Office Killer (1997)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Cindy Sherman

Writers:

Tom Kalin (writer)
Elise MacAdam (writer)

Release Date:

3 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Working here can be murder.

Plot:

A mousy office worker accidentally kills one of her coworkers, then proceeds to bump off a few others.

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Ash Tray | Asthma | Attempted Murder | Basement

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Carol Kane	...	Dorine Douglas
Molly Ringwald	...	Kim Poole
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Norah Reed
Barbara Sukowa	...	Virginia Wingate
Michael Imperioli	...	Daniel Birch
David Thornton	...	Gary Michaels
Mike Hodge	...	Mr. Landau
Alice Drummond	...	Carlotta Douglas
Florina Rodov	...	Receptionist
Jason Brill	...	Delivery Man
Eddie Malavarca	...	Brian
Doug Barron	...	Ted
Linda Powell	...	Naomi
Albert Macklin	...	Brad
Michelle Hurst	...	Kate

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, and for language.

Runtime:

82 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Newark, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Good Fear

Trivia:

According to Christine Vachon, the production company Killer Films gets its name from this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dorine's cats are scratching under the basement door, you can see that a toy is being waved under the door.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Citizen Kane (1941)

Downsizing

Don't ever fool around with Dorine Douglas! She will make sure you will pay for whatever you do to her!

"Office Killer" is a film, judging from most comments submitted to this forum, that deserved better. Cindy Sherman, the director, shows she can deliver a good movie. The film was written by Ms. Sherman and it appears Todd Haynes, a good director himself, helped with the dialog, although he is uncredited.

We don't understand, at the beginning, what is Dorine's motivation for doing what she does, but the key to comprehending what's wrong with her is revealed in flashbacks that shows her as a teen ager when some traumatic events occurred involving her parents. Dorine has been dealt a bad blow from life and her reactions, although extreme, seem to be typical of someone that has been deeply scarred.

The film works because of the wonderful Carol Kane who does some of the best work of her career. Ms. Kane transforms herself into this weird Dorine, who is the butt of all jokes at the magazine where she works. What triggers her spiral unraveling is the downsizing the company is going through that will render her a part timer, losing, no doubt, a good deal of her earnings.

The supporting cast is up to task under Ms. Sherman's direction. Molly Ringwald, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Barbara Sukowa, Michael Imperioli, David Thornton and Alice Drummond, among others, respond well to the director's instructions.

One wishes good luck to Ms. Sherman with future films because she is not afraid, to show it all for the viewer's enjoyment.