I caught this on IFC the other day (Thank God for that channel). I was blown away. Although the cast is relatively unknown, they do an amazing job of following one man's descent into madness, and the chilling effects on those around him. I am really perplexed by all the "controversiy" that surrounded this movie, yet torture films like SAW III and Hostel don't ruffle any feathers. Although disturbing, Charming Billy is a story, not just a bunch of scenes where naked women are cut to pieces, brain surgery is performed with drills, and everyone is basically a little dumber for watching them. Catch this hidden gem if you get a chance.
7 Reviews
Combines art film ambitions with slaughterhouse imagery to a good result
lemon_magic24 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Although I really didn't enjoy this movie or agree with its POV or central ideas, I did find it compelling. The acting was very tight all around, with hardly a false note in the whole movie...that's tough to pull off when the script's themes are so hyper-dramatic and over-torqued, but the director and actors were up to the challenge.
Sets and scenery were also very well done. The most chilling parts of movie, and the most effective, were the ground level panning shots near the base of the water tower, as the movie progressed. There is very little visible gore or blood, just utter stillness and car after silent car, but you know that each car represents at least one dead driver, and the scenes testifies to Billy's horrifying effectiveness. And all these unnoticed deaths also suggests a lethal situation that could conceivably go on for an appalling length of time...and one that any driver on a lonely county road could unexpectedly encounter with no warning. Very disturbing.
So no, I didn't like the movie at all, but I thought it was well made and put together. I wouldn't care to see it again, though.
Sets and scenery were also very well done. The most chilling parts of movie, and the most effective, were the ground level panning shots near the base of the water tower, as the movie progressed. There is very little visible gore or blood, just utter stillness and car after silent car, but you know that each car represents at least one dead driver, and the scenes testifies to Billy's horrifying effectiveness. And all these unnoticed deaths also suggests a lethal situation that could conceivably go on for an appalling length of time...and one that any driver on a lonely county road could unexpectedly encounter with no warning. Very disturbing.
So no, I didn't like the movie at all, but I thought it was well made and put together. I wouldn't care to see it again, though.
A real Sick-Flick
g5-geek3 August 2006
And I don't mean Eli Roth Hostel sick. Nine year old boy seen through a sniper scope sick.
Charming Billy is about an "ordinary man" who lives an "ordinary life" in a small "ordinary town". The scenery is ordinary, but Billy himself is not. With the tragic loss of his mother and his fathers own sick twisted way of showing his son he loves him, Billy Starkman has grown up and lived his life without truly knowing what an ordinary life should be. And how would one deal with that? Well randomly off people from a water tower, of course!
The problem with his flick is it just didn't always add up. The acting was poor in crucial scenes, and fair in those where an over-the-top performance would be acceptable. Nothing about this film was entertaining, touching, scary...it just took up time.
Charming Billy is about an "ordinary man" who lives an "ordinary life" in a small "ordinary town". The scenery is ordinary, but Billy himself is not. With the tragic loss of his mother and his fathers own sick twisted way of showing his son he loves him, Billy Starkman has grown up and lived his life without truly knowing what an ordinary life should be. And how would one deal with that? Well randomly off people from a water tower, of course!
The problem with his flick is it just didn't always add up. The acting was poor in crucial scenes, and fair in those where an over-the-top performance would be acceptable. Nothing about this film was entertaining, touching, scary...it just took up time.
Powerful Independent Film
snowleopard5 August 2001
This independent, art-house film saw limited release in 1999-2000, but is not to be missed. It contains a powerful mix of tension, pathos, and social despair, as the lead character, Billy - a good person with too much stress from too many everyday problems, slowly succumbs to the difficulties of life. While not an easy film to watch, which is certainly why it missed the big theatres, it is an excellent film that achieves all it strives for, and is recommended to all fans of the independent genre. Let's see more films from these filmmakers.
controversial subject matter, well executed
hamburgerman19 March 2001
I saw this film at the Inaugural Durango Film Festival in March 2001. The controversial subject matter in CHARMING BILLY is well executed, no pun intended. Great acting from every performer. Nicely paced film. I hope to see more work from these filmmakers in the future.
Tense.
tgreen-412 May 2005
Billy is charming, easy going, and scary. You don't see that right away, but from the very beginning you sense something about him, you just don't know what it is. The whole movie is a tribute to the talents of writer/director, Mr. William Pace.
It's not often someone puts together a movie that is pitched like a Stradivarius and played like a Wagnerian symphony. You're hooked from the beginning and while throughout the film you're given a breather at just the right places, you don't fully relax until the ending.
It's a wonder to me why this film wasn't picked up by a studio, but I firmly believe they missed out. You'll have to buy the video but it's well worth the cost.
It's not often someone puts together a movie that is pitched like a Stradivarius and played like a Wagnerian symphony. You're hooked from the beginning and while throughout the film you're given a breather at just the right places, you don't fully relax until the ending.
It's a wonder to me why this film wasn't picked up by a studio, but I firmly believe they missed out. You'll have to buy the video but it's well worth the cost.
First rate indie
JohnSeal13 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I'm puzzled by the relatively low IMDb rating for this excellent drama. Don't be put off by that score, because this is one of the most assured and pleasing American indies of recent years. Echoing Peter Bogdanovich's superb Targets (1968), Charming Billy tells the story of a handsome young man with a silver tongue (stage actor Michael Hayden) whose unfulfilling jobs and empty family life leave him yearning for more. When his grandfather (Tony Mockus, in a truly amazing performance) suffers a stroke, Billy is the family caregiver who tries to find meaning in the older man's suffering. Whilst the protagonist in Targets is an empty vessel, we are fully aware of the disappointments and failures of Billy's life, and the result is a powerful and intelligent existential horror story. Character actor Chelcie Ross is excellent as Billy's decidedly charmless father, and David Barkley's delicate score provides the film with an understated emotional heartbeat. This is an excellent film and should be seen by anyone remotely interested in contemporary American cinema.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
