Nightkill (1980) User Reviews

Nightkill: Meh thriller

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 23 October 2018]

Nightkill is a thriller starring the late great industry veteran Robert Mitchum, but it certainly isn't among his best work.

It tells the story of a woman who witnesses her new lover murder her abusive husband and the chain of events that follow. With her lover now missing and the police closing in what does she do next?

Lead by Jaclyn Smith this thriller never really gets going and the twist was more than expected. Though the finale is less predictible and quite enjoyable the rest of the movie is highly generic stuff.

It's certainly not terrible, but it's underwhelming stuff that you'll have seen plenty of times before. Even Mitchum seems bored.

The Good:

Robert Mitchum

The Bad:

Highly generic

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

White wine is for meatballs and cooking

In the 1980's no money was required to get yourself a plane seat reserved

Police officers use racial slurs casually

Let's scare Jaclyn to death

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 16 December 2018]

Nightkill was going to be the breakout feature film debut for Jaclyn Smith of Charlie's Angels. It wound up being quite a bit less than that and not even making it to the big screen. Smith is joined by two television series veterans, Mike Connors of Mannix and James Franciscus of Mr. Novak. And of course big screen legend Robert Mitchum who hadn't been involved in a scare film like this since Cape Fear.

Smith is most unhappily married to Mike Connors who is a tyrannical tycoon. But she is having an affair with Connors's number two Jim Franciscus. One fine day with both all three at the spaciou home that Connors and Smith have, Franciscus slips some poison into Connors's drink and he dies. What to do with the body?

After what is done with it, it's Franciscus's corpse that Smith finds where they had stored Connors. And now there is a police detective played by Mitchum poking around in a most officious like manner, almost like he understudied the Peter Falk school of plodding detective work.

You might think you know where this is going, but I assure you that you don't. It gets real terrifying for Jaclyn Smith as she doesn't know who to trust or believe.

The spacious vistas of Phoenix, Arizona were not properly used in the cinematography of Nightkill. Mitchum doesn't come in until some 35 minutes after the film begins, but a few flecks of those famous rumpled eyelids and he's dominating the proceedings from then on.

NIghtkill is not the greatest of mystery thrillers, but it's reasonably entertaining for those who will want to empathize with what Smith is going through.

Baffling thriller that ultimately adds up.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 24 January 2002]

A very murky thriller. On the first viewing, I swear you won't be able to tell what's going on until....the last five minutes or so. This may be one of those mysteries that require a second viewing to fully understand how everything adds up. Good acting, though, both by Robert Mitchum, as a cunning detective, and by Jacklyn Smith, who's quite convincing as a woman involved in an increasingly threatening situation, with nobody to rely on in the whole world. (**)

A Misfire But An Interesting One

[Michael_Elliott · 27 December 2017]

Nightkill (1980)

** (out of 4)

Katherine Atwell (Jaclyn Smith) watches her lover kill her rather mean-spirited and cruel husband (Mike Connors) right in front of her. The lover promises her everything will be fine but the next day she finds his dead body. Before long people start wondering where the husband is and that's when Detective Donner (Robert Mitchum) starts to ask questions. Soon the wife begins to crack as she feels there's something more sinister going on.

Ted Post's NIGHTKILL is a rather interesting German picture that was meant to be a huge theatrical release but it ended up showing on television before eventually making it to video. This is without question one of the strangest films from this era because in all honesty it's pretty poorly made and there are countless flaws throughout. With that said, at the core there's a good movie somewhere in all of the mess and one can't help but think that a more polished script and some better direction could have made something special here.

When this film eventually got released it was passed off as a horror film but that's certainly not the case. It's basically a murder-mystery that looks and feels like a watered down made-for-television film. It's really too bad that Post didn't try to add more style or flair to the picture because it could have been so much better. The problem is that the film was shot rather ugly and there's just no style or energy to be found. Considering what Brian DePalma and others were doing with this type of film around this era it's easy to see why this thing just never took off.

Another problem is that the lead character, the wife, is just downright stupid. Her situation could have been avoided countless times yet her character just keeps making one dumb decision after another. For the most part Smith turns in a good performance but she certainly can't save the picture. Connors and James Franciscus are good as are Fritz Weaver and Sybil Danning. As far as Mitchum goes, he's certainly offered a good role here and he does a nice job with it. We've seen him play the Detective countless times throughout his career so he certainly knows how to play it.

NIGHTKILL has some good sequences throughout it including a car chase where the woman believes her dead husband is coming after her. The ending was also well done and it ends the film on a high note. Still, there are just way too many flat moments here to make it a complete success but the film is an interesting misfire.

"Nightkill" is low budget, relentlessly downbeat, and technically flawed...

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 30 September 2011]

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

Much better than I thought

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 23 August 2018]

I really thought Nightkill was going to be lousy. A murder-gone-wrong movie in the '80s starring one of Charlie's Angels? I thought I'd turn it off after ten minutes, but after that time, I was hooked! Yes, Jaclyn's Smith's hairdo is dated, and a few scenes are a "tv-ish", but if you're one of the many people who enjoy this genre, you might want to check this one out.

The reason I kept watching Nightkill was because Jaclyn's marriage to Mike Connors wasn't your typical "evil husband must die" relationship. He's very wealthy, and he's not a nice person, but Joan Andre wrote his character to be subtly instead of blatantly cruel. He belittles their Mexican housekeeper, treats his subordinates like peons, and gets impatient with his wife. Everything he does and says, though, are things someone in his position might think is okay. He's not a blatant bad guy; he's just insensitive and rude. So, when Jaclyn's lover James Franciscus kills him, it's understandable that she's not jumping for joy. All she wanted was a divorce, not his death.

But, since she's now an accessory-and since she's the lead in an '80s thriller and therefore goes along with a terrible idea-Jaclyn agrees to hide the body and pretend her husband is still alive until she and James can run away together. Gee, do you think everything's going to go smoothly? Definitely not, especially when policeman Robert Mitchum starts sniffing around.

I'm sure you know why I rented this movie in the first place; we all know how much I love Robert Mitchum. He has such great energy in this movie, and I can't help but think he arranged for Michael Anderson, Jr. to have a cameo, since they played father and son twenty years earlier in The Sundowners.

One warning about Nightkill: make sure you have a strong stomach. Parts of the movie get pretty gruesome, to counteract the good looks of the three main leads, I guess. Also, if you liked seeing Jaclyn Smith and James Franciscus playing the Kennedys, you can see them together again in this movie!

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to gruesome images and an upsetting scene with an animal, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Movie-of-the-Weak

[alansmithee04 · 1/10 · 16 November 2005]

Veteran TV director Ted Post treats us to a plodding, confused and ultimately pointless story lifted from Column B of the Harold Robbins Big Book Of Plots. Set against a smoggy Phoenix skyline, post-Charlies Angles Jaclyn Smith takes a star turn as "the woman whose eyes are mysteriously shadowed at all times" while JFK impersonator James Franciscus lounges around the fringes.

Mannix goes western, monkeys are abused, models lean against classic cars, and Smith is constantly upstaged by Sybil Danning until a giallo style wrap-up brings the whole sorry mess to a bitter end.

Oh yeah, and Bob Mitchum is in there too. Somewhere.

A lot better than the rating suggests.

[Snake-666 · 7/10 · 25 April 2004]

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.

How could the excellent actors make a winner with this script?

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 6 December 2020]

When the story begins, Katherine (Jaclyn Smith) goes to the airport to pick up her husband, Wendell (Mike Connors). Within seconds, you realize that Wendell is an emotionally abusive drunk. However, instead of leaving it at this, you are treated to many scenes of Wendell treating everyone like dirt. In fact, it's overkill...making his character seem almost like a cartoon character, such as Snidley Whiplash! Yes, his character was that broadly written and about as subtle as a sledgehammer upside your head!! Not surprisingly, soon Wendell dies...having been poisoned by one of his employees, Steve (James Franciscus). The wife had no idea Steve would do this....but the pair agree to keep this secret. However, someone has been eavesdropping and soon bad things start to happen to the couple. What happens and who is behind this? See the film...or not.



Aside from an excellent cast that included the above folks plus Fritz Weaver and Robert Mitchum, there isn't a lot of positives I could give for the film. Although the situation is interesting and could have made for a good film, the writing, simply put, was bad. All poor Jaclyn Smith could do throughout the film was whimper and run...and having the leading lady play such a weak and ineffectual character was a HUGE mistake. She also just seemed illogical and foolish. All this also made Smith look like a terrible actress...which she certainly isn't. Too many flaws, too many poorly written characters and not enough to make the audience feel as if their intelligence isn't being questioned. Overall, "Nightkill" is a huge letdown and a film I'd just as soon forget...especially because not even bad enough to be good for a laugh.

Not bad in actual fact

[jamiecostelo58 · 7/10 · 12 January 2005]

I was surprised at how nail-biting this movie was, not only at the somewhat unusual plot, but by the dark and brooding performance by Robert Mitchum. Nightkill is a reasonable enough thriller with good twists and turns throughout, and an equally strong conclusion.

Jaclyn Smith gives out a not-too-bad performance as Katherine Atwell, but in my eyes I felt as if she was trying a little too hard in some places. Mike Connors though portrays his cold and callous character of Wendel to good effect. You actually despise Wendel! In no doubt, however, it's Mitchum who steals the show; what a twist toward the end! Nice background music too: the score actually tells the story in some parts - very ominous.

In a nutshell, Nightkill is a relatively suspenseful film, but what lets it down is the somewhat inept direction and weak dialogue in certain places. 7/10

What's the point of all the killing?

[mmsexybetty · 5/10 · 23 November 2019]

I didn't know what to make of this movie. What was the motive for killing Smith and her lover? For the money? Smith's character made nothing but bad decisions. Plus, her husband gets poisoned, and then put in the freezer. Then, when she goes to check on her husband's corpse in the freezer, and finds her lover instead, why doesn't she inquire what happened to her husband's body? She doesn't seem to care that her husband's body mysteriously disappeared. Then, when her "husband" kidnaps her and brings her back to her house, and she wakes up there and also sees the house was ransacked, it doesn't seem to phase her. I know near the end, she thinks Wendell is still alive and doing all this, but doesn't try to leave the house even after all that. I know there's twists and turns, but I find it somewhat confusing and senseless. I've seen better movies with twists than this. I've seen Smith in better movies than this. Last thing, why do they always have to kill innocent animals in these things?

A High-bending Suspense Thriller!

[speedo68 · 10/10 · 14 February 2004]

This is supposed to be Jaclyn Smith's first major feature after declining to star in the James Bond movie "Moonraker." But the film was largely unreleased in the cinemas. It did get a major cinema released though, internationally and created a following (at least, for people who loves this kind of genre).

Inspite of some inept direction, (one example is when Smith is trying to explain to her friend, played by Sybil Danning, what happened the night before and why her friend's husband came to see Smith --the dubbing was so bad), this movie is one of my favourite thrillers of all time.

The story is very original and will keep you guessing up to the last minute. Very satisfying and the performances are superb.

Jaclyn Smith is absolutely gorgeous and delivers the best performance in this film. James Franciscus, who starred with Smith in JACQUELINE BOUVIER KENNEDY movie, is also marvelous in a very short memorable role. They both look great on screen and of course, veteran actor Robert Mitchum is at his best. Except for some "blah" performances of the supporting cast, the movie will keep you on your seat.

The shower scene is probably the best thriller "shower" scene I've seen in the movies (well, of course, aside from Janet Leigh in "Psycho" )and it was executed excellently.

I can't wait to see a re-make of this film, why?, because, this is what a thriller should be! Paging hollywood!!!!

1908's noir??!!

[jordanodwyer · 7/10 · 12 April 2018]

I love a film noir and this for the bill, I also love how all synopses I read before watching kept me guessing about who the villain might be! What I thought would be a Femme Fatale flick turned out to be a Damsel in Distress that kept me glued despite some wtf moments. In the scope of an 80s flick I wish I could give this a 9 or 10 but the ending made me wish for another film, or at least another 20 mins

Desperation time

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 23 February 2001]

Filmed in Arizona by a mostly-foreign crew, "Nightkill" is one of the clumsiest crime dramas I have ever seen. Robert Mitchum (in a cowboy hat) trails recently-widowed Jaclyn Smith around, hoping to figure out if she had a hand in her husband's death. Jaclyn's wardrobe is of the Dale Evans variety and her dog is named "Cowboy"...seems as if somebody sure bought into the American myth that all westerners talk and dress like descendants of John Wayne! Screenplay by Joan Andre and John Case may have worked better if approached as parody; this mystery thriller just plays tame, with director Ted Post asleep at the controls. Don't be drawn in by the video box art of Jaclyn screaming while taking a shower. She does indeed take a shower in this film, but it is not revealing (nor does it further the murky plot one iota). NO STARS from ****

A great thriller, excellent ending...

[jmcb · 21 July 2003]

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.

LOUD BOO! - (1 star out of 10)

[BJG-Reviews · 1/10 · 27 January 2019]

The stage curtains open ...

Oh, lord that was awful...lol. Before I get into it, here's basically what it's about.

The wife of an obnoxious Arizona businessman finds herself in the middle of a complicated dilemma when her lover poisons him, in effect murdering him, right before her eyes. Even though she was trapped in a marriage she desperately wanted out of, she sheds tears over him and wants to call the police. But her lover talks her into hiding his body with plans of disposing of it at a later time, and then they can take his hidden million dollar stash and start a new life together. Well, obviously, this doesn't work out ... and when she inexplicably finds her lover's body where they left her husband, she is left with nothing but unanswered questions in the terrifying days to follow.

On the surface, you'd think this would be good. No. Not even close. This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen - which is a shame since I like both Robert Mitchum and Jaclyn Smith. As I was watching this, I was shaking my head wondering what in the heck Mitchum was thinking making such a dud? The acting was horrible and completely unconvincing. The cinematography was something to be desired. The dialogue was very amateurish, in fact, just enough to keep you tagging along. The final reveal was so obvious that I had to stifle a laugh when I saw how it all played out. And then the final scene was just a joke - she reveals everything to someone on the phone, the only problem is, she doesn't herself even know all of what has happened. We as the viewers do, because they let us in on the secret while she is stuck in the shower.

This is one to avoid. I love older films and I went in hoping to enjoy a hidden gem. So much for that. Only someone who might have enjoyed this back in the day and appreciates it for sentimental value could justify recommending it. I am the opposite - bury this one deep and never dig it up again.

Reasonably effective murder mystery/thriller. Worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 30 January 2005]

Nightkill is set in Phoenix, Arizona. Katherine 'Cathy' Atwell (Jaclyn Smith) is married to an overbearing, mean and often cruel but successful businessman named Wendell (Mike Connors), their marriage is for show and business purposes only. First of all we see Wendell place a briefcase with $1,000,000 in it in an airport locker. Later that night his right-hand man named Steve Fulton (James Franciscus, the IMDb listing for this character is wrong. It's definitely Fulton not Fuller, it's pronounced Fulton throughout the film and I even checked the spelling during the end credits) with whom Cathy is having an affair with slips some poison into Wendell's drink which appears to kill him within minutes. Cathy seems surprised and upset, Steve has acted on his own and has involved Cathy against her wishes. Steve's plan is to alter Wendell's passport with a picture of himself and catch a plane as Wendell to Washington, and then travel back as himself and therefore give the impression Wendell has disappeared in Washington. Then retrieve the briefcase with $1,000,000 in it at the airport and fly off into the sun with Cathy and live happily ever after. Well, that's the plan anyway. Steve sticks Wendell's body into a large freezer and heads off to the airport, leaving Cathy to attend a party in her honour organised by two of her friends Herbert (Fritz Weaver) and his wife Monika Childs (Sybil Danning) to give the impression that things are fine. Steve says he will fly back the next day and contact her. A perfect plan? Not quite. Wendell's secretary Christine (Belinda Mayne) reports him missing and Cathy is spoken to by Lieutenant Donner (Robert Mitchum) about his whereabouts. Steve fails to contact her and Cathy feels she should dispose of the body. Cathy opens the freezer only to find Steve in there dead instead of Wendell. Things turn even worse when it comes to light that Wendell knew about Cathy's affair with Steve and hired a P.I. named Rodriguez who bugged the entire house and recorded the murder of Wendell, and Lt. Donner tells Cathy that Wendell never made the flight to Washington. What's going on? Is Wendell really dead? Who else could it possibly be? Will Cathy be able to solve the mystery before Lt. Donner finds out the truth? Will she be blamed for the murders herself? So many questions, you'll have to watch it to find out the answers! Directed by Ted Post I thought this was a good murder mystery but I have to admit I figured out the twist ending about half way through which was a little disappointing as I was precisely right about how everything turned out. The script by Joan Andre based on a story by John Case isn't really at fault for this, I've probably just seen to many of these things that try and be too clever for it's own good. At least it tries, and it's quite clever and interesting to watch overall. It's a little slow at times with certain scenes and characters seeming like padding especially Herbert and Monika who have no relevance to the final outcome at all, maybe it would have been better as a slightly shorter T.V. programme. The pay-off at the end is reasonably satisfying but goes on for too long, the twist is revealed about 15 minutes before it finishes and I expected another big twist within the final 5 minutes or so, but it never happened. The acting is fine by an experienced cast. Technically the film looks a little bland and it's easy to see that Post is predominantly a director of T.V. shows, he tries to light peoples eyes while keeping the rest of their face in shadow in certain scenes which look out-of-place. Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half I suppose, how much enjoyment you get out of this film will greatly depend on if you figure out the twist ending which I did. Worth a watch if you can catch it on T.V. for free.

If you like seeing bad guys win...

[vnssyndrome89 · 1/10 · 19 April 2022]

...then this is the movie for you. Mike Connors plays a cheating, swindling, animal abusing low life. He concocts a way to steal his wife's money, rob his company blind, kill his pets, and his wife, while escaping under a new identity. This only works as a movie IF HE DOESN'T GET AWAY WITH IT! Otherwise, only sociopaths would like this movie. Enough said.

If the killer has been killed then who is the killer?

[Coventry · 7/10 · 28 July 2017]

Please forgive me the rather goofy and bizarre user comment's subject line, as it's a reference towards the typically expressive and often overlong titles that were given to Italian so-called "giallo" movies during the '60s, '70s and early '80s. Due to its plot, character drawings and filming style, Ted Post's "Nightkill" frequently resembles the giallo prototype. Post's main role model and inspiration for this film was obviously Alfred Hitchcock, but more than half of the Italian gialli ever made were also inspired by the works of Hitchcock, so it's logical that I notice similarities everywhere! Short and simple: I liked "Nightkill"! It's a straightforward thriller that contains a few impressive shock- moments and plot twists that you honestly don't see coming. Throughout the largest part of the running time, you don't have the slightest clue of what's going on. On top of the unpredictability factor, there are a handful of genuinely suspenseful sequences (the body-dumping, the car chase between Katherine and an unknown assailant) as well as a thoroughly murky gloomy atmosphere and a downright fantastic damsel-in-distress performance by Jacklyn Smith. She depicts the unhappy wife of robust and arrogant Arizona business tycoon Wendell Atwell. Katherine wants a divorce so that she can start a new life with her lover (and Wendell's business partner) Steve Fulton, but he refuses. Without thinking it through, Steve poisons Wendell and they hide the body in the freezer. But then Steve himself vanishes mysteriously and later it's his murdered body that lies in the freezer! Meanwhile, the increasingly anxious Katherine receives several visits from her obtrusive lawyer Herbert and a cynical private detective named Donner. "Nightkill" is a recommended watch in case you're searching for a tense and compelling whodunit-thriller. Smith's performance perfectly captures the fear and solitude that her character goes through, while Robert Mitchum is given the opportunity again to play a mysterious character like he did in his old film-noir days. Worth mentioning as well: Sybil Danning never looked more beautiful than in this film!

Entertaining For What It Is

[deborahrighetti · 6/10 · 30 October 2020]

There are a few shades of Diabolique in Nightkill and Jaclyn Smith is pretty good in the lead role. Don't be mislead by the more slasher-esque poster art. This has more in common with Hitchcock than My Bloody Valentine.

Shifty, atmospheric desert-set thriller

[drownsoda90 · 8/10 · 18 June 2023]

"Nightkill" follows Kathy Atwell, the wife of a powerful Phoenix tycoon whose lover executes a plot to off her husband. Her lover's plan for the couple to abscond with the dead husband's money does not go remotely as planned.

This German-funded 1980 feature film effort from Ted Post was a vehicle for "Charlie's Angels" star Jaclyn Smith, and was intended for theatrical release by Avco Embassy Pictures, but instead got dumped on television in the United States. While it at times has the temperament of a made-for-TV thriller, by and large it is a much glossier-looking effort, boasting high production values and a shifty screenplay that takes a number of cues from "Diabolique" (1955).

While the plot is certainly not innovative, "Nightkill" is an entertaining noir-ish psychological thriller that boasts a number of crafty plot twists and a reasonable amount of suspense. Shot in Phoenix, Arizona, it also serves as a nostalgic time capsule of late-'70s desert chic style, largely set in a spacious hilltop house replete with gaudy interiors that give it a unique stylistic flair.

There are some exceptional sequences in it, namely a nighttime car chase as Smith's character flees the airport with an assailant pursuing her in her husband's Rolls-Royce, as well as a shadowy scare sequence in the house near the film's conclusion. Smith gives a sturdy dramatic performance here, while Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum co-stars as a detective who continually resurfaces to question her.

While the film never seems to reach the fever pitch that one may anticipate (its conclusion is notably a bit too abrupt, perhaps the film's biggest fault), it is still a minor but well-made curio that manages to keep the audience on their toes despite a plot setup that is far from unique. All in all, it stands as an entertaining and aptly-made thriller from a bygone era. 8/10.

Underrated little thriller

[dopefishie · 7/10 · 30 June 2022]

Underrated little thriller

The script is good. The acting is great. And the directing is also great!

However, there are a few holes in the plot that don't completely add up. And I was unsatisfied with the ending. But I had such a good ride, it's hard to hold those things against the film. Def check it out for yourself if you're a fan of Hitchcock.

Disappointing modern noir attempt

[Wizard-8 · 16 November 2013]

"Nightkill" was an attempt to make a modern take on the classic noir movies of the 1940s and 1950s. I say "attempt", because the end results are somewhat disappointing. In fairness to the movie, I will say that the movie never commits the ultimate cinematic sin by being boring, and it's always welcome to see Robert Mitchum. But it's often a strange movie - the husband is bumped off very quickly, and the love interest soon after exits the movie instead of sharing the subsequent problems that come up for the female lead. Also, there are long chunks of the movie when essentially NOTHING of serious consequence is happening. The other big problem with the screenplay is that while it tries to deceive its audience, most people watching will be able to guess most (if not all) of the twists and revelations that happen near the end fairly quickly. Though the twists and revelations that happen don't answer ever question viewers will have piled up in their minds up to that point. In short, the movie is a noir tale for those who have never seen one before in their lives, and who happen to be VERY forgiving of cinematic shortcomings.

Involving Thriller

[benjithehunter · 7/10 · 8 February 2020]

Jaclyn Smith stars as the unfaithful wife of a well-off man who happens to be a complete jerk. Her lover poisons him and, despite Smith's protests, her husband dies. Thinking on their feet, the stick him in the large freezer by the back door, but things get weirder when she discovers that the body is gone the next day. Could he still be alive and plotting his revenge on them?

Nightkill took me by surprise. I didn't expect much going in, but I was pretty gripped by the 20 minute mark and couldn't turn it off if I tried. Smith is good as the film's heroine, keeping a constant presence of fear and uncertainty in her eyes and Robert Mitchum is great at the detective on the missing person's case, trying to get to the bottom of this pickle.

There's a slight lag for about 10 or 15 minutes where the film slows down way too much (and for no reason). It would have helped the film if these moments had been trimmed a bit to keep the suspense alive, but it gets you back with a good final twist and a surprisingly bleak (but somewhat hopeful) ending.

Not so terrifying memories anymore...

[buzznzipp1995 · 10/10 · 24 July 2006]

From some of the first terrifying television, I got to view, since I didn't get to enjoy many shows like "Night Gallery" hosted by awesome Rod Serling and others because I was too young.

Until the latter nineteen seventies. This is when I started in on 'thrillers'.

But as this was for me a differing effect, for one thing I was in 'crush-ville' for Mrs. Smith and so that complicated my feelings for the movie and drew me further in.

I know that some have said that they think of the acting, with these characters as not up to par. Some have said that, I think that this was pretty to view and get into, as stories go.

I watched her go through a hard time and watched it grow increasingly more twisted. She had me on the edge of my seat and miles away from my comfort zone. But the movie was a semi-complicated and involved plot for the average viewer, I think. Plus, with betrayal from Lt. Donner (Michael Anderson Jr.), who is supposed to be at least an honorable man and naturally you would believe justice would come from his involvement. I remember very well the part with which he deceives her, right in front of her with a telephone call. He 'acts' as if he is calling to help Jacklyn's character and there is no-one on the other end of the line, unbeknown to her. I remember the hair on my neck standing up as he was just finishing with the phone call, as he hung up with that 'mono-tone' 'killer' look in his eyes.

Very chilling for me, considering that it was over twenty five years ago. And sometimes things (Movies) don't always age well. Some, age very well, but not all of course.

I am looking for this movie on DVD.

I recommend it, but watch it late or in the dark without distraction from front to back.

It does deliver classic actor/actress suspense and hair raising excitement. Not everyone may agree, but judge for yourself.(****)