As Good as Dead

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Three members of an extremist cult kidnap and torture a prominent photojournalist who they believe murdered their revered leader in this twisting psychological thriller starring Cary Elwes, Andie MacDowell, and Frank Whaley. The widow of late cult leader Reverend Kalahan, Helen (MacDowell) is determined to seek revenge against the man who murdered her husband. But in a tragic twist of fate Helen, her dangerously unstable son, Jake (Matt Dallas), and their sadistic enforcer, Aaron (Whaley), discover that they may have targeted the wrong man. The more the trio interrogates the terrified Ethan (Elwes), the more apparent it becomes that Helen, Jake, and Aaron may have escalated a situation that no one can walk away from untarnished. As Helen grows increasingly convinced of Ethan's innocence, cold-blooded killer Aaron vows to leave no witnesses, and attempts to manipulate Jake into taking his side. Meanwhile, Ethan's estranged wife, Kate (Nicole Ansari-Cox), attempts to call Ethan when he fails to pick up their ten-year-old daugther, Sarah (Emma Kantor), at the predetermined time, and drives to his apartment to confront him personally. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Color
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • The making of As Good As Dead
  • Previews

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Cary Elwes - Ethan
       Andie MacDowell - Helen
       Frank Whaley - Aaron
       Matt Dallas - Jake
       Nicole Ansari - Kate
       Brian Cox - Reverend Kalahan
       Emma Kantor - Sarah
       Jess Weixler - Amy
       Juliette Bennett - Erica
       Nasry Malak - Moe
       Crispian Belfrage - Brian Shepard
       Claudine Oriol - Marsha
       J.W. Cortes - Cop
       Laurence Covington - Cop #2
       Clark Middleton - Seth
       Mario D'Leon - Titus
       Cygalle Dias - Bodega Shopper #1
       Kira Dirhtvar - Bodega Shopper #2
       Gordon Joseph Weiss - Homeless Man
       Elissa Middleton - Executive
       Heidi Jo Markel - The Investor
       Lexie Helgersen - Cafe Couple
       Jeff Dread - Cafe Couple
       John Kelsey - Bus Driver
       Amy Garay - Bus Passenger
       Gable - Mao
       Ian Capone - Skinhead
       Antoine Ray - Young Jake
       John Shim - Masked Shooter

• Director:

  Jonathan Mossek

• Producer:

  Heidi Jo Markel, Edward Bass, Eve Pomerance, Jordan Gertner

• Screenwriter:

  Eve Pomerance, Erez Mossek

• Cinematographer:

  Frank Barrera

• Composer (Music Score):

  Greg Arnold

• Musical Arrangement:

  Greg Arnold

• Editor:

  Lee Percy, Julie Carr

• Production Designer:

  Anne Stuhler, Jade Healey

• Co-producer:

  Jennielyn Abrot, John Yarinick, Nick Allan

• Executive Producer:

  Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Gary Michael Walters, Belton Lee, Eli Navon, Hubert Gibbs

• Costume Designer:

  Rabiah Troncelliti, Sarah Shears

• First Assistant Director:

  Shawn Rice

• Sound Mixer:

  Andrew Prokopenko

• Production Manager:

  Marco Henry, Graziano Bruni

• Casting Director:

  Mary Jo Slater, Caroline Sinclair

• Makeup Supervisor:

  Randy S. Westgate

• Line Producer:

  Lesa Greenfield

• Still Photographer:

  Michael Seto

• Unit Production Manager:

  Becky Dilallo

• Second Assistant Director:

  Kamen Velkovsky

• Script Supervisor:

  Dustin Bricker

• Production Coordinator:

  Sam O'Brien

REVIEW:

• A passable rainy-day thriller driven by a pair of compulsively watchable performances, As Good as Dead holds the unique distinction of featuring saccharin screen beauty Andie MacDowell as a horribly scarred religious extremist hell-bent on avenging the death of her hate-spouting minister husband, and underappreciated character actor Frank Whaley as her psychotic, neck-tattooed sidekick. If those curious casting choices alone aren't enough to peak your interest, perhaps it's worth mentioning that the manipulative cult leader in question is none other than stalwart screen veteran (and original Hannibal Lecter) Brian Cox.
  
  The widow of late cult leader Reverend Kalahan, Helen (MacDowell) is determined to seek revenge against the man who murdered her husband. However, in a tragic twist of fate, Helen, her dangerously unstable son, Jake (Matt Dallas), and their sadistic enforcer, Aaron (Whaley), discover that they may have targeted the wrong man. The more the trio interrogates the terrified Ethan (Cary Elwes), the more apparent it becomes that Helen, Jake, and Aaron may have escalated a situation that no one can walk away from untarnished. As Helen grows increasingly convinced of Ethan's innocence, cold-blooded killer Aaron vows to leave no witnesses and attempts to manipulate Jake into taking his side. Meanwhile, Ethan's estranged wife, Kate (Nicole Ansari-Cox), tries to call Ethan when he fails to pick up their ten-year-old daughter, Sarah (Emma Kantor), at the predetermined time, and drives to his apartment to confront him personally.
  
  With a story that seems to gloss over more than a few pivotal details and a dunderheaded protagonist whose incompetence seems born of lazy screenwriting, the only factors that keep As Good as Dead afloat are the film's highly capable cast and director Jonathan Mossek's talent for maintaining a satisfying sense of momentum once the action gets under way. Fortunately for us, that's just enough to keep the film on the winning side of watchable. Sporting a cane, disfiguring facial scars, and a slow Southern drawl, MacDowell is magnetic whenever she's onscreen, but as the former heroin addict and ex-convict who went up the river for performing an impromptu lobotomy with a Phillips-head screwdriver, it's Whaley who makes the biggest impression. His turn as the wiry, Southern-fried racist whose distinctive "SS" neck tattoo betrays his clean-cut appearance signals once again why the ubiquitous and versatile Whaley is one of the most dependable bit players around. If Brian Cox is wasted in the opening scene and Dallas repeatedly fails in his noble attempts to exude genuine menace, at least MacDowell and Whaley are there to pick up the slack. Apparently having learned an important lesson in restraint following his laughably blubbery appearance in the original Saw, Elwes plays things fairly cool as the man whose guilt remains in question until the bitter end, and although Erez Mossek and Eve Pomerance's slipshod screenplay repeatedly undermines his character's believability, it does a commendable job of keeping us guessing as the stakes get exponentially higher.
  
  Weary channel surfers will likely agree that As Good as Dead offers just enough thrills to warrant giving your calloused thumbs a break from clicking. But while it isn't exactly the kind of sleeper that's likely to have suspense fans gnawing their fingernails down to the knuckle, it's definitely worth a look for Whaley followers in need of a fix, and to see MacDowell make a break from her squeaky-clean image. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi