Dot.Kill (2005)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Very well executed

Good concept, poorly executed.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I saw dot.kill on Showtime the other night; and, while I thought the title was totally lame, I watched it because is starred Armand Assante.His filmography is hit or miss for me; but, I have to give him credit on this one. His passion within the role really makes this film. He was absolutely convincing as a detective who's health, family life, and career are crumbling.Charlie is an old-school detective who relies on instinct, not high-tech. He is alternately hard-core, abrasive (particularly to co-workers and his son), and tender (towards a former addict, whom he saved from a life on the streets).The twist at the end, as to the identity of the killer was great, even though it really wasn't hard to guess, with the heavy foreshadowing used by the director.It could have been better; but, a pretty good movie nonetheless.

An aging Armand Assante stars as a grumpy, disgruntled, temperamental detective Charlie Daines, eaten up with cancer, trying desperately to fight thru his pain to solve a difficult case concerning a serial killing Master Hacker whose murdering Big Company CEOs for a live on-line audience, while also capturing the cops working the crime scene through hidden cameras displaying them for millions to witness. Embittered and hard-nosed, Daines is just too stubborn to check into a hospital, receiving morphine from an ex-addict he helped get off junk, just so he can cope with the agony of his disease. But, the NYC police must cooperate with the feds who have hired a cyber-specialist, Adam(Raffaello Degruttola)to assist in finding the psycho while "dinosaur" Daines continues to pursue leads using his instincts and nose through good old fashioned police work. Here's the rub..how does a sickly detective, combating coughing fits and exhaustion, find a killer of supreme intelligence? While, I'll be the first to admit that this film is indeed derivative of other films regarding cyber-psychos and the pursuit of their capture, I think what makes "Dot.Kill" work is Assante's effective performance as the detective contemplating life, trying to enjoy the time left with his wife and son(..keeping his disease secret from them out of love), while doping up as he bickers with his superiors and partner over tackling the case his way as they demand his cooperation with Adam, whose knowledge(..and language) of the cyberspace is of importance. The cat-and-mouse, as one would expect, soon involves Daines because(..isn't it always obvious?)he's the man tracking his identity and whereabouts. The twist on who the killer really is might work on some, but I feel that viewers who have adapted to these kind of thrillers will figure it out before it is revealed 75 minutes in. Couple the "colorful" cop talk from one to another(..little profane insults towards one another and plenty of f-bombs to go around)with having to watch a slowly dying man looking worse and worse as the film continues, might be a difficult watch for some. As usual in these kind of cop-psycho thrillers, Daines travels through seedy locales on the street to get info(..and morphine)and we see that a few of the wealthy targets engage in carnal activities. It's also a challenge to root for Daines, who is rugged, foul-mouthed, easily annoyed, and speaks his mind whether you like what he has to say or not. But, as we watch during the film, he's a good cop whose "flaws" make the character so interesting and rich. Assante is in practically every scene and the whole show. I'd recommend checking this out for his performance, even if the film itself feels old-hat and familiar.

Dot.Kill is unfortunately not a very original film. It suffers from taking to many ideas from other films from the past 10 years. It is no surprise as this is just one of many films like this that is simply a product of its time. Of course, if you are into this type of thing you might find some enjoyment as Armand Assante gives a solid performance as usual. But even he couldn't carry the film as a whole on his back.Assante plays a detective named Charlie. Charlie is a sick man who appears to be dying and as a result is heavily addicted to morphine. The story unfolds with a serial killer murdering people through the internet and posting it in real time for millions of people to see. As the case starts to unravel, Charlie becomes sicker and sicker.Basically, this movie is a cross between Seven and Fear.Com and that's not a good thing. There is nothing supernatural about the movie like Fear.Com but the whole thing with posting the murders online is a similar concept. And the relation to Seven is the direction the movie attempts to take. But let's face it, Seven was a hundred times better then this or any other movie that came out in the genre for the past 15 years.I will admit that the first 30 minutes of the movie was a bit intriguing as Assante is a fun actor to watch in just about anything he is in, but, the movie loses its muster halfway through and things become predictable and boring. The ending is rather anticlimactic, I might add.Overall, it wasn't a good movie but it really wasn't a bad movie either. I think the only reason to watch the movie is if you are a Armand Assante fan. 6/10

So, this evening my boyfriend and I decided to spend the night relaxing at home and rented this movie off our COMCAST on DEMAND.Yes, the movie, which would be better described as 'fecal matter', cost us a whopping $3.99 too damn much.Aside from having little or no suspense, bad acting, and weak effects, the only thing really missing from making this a complete waste of time and money was the flashing neon arrow hovering over the 'handicapped killer' in the scenes of which he rolled past.I would like to know what teenage youth group wrote this piece of 'work'? Or perhaps who gave a monkey a type writer? My 3 year old nephew could keep a secret longer than this film took to reveal the killer.Go ahead, waste your money, waste your time, hell this movie is a complete and total waste and if that is what you have in mind for 'having a good time' then this is the perfect movie for you.