Hatred of a Minute

Let this be a lesson to all directors out there: If you can't act, don't give yourself the lead role because even if the movie is interesting, the audience won't be able to get over your bland performance. This is Hatred of a Minute's biggest problem.

The story follows a young man named Eric (played by the director Michael Kallio) who was abused as a child by his father, played by Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface in the original TCM). During these formative years he started listening to two voices in his head, one evil and one good. Both appear to him as ambiguously gay men though the good voice, Michael, just looks like a gay punker while the bad guy, Jack, looks more like Death from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and likes to wave his arms around and laugh silently.

Eric has thought he'd put all this behind him until he's transcribing an autopsy about an abused woman and starts whigging out and then his mother dies and that really sends him over the edge and leads him to become a serial killer with a religious edge.

The story is well done and the movie held my interest completely and every actor except for the lead was well done and lent believability to the story. There were some odd points here and there but I didn't mind and it was an engrossing watch, or it would have been if the director wasn't playing the lead. He took you out of the movie with his acting and it led you only to laugh at him as he gave an unemotional performance while looking like the Undertaker from the WWF. Even if it was a really personal story, there was no reason not to have an actor with some talent play the lead. Indeed, it distracts you when you see him on the screen. He does do a menacing look while walking along the railroad tracks quite well but that's about it.

If you don't mind one atrocious actor but fairly competent director, I suggest checking this movie out. It is produced by Bruce Campbell and he appears on the commentary and in reruns of a soap he was on but that's it. An above average film ruined by one performace.