Product Details

• Actors: Anna Sciorra, Kip Purdue
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006ZXJ1G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,195 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A young small-town reporter begins investigating a killer stalking victims making videotapes. When she becomes a target and suddenly disappears the case attracts a colleague from the nationally syndicated show america crime. Together with her camerman and producer he tries to solve the mysterious case. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/06/2007 Starring: Anna Sciorra Kip Purdue Run time: 94 minutes Rating: R

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your average thriller, September 20, 2006

By 

Max Mathis - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Crime (DVD)

This movie has been royally panned by most of the reviewers. It is not the sort of movie that appeals to the average person looking for a slasher film or murder mystery. It will not appeal to someone who looks for a simple linear development and pat ending. The people reviewing it were most likely looking for that kind of movie, and did not get what they anticipated. So it makes sense they would be dissatisfied.

I am not a fan of your traditional action style slasher flicks. I will confess that I picked it up because I wanted to gawk at Rachael Leigh Cook. However, I found it to be very interesting. It is an amalgum--a parody of the sleazy(typical)television reporting we get today as well as a murder mystery/horror film.

One reviewer comments that you couldn't recognize Cary Elwes for all the make up. I must say that is one of the major things I loved about the film. Throughout the film I was especially impressed with the actor portraying the British television personality. It must have been close to the end of the film that I wondered when Cary Elwes was going to show up. I was floored when it dawned on me that Elwes was the British journalist. His quirky, against-type performance was outstanding. In Hollywood lore the quickest way to an Oscar is playing against type

On a visceral level there were times when I was a little frightened. But what got me was the various themes presented that provided food for thought. There were parts of the film that were confusing and the ending did not let you see the killer, but tying all the strings together is not something I require in a movie or novel.

I am more than pleased that the divine Miss Cook led me to a thoughtful, off-beat viewing experience.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "American Crime" Is Criminally Bad (Sometimes The Simple Pun Is Adequately Descriptive), February 24, 2007

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Crime (DVD)

In theory, there is an entertaining, and perhaps campy, satiric crime drama buried in "American Crime." At a very minimum, the film setup leaves you expecting a clever narrative device. This would, at least, have distinguished the film from the thousands of other movies that go directly to DVD. But any cleverness is soon forgotten in this blustery, overacted piece of nonsense. Too serious to be real "dumb" fun, too ridiculous to be taken as a straight thriller, and too silly to be seen as a media savvy satire--there really isn't much that works in "American Crime." It's a bit of a shame, too. With this cast and concept, a more focused screenplay and tighter direction could have made an effective little picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of "American Crime." Shot in the documentary style of "true crime" TV expose shows, the film tracks a possible serial killer. Seeing the film footage being reported on an actual TV program is a great idea and an interesting approach, you are lured into thinking that the film might really have a novel point of view. However, we soon step away from this concept and into "real life" scenarios. What is interesting, though, is that these scenes are also being filmed by characters within them. This movie, then, might have been unique had all the footage used been shot from a camera within the story (ALA the clever filmic technique of "The Blair Witch Project"). This seems to have been too much work, too, and any notions of the interesting narrative device enhancing the story are abandoned when regular camerawork soon takes over everything.

The story itself is a rather overheated bit of fluff. Rachael Leigh Cook, Kip Pardue and Annabella Sciorra play a local TV news crew on the track of a big story--a serial killer no one believes is real. Battling ineffective law enforcement and each other, they start to attract the attention of the killer. Cook becomes so freaked out that she may be targeted, she promptly abandons her job and life and moves away. In steps Cary Elwes as an "American Crime" correspondent to cover the story for national broadcast. Playing somewhat comically (which may or may not be intentional), these three spend the rest of the film seeking the truth and possibly putting themselves into harm's way. Seriously, several times I hoped the professional and intelligent combo of Scooby and Shaggy would help these morons investigate the crime more effectively. That's how silly it is!

Through it all, Elwes overacts (a common trait)--but, at least, it can be amusing at times. And I'll take my amusement where I can in this film. Like I said, the film seems to aspire to comment on the hypocrisy and complicity of TV programs in creating fame-seeking murderers--but the link is not well established (even though it's an easy target). So the film fails at satire, in addition to everything else. A silly disappointment that had the potential to be clever, but was too lazy to follow through with anything original. KGHarris, 02/07.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere in this film there may be hiding a good idea, March 21, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Crime (DVD)

AMERICAN CRIME is one of those low budget films that goes directly to DVD for very good reasons: it obviously wouldn't have gathered an audience in theaters even among fans of scary movies. So why take it from the shelf to rent? Well, with stars like Annabella Sciorra, Cary Elwes, Kip Pardue, and Rachel Leigh Cook it would seem SOMEONE had faith in the project...

From the opening titles sequence there is a suggestion that this film may be a parody. Even when the film starts its grisly story it is done in a semi-documentary fashion with film clips, overrides, whiteouts, choppy editing, but when the narrator is a crime investigator in bad makeup and silly character demeanor (Elwes) then there is a question as to whether director Dan Mintz and writers Jack Moore and Jeff Ritchie had anything on their minds other than setting the audience up for a sequel to a film that simply doesn't merit one.

Story? Serial killings are videotaped, deemed fake porno by the police, but thought to be clues by the staff of the local Kansas TV News station - Sciorra, Cook, and Pardue. Elwes nerdy American Crime reporter enters the picture and it all goes downhill form there. Yes, there are some scary moments in dark houses filled with odd TV screens retrofilming actions, and there are the requisite bloated body shots that beg indulgence. But the worst aspect of the film is that it has no ending except for a setup for a sequel. No spoilers here: there is nothing to spoil!

So why give it three stars? The idea of a filmed parody of how the media handles crime - making its own case for blurry truth and blame and leaving the facts to blow in the wind - is a good one: witness the current media blitz for the Blake, Peterson, and Jackson trials. But that thread of an idea gets diluted by the product that results from this mess of a film. It could have been significant - especially with actors of this quality who try their best to make it all work. Grady Harp, March 05