Except for some nice camera work by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (credited as William Zsigmond) this film has little to offer. The acting is mediocre and by the way can anyone explain why Arch Hall Jrs. face constantly looked like he had an acute case of constant squinting. Was this acting or a severe episode of constipation? Overall, the film lacks tension and is painfully slow. It gets to a point where you wish Archie boy just shot all three of his hostages, then turned the gun on his simpleton girlfriend and finally on himself. Anything to end this celluloid horror. Saying this, I will admit the ending was a decent surprise ( I won't spoil it for those who have not seen it), however it's a long 90 minutes or so to wait for that one thrill. If you want to see a really good film based on the same subject (serial killer Charlie Starkweather), catch on cable or rent "Badlands." Rated a 2- Poor - Has some merit (Zsigmond's camera work)
Review of The Sadist
