Customer Reviews

The Keeper

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As several have already referenced, "The Keeper" shares many plot similarities with the much more accomplished film "The Collector." Dennis Hopper plays a deranged sheriff who kidnaps an exotic dancer to hold her prisoner. Although the motives are never fully substantiated, I presume it has something to do with "saving" her as he sees her as both a love interest and a mother substitute. Not too much suspense is generated--and if you're expecting clever banter or a cat and mouse game of intrigue between the two, that's not really going to be this movie. He ends up keeping her for a year, but again nothing interesting particularly changes in their dynamic in that time.

Hopper is relatively wooden, which isn't terrible for this role--it lends to the craziness. But he also has a public persona. He's invented a crime fighting puppet that's all the rage on TV with the kids. It's a bit peculiar, however, he doesn't seem as if he'd be very ingratiating to children. Asia Argento, never particularly compelling as an actress, is serviceable here. It's with a sense of dread that I say that Argento's might be the most believable performance in this piece. And poor Helen Shaver, as a successful TV producer or maybe a teacher (who can really tell), is a hoot. Fawning in lust for Hopper, seething in jealousy at Argento--everything that can be played to the rafters is.

The logic of the story is never really developed. A deputy who pursues Argento's case, never lets it go! In fact, one year later--he's still chasing her down on the exact day that Hopper finally decides to move her. Mind you, she was a transient exotic dancer and no foul play has been reported. It's all rather silly.

I'm being generous to give this two stars. It doesn't really deserve it. But Shaver's crazy performance was somehow endearing, and Hopper's demented puppet show near the end is fun. I know it's slight amusement, but I'll take anything. KGHarris, 11/06.

This movie is predictibly similar to Misery without any suspense or interesting plot developments. The box art for this movie is also misleading as it shows a girl locked up in a small cage. In fact it is simply a spacious jail cell that some crooked cop has in his basement. A made for Showtime movie.

`The Keeper' features Asia Argent (`xXx') and Dennis Hopper (`Speed'), two very unique talented actors. The plot of the film is not very original. In short, Dennis Hopper 'keeps' Asia Argent. Similar situation was used in `Lady in a Cage,' and later in `The Collector.' Surely Terence Stamp was so creepy and the film is still gripping with William Wyler's deft direction.

`The Keeper' Canadian-UK film takes up a similar story again with interesting cast. Asia Argent plays a dancer Gina, who is nearly murdered by a serial killer. Dennis Hopper plays Kreb, a local cop who saves her life. But Kreb is interested in Gena not only as a possible victim of murder case but as a `bad' girl who needs to be `reformed.' So who else can offer Gena a chance to reform herself and get second life? It is the sheriff Dennis Hopper, who has constructed a makeshift cage at his house's cellar ready for such education -- or abduction.

Instead of the intense mind games between Terence Stamp and Samantha Egger, `The Keeper' offers another angle to the story: point system. The sheriff gives points to abducted Gene according to her behaviors, and if she gets enough points for good conduct, she gets shower, dinner, and so on. The motive of this psychotic sheriff is not clear - and anyway Gena knows she has to facilitate the escape - Gena starts to follow the rules set by him.

Obviously it is impossible to stretch this story with limited situation, so `The Keeper' introduces a sub-plot about his job as a cop. You might say it is incredible, but Hopper's Kreb is also known as a good cop in the community, and he performs his own puppet show before the kids as anti-crime campaign, traveling around the schools. One teacher (played by over-the-top Helen Shaver) likes it (or likes him) so much that she approaches to him, promising a wider circulation and better management of the show. Interestingly, Kreb shies away from her, and seems even intimidated by her approach.

Director Paul Lynch, known for his works such as `Prom Night' and numerous TV episodes, handles everything in an autopilot way. Though the results are not boring, they also have no truly thrilling moments nor insight into the characters. The film tries to entertain us, but not quite successfully because of the predictable development and outcomes of the main plot.

Finally, Dennis Hopper and Asia Argent (who was better in `B-Monkey') are both just OK. The film itself is not terrible as thriller; it is just an OK film with OK storytelling. But what is the point of casting these actors with originality when the end results are all just OK?

I watched this during my lunch break the other day. I would have been farther ahead to go back to work early. Dennis Hopper plays Lieutenant Krebs, a crazy cop who kidnaps a stripper and torments her with psychological warfare for months. No one suspects that the cop is a kidnapper because of his popular public image with children (he does puppet shows which encourage kids to say no to drugs and no to crime).

The film is slow and sluggish, and I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. I kept thinking, "When will the woman try to escape? When will her family and friends start looking for her? Why did this nutty cop kidnap her to begin with?"

Misey was a a much better movie if you are interested in the psycho-kidnapper thing.

Well, i didn't expect mcuh when I read the DVD case and I wasn't disapointed. I should have gone with my first impression and not wasted the time. It was bad. Especially the point system. That was so unbelievably close to reality in behavioral modification programs...well, don't bother with this one.

Gina (Asia Argento) is a stripper. Deputy Krebbs (Dennis Hopper) is a psycho with a badge who also goes by the name "Officer Rock" (named after his sock puppet). The puppet's a huge hit with the 1st graders he regularly performs in front of as part of an anti-crime program aimed towards kids. The kids' equally off balance teacher (Helen Shaver) has a huge crush on Officer Rock, but you have to wonder: is she a fan of the man or simply shocked by his sock? This explains why her first reaction, after learning that Gina is trapped in a cell in Krebbs' basement, is one of anger and jealousy rather than one of shock and revulsion. Instead of helping the poor woman she terrorizes her even more by berating her with a gun. But I'm getting ahead of myself. How did the paths of these 3 collide?


A sexual predator is targeting strippers. Since Gina is one it's only a matter of time before their paths cross. The assault leaves her boyfriend dead and her bruised and beaten. 2 cops show up on the scene: Burns (Lochlyn Munro) a young, by-the-book kind of guy and Krebbs. Upon learning that Gina is an exotic dancer, Krebbs regards her with nothing but disdain. After a short hospital stay, Gina is eager to get the hell out of town. Krebbs offers her a ride but she politely declines. He persists and she relents. Big mistake. Krebbs drugs Gina and when she comes to she's horrified to discover she's being held prisoner in a giant cell in his basement. He assures her that he doesn't want sex from her, instead he wants to help her turn her life around. He'll serve as her guide and will even reward her hard work with x amount of points. If Gina saves up enough points she can buy herself silverware to take her meals with, a hot shower, and special invites to go upstairs and have dinner with Krebbs or go on an outside field trip with him. Needless to say, she doesn't know what to make of this madman. Nor do we until it is later revealed that Krebbs' mother was a stripper who abandoned him at a young age. This has left him with a lifelong mistrust of women. (This explains the whole Shaver subplot which brings the whole film down. She wants to syndicate his "Officer Rock" show and when he refuses she acts like a woman scorned which is how she happens to discover Gina in the basement.) As the months go by, Gina tries to escape several times but she has a nasty habit of wearing her stripper boots which cause her to trip and fall whether she is going upstairs or downstairs. It's not long before another opportunity presents itself and Krebbs unlocks the door to her cell. Is the stripper finally gonna outwit the madman or is the madman just toying with her again?


'The Keeper' was made for Showtime and, judging by the case, it promises to deliver all the nasty thrills of an after dark movie: gratuitous sex and violence. She is a stripper and he is a psycho after all, but the movie never delivers on its promise. Argento does have 2 very brief and very blurry nude scenes and Hopper does go crazy with a knife and gun a few times, but the movie is more interested in being an effective psychological thriller. It tries hard but ultimately fails. Hopper has played this part a million times before and, even though he has several darkly funny moments, he seems to be going through the motions. Based on the appeal of her last name, Argento has made way too many crappy horror movies to engender any real fear or sympathy for her character. (Plus, her dad would recognize several shots as lame homages to his own much better made films.) Finally, Shaver is so over-the-top as a woman scorned that her performance verges on camp. All in all, it's an okay movie that fans of Hopper or Argento should definitely check out. But if you wanna see these 2 in a good horror film check out 'Land Of The Dead' instead.

Dennis Hooper plays the part of Lieutenant Krebs, a respected police officer in a rural West Coast town. Krebs also has a popular alias with the children and teachers in the community, it's a puppet named Captain Rock who he takes to local elementary schools performing shows geared at keeping children drug free. As Captain Rock likes to say when a culprit is uncovered, "You're Busted!"

There is another character in Lieutenant Krebs array of personalities, a very disturbing one that likes to kidnap young exotic dancers now and then and lock them away in a sound proof cell located in the basement of his secluded home. His latest victim is Gina (Asia Argento) who is now forced into a twisted game of collecting conduct points from her "keeper" to stay herself alive as she waits for an opportunity to escape.

'The Keeper' is an okay psychological thriller reminiscent of the '65 classic 'The Collector' starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Dennis Hooper gives a subdued, but excellent performance as the disturbed Krebs. This is not Asia Argento at her best, but that husky, sexy voice of hers is always a welcomed treat.