment by society reflects changes in our culture during the 20th century.

<i>Dexter</i> (TV series) American crime drama TV series (2006–2013)

Dexter is an American crime drama television series that aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by James Manos Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons evolved independently of Lindsay's works while using many of the same characters and concepts.

<i>Body Parts</i> (film) 1991 horror film by Eric Red

Body Parts is a 1991 American sci-fi body horror film directed by Eric Red and starring Jeff Fahey, Kim Delaney, Brad Dourif, Zakes Mokae, and Lindsay Duncan. It was produced by Frank Mancuso Jr., from a screenplay by Red and Norman Snider, who dramatized a story that Patricia Herskovic and Joyce Taylor had based on the horror novel Choice Cuts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The film follows a psychologist who undergoes an experimental arm transplant surgery and begins having visions of murders.

<i>One Tough Bastard</i> 1995 American film

One Tough Bastard, also known as One Man's Justice, is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Kurt Wimmer in his feature film debut, and starring Brian Bosworth, Bruce Payne and M.C. Hammer. It premiered in the United States on HBO.

<i>I Am Not a Serial Killer</i> 2009 horror novel by Dan Wells

I Am Not A Serial Killer is a 2009 horror novel written by American author Dan Wells, originally published by Tor Books. It is Wells' debut novel and the first installment in the John Cleaver series. It is followed by five books, and has been published in English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian.

<i>Tyrannosaur</i> (film) 2011 British drama film

Tyrannosaur is a 2011 British drama film written and directed by Paddy Considine and starring Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Paul Popplewell and Sally Carman.

<i>White House Down</i> 2013 American film by Roland Emmerich

White House Down is a 2013 American political action thriller film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by James Vanderbilt. In the film, a divorced US Capitol Police officer attempts to rescue both his daughter and the President of the United States when a destructive terrorist assault occurs in the White House. The film stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, and James Woods.

<i>I Am Not a Serial Killer</i> (film) 2016 film

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a 2016 supernatural psychological horror film directed by Billy O'Brien and based on Dan Wells' 2009 novel of the same name. It stars Christopher Lloyd, Max Records, Laura Fraser, and Christina Baldwin.

<i>Private Number</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Private Number is a 2014 American psychological horror film written and directed by LazRael Lison. An alcoholic novelist who suffers from writer's block and his wife receive repeated, inexplicable crank phone calls that push them to the edge. It premiered in July 2014 and received a limited release in May 2015. The DVD was released a month later.

<i>Prevenge</i> 2016 British film

Prevenge is a 2016 British comedy slasher film written by, directed by and starring Alice Lowe in her directorial debut. The film also stars Kate Dickie, Kayvan Novak, Jo Hartley, Mike Wozniak, Gemma Whelan and Tom Davis. The plot follows a pregnant widow who is convinced her foetus is compelling her to embark on a killing spree as revenge for the death of her husband.

<i>Dating Game Killer</i> (film) 2017 biographical television film

Dating Game Killer, also known as The Dating Game Killer, is a 2017 biographical television film about serial killer Rodney Alcala. It was directed by Peter Medak and broadcast on Investigation Discovery.

<i>Nemesis</i> (2021 film) Film directed by James Crow

Nemesis is a 2021 British crime thriller film. It is directed by James Crow and stars Billy Murray, Nick Moran, Frank Harper, Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, Julian Glover and Bruce Payne. Murray has stated that his character in the film, John Morgan, is in the mould of Johnny Allen, the character he played in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 2005 and 2006. The film was released on 29 March 2021.

<i>Sketch Artist II: Hands That See</i> 1995 television film written by Michael Angeli and directed by Jack Sholder

Sketch Artist II: Hands That See, also known as Sketch Artist II and A Feel for Murder, is a 1995 American made-for-television crime-thriller film written by Michael Angeli and directed by Jack Sholder and starring Jeff Fahey and Courteney Cox. It is a sequel to the 1992 film Sketch Artist.

<i>Luther: The Fallen Sun</i> 2023 film by Jamie Payne

Luther: The Fallen Sun is a 2023 crime thriller film directed by Jamie Payne and written by Neil Cross. It serves as a film continuation of Luther. The film stars Idris Elba, reprising his role as police detective John Luther, with Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis. The film is about the detective's efforts to stop a wealthy serial killer's complex schemes.

References

  1. "News". DavidFairman.com. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  2. Kermode, Mark (17 June 2007). "Messages". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. Bradshaw, Peter (15 June 2007). "Messages". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. Russell, Jamie (7 June 2007). "Messages (2007)". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. Kermode, Jennie (14 June 2007). "Messages (2007)". eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2020.