Thanks for the memories!

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This movie was supposed to be one of Jaclyn Smith's first major feature films of the 1980's. But due to some problems, it was largely unreleased in theaters and ended up on television. Good for us movie buffs because this film is probably one of the best that I have seen and one of the most satisfying thrillers in years. It doesn't have the same style of the slasher/screamer films of 1980's but what it offers is a lot better. The last half hour is a real nail biter especially the shower scene. Robert Mitchum's performance is top notch and actress Jaclyn Smith is terrific. I think this is one of her best performances. Her on-screen chemistry with actor James Franciscus is just great. Miss Smith also appears in a beautiful backless gown that will knock your eyes out. That, too, is entertainment.

The movie is appropriately named, "Nightkill", because it is so darkly filmed that the daylight scenes, which are not many, seem like night, and the nighttime scenes will literally leave you in the dark. Since the plot twists and turns, it would be nice to actually see what is going on. Basically, Jaclyn Smith is unwittingly drawn into a complex murder plot, involving her tyrant, millionaire husband, Mike Connors. Once her lover, James Franciscus, does the killing, nothing is explained, and the audience is left to blindly follow what is happening. Personally, I lost interest until the relentlessly downbeat ending. Despite the presence of Robert Mitchum, and some decent acting, technically the film is seriously flawed. - MERK

Katherine Atwell (Jaclyn Smith), the wife of a wealthy businessman, unwittingly finds herself embroiled in a sinister murder plot when her lover decides to murder her husband and steal his money so that the two may elope together. Ted Post directs this Hitchcock-style horror/thriller about murder and deception and one has to say that he does a very good job in doing so. Post takes a screenplay based on a story by the relatively unknown John Case and turns it into an intricate and generally compelling ninety minute piece of criminally underrated cinema. Although Post obviously lacks the directorial flair of his inspirers Hitchcock and Argento (there are a couple of instances where light is used in a similar fashion to Argento as well as some Argento-style trickery), one cannot really fault his execution of the work and instead has to admire the way that he turned such a low-budget into a thrill fest of suspense and intrigue. The subtle blending of the foreboding orchestral soundtrack with the continuing tension Post is able to create through some rather adept use of lighting and slow-yet-adequate pacing is probably the main reason that this movie is able to succeed and become quite a shining of example of great, low-budget cinema. Jaclyn Smith, from the TV series ‘Charlie's Angels', is exceptional in her role as a woman pushed to the brink of madness following a series of bizarre and inexplicable happenings – as if being an unplanned accessory to the murder of her husband wasn't enough! Smith's performance is all the more credible due to the whole array of emotions her character is forced to portray. Despite Smith's character being a wrong-doer, it becomes quite easy to sympathise with her plight and understand her actions. Robert Mitchum takes the main role of the supporting cast as Lt. Donner and just adds to the credible acting performances that help to make ‘Nightkill' what it is. Unfortunately, the rest of the supporting cast were not exactly up to par except for a somewhat brief performance by the near-legendary B-movie actress Sybil Danning. ‘Nightkill' is a movie built on suspense, fortified by extraordinary acting performances (for a movie of this type) and cemented with a truly remarkable and haunting finale. Those who appreciate thrillers such as those by Hitchcock and Argento should find something enjoyable in this film as well. Certainly not for those who have had their attention spans stolen by MTV, but for those who appreciate subtle, slow and suspenseful thrillers. Yes, there are problems such as a rather unnecessary piece of character interaction towards the end, a brief decline in quality during the middle of the film and the obvious limitations of the budget. The final twist is also a little clichéd and does become a little obvious but not really enough to take away from one's enjoyment. ‘Nightkill' is still a very accomplished film and one that psychological thriller fans should find quite enjoyable. My rating for ‘Nightkill' – 7/10.

SPOILER!!!!! I have just finished watching this film and I was very impressed. I collect Jaclyn Smith's films and most recently acquired this one on DVD.The story took all sorts of interesting twists. Was Wendell dead? Was Katherine (Jaclyn) being set up?I was hooked, and it was remarkable how everything came together. As soon as I saw Donner (Robert Mitchum) putting on gloves near the end, it clicked. We had not seen Wendell's face when apparently he was chasing Katherine but that added a air of mystery at the time, not seeing the 'dead' man's face.Robert Mitchum played a very good phoney detective.This is a rare occasion that nothing major is overlooked in the plot that the victim could have done differently. Katherine did nothing too irrational and didn't seem simply stupid at all.Jaclyn was a pleasure to see, especially knowing she made this film while "Charlie's Angels" was still in production. However, the downside, the moment when she had to display extreme emotion, (I'm sad to say) were sometimes cringe-worthy, the worst was when she was runnning round the house shouting for who she thought was Wendell to come out. But this was required for the role I guess, a very distressed woman. However, when she discovers Steve's body in the place of Wendell's, the film makers choice to make it slow motion with music and no sound of gasping, shrieking or crying was extremely sucessful in my opinion, it worked a lot better, the expressions on Jaclyn's face spoke for themselves easily!And the previous review about having to watch this is a second time is true, I look forward to that in a few months time, noticing the pieces being scattered to come back together later. This isn't Jaclyn at her best, but an excellent thriller with the bonus of featuring Jaclyn.