Customer Reviews

The Barber

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The only people who make the news are psychopaths and serial killers." So begins the narrative of the local barber, Dexter Mills (Malcolm McDowell), who watches as the town of Revelstoke, Alaska, slides toward panic with each new murder that is visited upon their small town. Everyone who lives in Revelstoke suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a result of the 24-hour darkness that afflicts this part of the world at a certain time every year.

Slyly narrating, Mills is the consummate actor, always gregarious, listening avidly to gossip or the sheriff's woes, the absurdity of the investigation, even the lovelorn stories of young women who find him comforting: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Dexter has plenty to say about the murders, the incompetent FBI agents, his neighbors and the bumbling police. He warns in advance of his eccentricities, as the bodies fall, one after another, "I can tell you from experience, psychopaths hold grudges. I never forgive."

This small Alaskan town is literally blind-sided by the murderer that strikes from nowhere, lurking under the cover of eternal night that weighs upon all the residents. Dexter Mills is the natural center for assorted conversations, never under the least suspicion, watching, listening, either in the barber shop or the local pub, where the citizens gather, drinking away their fears.

McDowell is at his grisly best, carrying on his monologue for the entertainment of the audience, making us his confidants. The other characters are merely window dressing for McDowell's acting prowess, the Police Chief (Jeremy Ratchford) and a number of supporting actors who serve as fodder for the psychopath whose identity is evident from the first. Eerie and seductive, Mills manages to escape the notice of law enforcement, his clever machinations directing the actions of his unwitting pawns. A final thought: "If you think you know a psychopath, you're probably right." Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Hair today, dead tomorrow, life goes on. In a remote town in the far north of the world lies a town where citizens die out of blue, but to [heck] if they die without great hair thanks to the barber known as Dexter Miles (Malcolm McDowell). In a town where everybody sleeps with the same woman, hunters kill in the off season, and the chief of police is about as smart as the village idiot one would never suspect a serial killer to waste his time messing with these people since their existence alone is as depressing as the 24 hr darkness they live in.

Suffice to say, bodies of the few and pretty women of the town start showing up and the chief's answer is to get irate about his fax machine. The locals know the answer to this of course, it's called S.A.D. which stands for Seasonal Affection Disorder and blame the darkness for making people crazy. ... With all of this going on who would ever think it would be the one man who wields a blade as a living?

Wonderful serial killer flick with a smooth mix of dark comedy and thriller fare. Malcolm McDowell was the only known star in this and the main role as the satirical mass murdering barber was made for him and no one else. He also narrates through most of it and with his voice that only helps.

The town is covered in darkness throughout the entirety of it's runtime and it only brings out joy from me. Living in darkness would be wonderful, minus a barber that imbibes in killing of customers of course. This brings a wonderful morose mood to the movie and FOR ONCE the serial killer isn't some lame one dimensional single tracked fiend set out on getting himself caught no matter what. Malcolm's character is written very well and in a scene where he says "Come here I have a nice sink to do you in" makes me crack up everytime cause when you see it you'll know why, it just works on so many levels. Not to mention his comments throughout the film are just observations on people's preconceptions of psychopaths and are not only great satire, but also make since and can even dare I say, be informative.

Slick production and some nice Canadian supporting actors make this a sure fire hit that people will surely pass off as a cheap horror movie. Nothing horror about it really, if you love dark comedy it's perfect.

The only thing wrong with this movie is that I couldn't stop laughing long enough to see some scenes. Wonderful flick.

Eventhough it is funny throughout, I digress to say that the comedy in this is dark and you have to have the right sense of humor to enjoy that. It mostly tries to be a thriller so don't feel bad if you don't laugh....maybe i'm just "special".

"The Barber" - not your average murder mystery, this movie tells the tale of a serial killer (in his own words, no less!) who attempts to evade justice. His latest victim is discovered sooner than he thinks, and it is highly amusing to watch Dexter (McDowell) play along with the bumbling idiots on the case. What tops this movie is Malcolm's brilliant acting - he is extremely good, and makes the viewer root for him, although he is portraying a murderer! You want him to get away with it, as he eventually does, in the end. A must see for any Malcolm McDowell fan

The plot of this film, at least in the exposition phase, seems predictable, as is the identity of the killer. However, that's just fine, in my opinion, because what's most entertaining about this film is the way the plot and choice of cast are intertwined.

If you ever wondered what ever eventually happened to Alex in the film "A Clockwork Orange," well, here is one possible answer to that question. Malcolm McDowell, in a way, reprises the role, but in an obtuse, cynical, low-key manner that provides an extra dimension to savor while watching the film. Playing the title character, he sometimes rewards you with an Alex-inspired leer or behavioral quirk that could only have been inserted or deliberately encouraged by the director, aware of McDowell's performance in Orange. The narrative bent of Orange also is mirrored here. This adds a black comedic, "inside joke" element to what, at least at first glance, seems an almost formulaic slasher flick.

To reveal more about the plot might ruin the growing tension caused as awareness of the film's direction unfolds. The surprises mount towards the end, capped by an interesting twist that culminates in: is he going to get away with it? If you haven't already seen Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, and can stomach that film's graphic depiction of extreme violence (though this aspect is very much downplayed in The Barber), it's a good move to have viewed Orange first, to improve appreciation of all of The Barber's facets.

Wow! This is one great movie. I was impressed at how much fun this simple little film could be. Low budget, small amount of set changes and no special effects. I love it. A near perfect film and another great leading role in the 2000s after Gangster No.1.

I first heard about the film when I got the press release and people in Canada started emailing me about it in April 2001. One guy on the set said this is the one to watch and Malcolm said to me how much fun it was. I have been looking forward to it ever since and was not disappointed. I think the plot was perfectly done because it wasn't about figuring out who the killer was, it was getting inside his mind and seeing how normal he was. The great thing is that he narrated the film. I think that is the secret. If Malcolm narrates his film it is going to be great. He did it for A Clockwork Orange, Assassin of the Tsar + Gangster No. 1...need I say more?

It might be billed as a horror film, but it is not. It has more of a Twin Peaks kind of feel. Both start out with a murder of a girl who you don't know anything about and only learn a little at time as the film goes on. Plus both have a male out of town agent who the women like to come in to solve the case. Both take place on an isolated area of the west coast in the US. What makes The Barber fun is that the focus isn't on the horror, the killing or sex. It is on the characters and the psychological aspect of the story and their personalities. There are four murders, but no blood and guts, no killing blows or struggle are shown. We only find out about the killings after the fact. They also show dark very well. It is like another character - the never ending darkness during the winter months of Alaska. In fact, besides the opening scene, the whole film was set at night. You can imagine how it would get to you - waking up and it is dark, dark at noon, dark at night....endless night. They call it S.A.D. - seasonal affective disorder. I don't think the whole film was shot at night though, it looks like some of the dark was digitally added.

Malcolm does the classic Anthony Perkins Psycho role. Seems nice enough, but slips in and out of insanity and he knows it. This means he is smart enough to stay ahead of the law. This also means there was no crappy ending where he gets killed, though the murder of the doctor at the end would easily be traced back to him...unless they just chalked it up to Vance and let it go. He has a couple of great lines and really plays it straight - no over the top crazy antics. He talks to us just like a regular guy which is the point - you never really know when a psychopath could be right next to you.. There is never any explanation or back story as to why he committed the crimes. The only hint is when he is telling the guys the personal involvement of strangling someone as opposed to just shooting thm.

The other actors also did well especially Jeremy and Garwin. You could feel the tension when they weren't getting along which added to the excitement. The girls were OK, but were mainly just there to wind up dead. Jewels is somewhat annoying as the dippy young woman. There is no reason given why she wants her hair done strawberry, to appeal to Crawley? Then the next scene she has it completely washed out!? And when she shows up at Dex's she complains how cold it is and takes off her coat - only wearing a small belly shirt underneath!? The soundtrack was by Peter Allen and it was pretty cool, but sounded way too much like Danny Elfman - he needs to get his own style going. The last point is I don't understand why they filmed it in Revelstoke Canada, but called it Revelstoke Alaska in the film.

I can't recommend getting a hold of this film as fast as you can. In the credits it mentions Dolby sound in select theaters, so it looks like it was planned for a theatrical release, but they changed their minds and put it straight to video. This is a good way to save money, but disappointing for those of us who would love to see it in the theater. Mistakes in a great film won't bother me unless they are obvious. There are shots you can tell that were not filmed together. Malcolm leaves the barber shop and it is snowing. He looks across the street when Agent Crawley pulls up and the angle changes. Now it isn't snowing. Cut back - snow, cut back - no snow. Also with all these shots of it snowing there is never any snow buildup in the town streets. Also the Danny Elfman wannabe soundtrack is out of place sometimes. That is why I subtracted a half point from my rating.

Rating 9.5/10

This movie was very bizarre and at first you can't help but wonder "where is this going?" -- keep watching! Very well done. Crazies at their best!

I enjoy Malcolm McDowell and think he's one hell of an actor. That being said, I was reluctant to rent this movie. I find that I either really like McDowell films or hate them, and based on the description on the jacket, I expected to hate it. I was pleasently surprised. The Barber Shop is an interesting tale of the events in a small town near the North Pole during the winter as told by a serial killer. It allows some good insight into the killer's mind and relationships with other people. IMHO, well worth the watch.

After actually being involved with the shooting of The Barber, I was anticipating it's release. I was pleasantly surprised at the finished product. A solid script with believable characters and thrilling plot that will have you continuously wondering- will they catch him? Malcolm Mcdowell is eerily fantastic. With a simple facial expression, added with his chilling narration, he successfully brings to life, Dexter, a psychopath you love to hate.

Can't wait for the sequal!

The Barber (Michael Bafaro, 2002)

Like at least half the other people who have watched and reviewed this, I picked it up (a) because it contains Michael McDowell and (b) expecting it to entirely suck. And like at least half of those, I ended up being very pleasantly surprised; while it's as predictable as they come (and that's not usually a good thing in a murder mystery), it's black comedy pedigree is long, and for once a low-budget director actually put together a cast of people you've never heard of by asking the question, "who can we get for this movie who won't look like a seventh-grader in a school play next to Malcolm McDowell?" The results are not only gratifying, but should be required viewing for aspiring low-budget murder-mystery directors who use their entire budgets on one big name until the end of time. (You think that's a vertical market? I just described 90% of the movies on the Lifetime Movie Network. Think about it.)

Dexter (McDowell) is the barber in a small town of Revelstoke, Alaska, well above the Arctic Circle and plunged into darkness for large portions of the year. (More on this later.) As the movie opens, a couple of drunk hunters stumble across the body of Lucy (Jennifer Martinez in her first screen role), wife of the town eccentric and dispatcher for the local cab company. (This town is big enough to have a cab company?) Corgan (Unforgiven's Jeremy Ratchford), the town sheriff, starts to investigate, but the next day, the FBI, in the form of Agent Crawley (Get Carter's Garwin Sanford), arrives and takes over the case. The deeper we get into the investigation, the more interesting dirt turns up. But then a second body appears, and both Crawley and Corgan begin to unravel things--but both of them have different prime suspects.

From the reviews I've read, it seems to me that the division between the movie's viewers is along a very clear line: whether you viewed this movie as a comedy or not. Those who went into it expecting a straight serial killer film are inevitably disappointed, but those who went with the dry humor enjoyed it a great deal more. Food for thought. Bafaro (11:11, The Devil's Ground) is a capable director, but not much more than that, so the film relies almost solely on its acting for strength, and a lot of the folks to be found here deliver. But then, when you've got Alex from A Clockwork Orange and the Schofield Kid from Unforgiven going head to head, it's not exactly your normal no-budget movie, is it?

If you're going to be outraged about something, make it the ways in which the truth gets stretched here. Revelstoke, for example, is actually in British Columbia, not Alaska, and is pretty well below the arctic circle (it's along the Trans-Canada Highway, and is at roughly the same latitude as Calgary, AB (were you to move it due east, that would be about three hundred miles north of the tip of Maine, give or take). And despite what Steve Niles may tell you, there is no thirty days of night to be found anywhere on the American landmass, much less the seemingly endless time posited by Bafaro (per Barrow's wikipedia entry, the shortest day of the year still experiences three hours of twilight). But picking on the acting, as some reviewers I've seen so, is simply wrong, and picking on a low-budget filmmaker for making a low-budget film is senseless. If you picked it up at your local big-box store for $2.50 expecting Casablanca, that's your fault, not the movies. For those of us with lower expectations, it's not a bad little film. Not the best thing I saw last week, but certainly not the worst. ** 1/2

Dexter Miles (Malcolm McDowell from A Clockwork Orange, Cat People, and Evilenko) is a seemingly benign barber in the tiny, ultra-remote town of Revelstoke, Alaska. Dexter has found the perfect place to live, cut hair, and work on his hobby. Unfortunately for the folks in Revelstoke, Dexter's (Dex to his pals) hobby is serial-murder. Yep, old Dex is a crafty one! He preys on the very people who trust him, using their own ignorance as a shield. The sheriff (Jeremy Ratchford) believes he's in charge of the situation until a know-it-all FBI agent (Garwin Sanford) blows into town and takes over. Dex watches as these two clowns attempt to figure out the identity of the killer. THE BARBER is a terrific black comedy w/ plenty of opportunity for Mr. McDowell to wallow in the ghastly ghoulishness of it all. A classic...