Murha neitsyen merkeissä (1989) Online

January man is kind of a neat movie that is clearly a romantic comedy masquerading as a psychological thriller. It has a wonderful cast, an acclaimed screenwriter and even a Marvin Hamlisch score. The film was billed as almost an older version of 'The Bone Collector'. But it seems more like a serial killer version of 'Moonstruck'. I can see why many people were disappointed in the film. They saw the movie from a totally different angle. The serial killer (the January man) is almost ancillary to the actual plot of the movie. It is a Kevin Kline driven vehicle with a old and new love interest(Sarandon & Mastrantonio). It has the re-reinstatement of a hero cop who takes a fall from grace for his brother (Harvey Keitel)and is banished from the police department and is relegated to fighting fires rather than criminals. It has the cro-magnon police captain (Aiello) and the even older Mayor(Steiger). All these pieces of the puzzle come together to provide decent little film which I think is clearly misunderstood.

The one scene with Rod Steiger berating Danny Aiello is worth the price of renting this movie. In fact it has several memorable scenes that set it apart from the usual paint by number serial murderer mysteries. The hero is a quirky character played to perfection by Kevin Klein. The movie has an interesting, intertwined romantic plot with a twist to it that is satisfying if not unexpected. I have watched this movie many times and will undoubtedly pull it out again to watch all over. You can do that with certain movies, others gather dust. A movie is a collection of scenes, some of them memorable, some not. This movie has its share of memorable ones and maybe thats why I keep coming back.

I really liked this film. Far be it from being one of the greatest films of all time, this is one that is in the category of "underrated" like Loser and The Bone Collector. I really liked the way the plot and the characters developed. To me, I thought the cast were all a little out there but isn't all of humanity like that in form or another. Kevin Kline did very well as an unfairly disgraced homocide cop who had a beatnik mentality. He turned what many might consider a very below standard screenplay and turned it into a watchable film. His performance is the best of the movie. The performances of Alan Rickman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Danny Aiello are also noteworthy. There are a few flaws in this film but it was a great work overall. It isn't as bad as the IMDB rating suggests. It is very adult and somewhat intellectual and it is almost believable. The ending surprised me and I don't think it was chinsy or overdone. I think it was supposed to try and imitate real life a little bit and it succeeded. It may not fit a particular genre but that doesn't mean it stinks. This is a film that doesn't conform to certain Hollywood standards and that is the main reason I liked it. This is one of Kevin Kline's best films and I suggest the detractors should take another look at it. The January Man is one of the most underrated films of all time and it will probably always be that way.

9 out of 10. It's amazing what 10 bucks and the bargain DVD rack at Wal-Mart can get you.

First things first, this film has a few problems with trying to work out what it wants to be. Some of the scenes are a bit ridiculous and unrealistic, and sometimes it gets a bit slow. But that could be said about some hugely successful blockbuster films as well.

Underneath this is a good little crime thriller with some likable characters who are trying to work out the clues to catch a killer with a taste for strangling women in their city apartments.

Kevin Kline is enjoyable, Susan Sarandon and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are classy, Harvey Keitel doesn't really do much and Alan Rickman kind of floats around to help loosen up the mood of the film. Some of the dialog sounds like it was lifted from an adapted play or is better for an older, more mature generation.

But, the stand out star of this film is Danny Aiello, who plays Captain Vincent Alcoa. He has a filthy mouth, loves yelling and putting people down all the time and has to deal with a Kline as a difficult police detective who returns to the job.

The film alone is worth seeing for his performance.

I'm watching the "thrilling" climax as I type this.

Listen, folks, this film wasn't meant to be taken seriously, it's meant more as a parody or farce. Just listen to the soundtrack during the "dramatic" moments, it's not even trying to be serious. I'm guessing the cast was struggling to keep from bursting out in laughter during the filming because it really is stuffed full of every imagineable cliche.

Though there are some original lines. "I want to make you haggis." I mean, come on, how can anyone even begin to imagine this was meant seriously. It's like a police drama version of "Showgirls".

Well, without as much skin. ;-)

If you're looking for extreme suspense and top-notch thriller, go watch Seven. But if you're looking for a nice little movie with stellar cast, very good acting and silly story that'll amuse you for some 90 minutes, then try The January man. It is silly - an absurd mix of thriller, comedy, romance, drama, good cop - bad cop, the story is full of flaws, but the movie itself is really well done. Too many people around wonder where's logic in it and give it low rating because of that, but The dark knight (with sillier story and average acting) is somehow best film of a decade?!? This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you.

This is a great movie! Unfortunately, some people refuse to see past the one-line video box description. Ostensibly about a serial killer, it is more of a quirky character study, except it is actually a multi-character study, with these characters being brought to life by the likes of Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, and Rod Steiger, just to name a few (a very few). I whole-heartedly recommend this movie to people who's tastes haven't been worn down to the level of some viewers who need everything wrapped up with a bow and handed to them like a christmas present. You will enjoy yourself greatly.

One of the most insane mainstream movies I've seen. An absurd mix of thriller, comedy, romance, and other things; the manic behaviour, strange dialogues, and weird/inconsistent mood-changes make this a very silly movie but also an enjoyable one. As flawed as it might be, I dare anyone to say that it's dull. Star-studded, as film-critics love to say, but in a good sense. Kline is entertaining as the detective-turned-fireman-turned-detective, Steiger - sporting silly blond hair - overacts like a lunatic in the role of the city's emotional mayor, Aiello plays the classic ever-angry cliché police boss, Keitel stands around looking rather bored, Mastrantonio shows that she's got terrific breasts, the model for the painting shows she's got even better breasts, and it's always good to have Susan Sarandon in a movie - though quite ironically of all actresses she doesn't show her terrific chest! The serial-killer in the story must be the most absurd serial-killer either on film or in reality: the method that he uses to select his victims, and the time and the place, has to be seen to be believed. The film has most of the elements to make it a camp classic.

Terrible – Good actors with bad material. How do you go wrong with Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (I haven't liked her in anything else, but she was actually good here), Harvey Keitel, Rod Steiger, and Danny Aiello ? Put them in a movie with a terrible screenplay and nothing to do. Kline plays a former cop, now fireman, and brother of the New York City police commissioner (Keitel – do these two look like brothers at all – NO!), who is called back on the force to stop a serial killer. Sarandon is Keitel's wife and was Kline's lover, and Mastrantonio is falling for our Kevin. The worst (over)acting job goes to Steiger, who seethes like a rabid dog throughout the whole movie. Anyway, to catch this creep, Kline uses methods so unbelievable (not in a good way) that you'll be shaking your head. To think: this garbage was written by the same guy who wrote Moonstruck.

Vote: 3

Yep, I watched it on tv even when one of Holland's leading news papers was dishing it but they are very often wrong. I've seen Alan Rickman on stage and in many movies but here he really steals the show. Yeah, the film doesn't really chooses to be either comedy or thriller or just a who dun it but it's great fun to watch.

Kevin Kline (who I never really cared for not even in A Fish Called Wanda) is playing one of his better roles as the reinstated cop although I do admit the whole sideline of the two cop brothers doesn't really add anything and could have been dropped all together which means dumping Susan Sarandon, so what.

But give it a try keep an open mind and it is nice flick. Nope, I didn't give it a 10 (considered it for improving the average) but it is nice to watch.

This was one of my favourite films when I was little, but Channel 5 have just put it on after the watershed and that made it even better. I always thought there was a problem with the continuity when she hands him the thing at the end but I was wrong it was terrible censoring.

Back to the film. All the actors are good in the film although Alan Rickman steals the show completely. Even if you don't like mystery films tape the fight scene at the end of this, it is one of the funniest you will ever see.

Just one more thing would somebody get Nick Starkey a cappuccino.

Good movie, even if it is a bit campy now. A great cast turn great performances with subtle comedy. Worth it just to see Alan Rickman as the brooding artist living next door. A comedy in the same spirit of "Rushmore". Ahead of its time and fantastic when you are in the right mood.

Kevin Klein walks a great line in this type of movie between a serious characterization and moments of comic hilarity. Susan Sarandon and Kevin Klein have wonderful on screen chemistry, and the rest of the supporting cast all are given opportunities to show off their skills through a well crafted script. It's well worth seeing.

The only superlative about this movie is Rod Steiger's role. This is by far, the worst role he ever played, totally overdone every time he is on the screen with a hairdo modeled on Harpo Marx and the expository style of Hitler. Danny Aielo gets short shrift from the screen writer and Harvey Keitel gets used and thrown away. Kevin Kline has a bizarre accent, strange affect and a great ability to suppress the laughs he must be feeling at the dialog he was asked to say. Alan Rickman was cute and extraneous, Susan Sarandon was there and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has large and attractive boobs for a small woman - she didn't have much of anything else to do in this film.

Plot - stupid, ridiculous, complex and extraneous.

One of Kevin Kline's better films. An interesting thriller of a flic with a very good supporting cast. So good in fact that Danny Aiello as the highly agitated police administrator & Alan Rickman as "Ed" nearly steal the show. The movie has an interesting plot and some reasonably good humor to go along with the suspense of the story line. If you're looking for a good suspense movie, a few laughs or if you're just a Kevin Kline fan who wants to catch up on his back catalog give January Man a play. You definitely won't regret it.

I have always had "The January Man" on tape, but I never really sat down and watched it. One day I decided to give it a try, and I must say that it was unbelievable. Definitely one of Kline's best roles. Don't get me wrong, he was great in "A Fish Called Wanda", but he was in perfect form as Nick Starkey. And Rod Steiger was hilarious. And Alan Rickman was perfect as Ed. Great casting there. An amazing script, well directed, and great acting all around. I give it four out of four stars.

This has to be one of the funniest movies not billed as a comedy.

Kevin Kline and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are just superb and absolutely shine and Alan Rickman almost steals the movie. He really does steal every scene he is in.

Danny Aiello must also get a mention for a great performance.

Very underrated and under appreciated movie.

I do not understand why critics gave this fine film such a panning when it was first released. Even today when it is repeated on TV the critics still give it a hard time. I suspect the TV critics have never seen this movie and just repeat the comments of the original reviews. I have watched this movie many times and each time I enjoy every moment. The cast is magnificent, especially Kevin Kline and Alan (I wish I had his voice) Rickman. The plot is great, the settings are overwhelming and it is well paced. The supports are worthy of a mention (if you can call Rod Steiger a support), they enhance an already great cast. Actually after writing this I think I will go and watch it again!

The best mainstream serial killer comedy ever. Oh, wait ... it's the only mainstream serial killer comedy.

In 'January Man', A-list actors took a stab at subject matter that had always been in the realm of B-movies, and suffered an undeserved critical drubbing as a result.

'January Man' is a black comedy in which the murder mystery takes a backseat to a character study of the detective who solves it. Nick Starkey is an eccentric, uncompromising detective of the Sherlock Holmes mold, well-played by Kevin Kline. Alan Rickman is low-key perfect as Kline's fellow Bohemian, Ed, who serves as his computer-adept Dr. Watson.

Critics were appalled that director O'Connor and writer Shanley would make so light with the subject of the callous murder of innocent women. Remember, this was two years before Anthony Hopkins made a modern icon out of Hannibal Lecter, and five years before Quentin Tarantino melded comedy and crime noir in 'Pulp Fiction'.

These days, 'The January Man' seems, if anything, too tame. If the titular murderer had been a diabolical killing machine, a modern-day Dracula worthy of tracking by a brilliant detective, then the movie might survive as a classic today.

Instead, the killer remained bloodless and motiveless -- a TV crime series killer-of-the-week, compared to the Dahmers and Ted Bundys we encounter in our real-world newspapers and evening newscasts.

The movie still remains great fun, with a stellar cast. The story is an Us and Them comedy, with Kline, Rickman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as the extremely likable Us, and Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, Rod Steiger, and Danny Aiello acting up a storm to be unlikeable as Them.

'The January Man' is a non-conformist favorite I have to slap into the player at least once a year. 8 out of 10.

standard Hollywood cop film. a Mysterious Serial Killer performs some Brutal Killings leaving Incredibly Complex Clues and Only One Cop Can Catch Him (a long-haired sneaker-wearing Rogue Cop), and that's the Kevin Kline character, temporarily a fireman, who enters the film bursting through a fence in the process of, what else, Saving a Child. He's recalled to duty at the Mayor's orders and, with the help of some Free Spirits (artiste/computer whiz Alan Rickman, adorable Mary Liz Mastrontonio) our guy deciphers the clues and etc etc. the movie is riddled with clichés, including a Former Lover (Susan Sarandon) and a Jealous Rival (Danny Aiello). its full of New Yawk actors shouting f-bombs, and Kline is not very convincing as a street-smart detective (somebody more blue-collar like Bruce Willis might have pulled it off). a lot of this is awful playful considering the subject matter. Rickman as the artiste and Harvey Keitel as a somber administrator come off best of the performers. honestly, this is nothing you haven't seen before.

It's New Year's Eve in NYC. Manhattan socialite Alison Hawkins is killed by a serial killer in her apartment as his 11th victim. Her best friend Bernadette Flynn (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) just dropped her off and just happens to be the mayor's daughter. Police commissioner Frank Starkey (Harvey Keitel) is under heavy pressure and Mayor Flynn (Rod Steiger) forces him to get his brother Nick Starkey (Kevin Kline). Nick was expelled from the force in disgraced two years ago and is now a hero firefighter. Frank's wife Christine (Susan Sarandon) is Nick's ex-girlfriend. Capt. Vincent Alcoa (Danny Aiello) hates the idea. Ed (Alan Rickman) is Nick's wacky artistic neighbor.

The tone is all over the place. I wonder if the movie realizes that it's trying to make funny jokes in the middle of a serial killer movie. The problem is that the jokes are so wildly uncontrolled that it wouldn't be funny anyways. Everybody seems to be in their own separate movies. Aiello and Steiger are screaming. Kline and Rickman are wacky. Kline and Sarandon are doing a weird melodrama. Keitel is simply trying to survive the mess. Mastrantonio is in a different movie aka the serious serial killer movie and she's no 23. The switches in tone gave me whiplash. The final chase is way too wacky. The killer is doing blackface with white shinny gloves. They turn it into a farce and any chance the movie had goes away.

A tremendous cast, but this must be the worst movie every one of them ever made. The script is absolutely absurd and unbelievable. Acting is great, as you would expect from this cast, but they have NOTHING to work with.

When someone loaned me this on DVD, I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it - Kline, Sarandon, Keitel, Mastrantonio, Steiger, Rickman, Aiello - what a cast! And then I watched it. This script couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It's a thriller with no suspense, a comedy with no laughs, a story with an utterly ridiculous plot. Did no one READ this script before they decided to waste some film? And the actors all look like they know this is going to be a huge waste of time - Rod Steiger, in particular, gives what has to have been the worst performance of his career. It's all one level - loud. Don't waste your time with this movie - this isn't one that's so bad it's good. It's just plain bad. Rent something like "Plan 9 From Outer Space" instead, and have a hilariously good time.

It definately has a lot of slapstick in it, but it turns very dark when it needs to.

If you liked the tone of Stakeout with Richard Dreyfuss in it you will enjoy this.

7/10

This movie was the lamest thing I have seen in years. My friends and I are holding an Alan Rickman Summer Film Extravaganza, and we've thus far watched seventeen of his movies. This was the absolute worst. I still thought AR was cute with his rumply hair, 'eccentric' outfits and Apple II-GS Computer Skills, but he was so wasted within this movie. I wonder if it was better received in the eighties, when it came out, or if people realized how useless it was even then? Anyhow. Even if you're having an Alan Rickman Film Fest, watch ANYTHING you can before bothering with this drivel. I recommend fast-forwarding. AR only has three real scenes and one good line. Everything else is completely worthless.

Abominably dumb. So dumb it doesn't even deserve the "b" in "dumb." Just plain d-u-m. The scriptwriter obviously doesn't know how computers work (what else is new), how criminal minds work, how police work works, or how girls work. It's not funny enough to be black comedy (maybe ecru or taupe comedy, at best), not gripping enough to be drama, and not tantalizing or charming enough to be romance. It's not even active enough to be a precursor of the silly-but-spectacular action genre. There certainly is a high concentration of respectable acting talent involved, but they must have been wondering why they were called in to begin with. A few day laborers could have handled the job just as well. The only character that really rings true is Ed, the artist. But there is absolutely no logical justification for his involvement. Maybe that's the clue to the real crime in this movie: it's a secret autobiography of a frustrated artist who wishes he could play with cops, computers, and girls.