**

Politically pointed claptrap that might have been better titled The Secret Life of Slugs tells the story of a hitman for the mob (Brad Pitt) -- a modern, corporate organization that balks at murder -- tasked with taking out the two-bit criminals who knocked over one of their poker games. It's all a metaphor for the soullessness of American capitalism, a not unworthy subject that Dominik (who also wrote the screenplay) f-bombs back to the Stone Age with ugly characters, insidious humor, and head-blasting violence. Neatly sticks the intersection of verisimilitude and near-unwatchability. Stylish, though, with good performances all around (the cast also includes no-brainers Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini). Based on George V. Higgins' book Cogan's Trade.

**

​Mishmash of crime and horror as disgruntled former employee participates in the kidnapping of boss's daughter, coincidentally running afoul of crazy farmer and his pet monster, who feeds on the blood (and heads) of young women in exchange for a successful harvest.  Senseless, if not incoherent.  Adds nothing to either genre, but does include one evocative shot of Reynolds' version of He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

*****

Psychologically disturbed woman commits one crime too many, ending up in a coerced marriage with a man who believes he can help her.  The basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film but with a significant difference in emphasis:  the book isn't about a man trying to tame a woman; it's about a woman discovering that she has a problem.  Written with humor and élan, Marnie emerges as one of the great women of genre fiction.  She's pathological yet utterly charming.  Marnie's crimes, however, are only one manifestation of her mental condition. The other is her detestation of men.  One leads to her marriage, the other threatens to destroy it.  It all plays out against a tense backdrop of jealousy, frustration, and intrigue.  Quite possibly the best book ever adapted by Hitchcock.

****

PI John Klute (Donald Sutherland) falls for call girl Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) who is at the center of his investigation into a friend's disappearance and possible murder.  Slow-goer that is less about the crime than Bree's moody emotional awakening.  That is, until the end, when the plot gets in the way.  Otherwise, a fine, atmospheric film, one that, if it wasn't an inspiration for the Harrison Ford/Sean Young dynamic in Blade Runner, certainly could have been.  Fonda won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.

****

Poverty Row film noir about a bitter piano player (Tom Neal) who accepts a ride from exactly the wrong person while hitching across country to marry his singer girlfriend.  Shows its budget, but renders it moot with plenty of atmosphere and a deliciously dark storyline that includes a brilliant twist in the middle.  Short (only 67 minutes) and to the point.  With Ann Savage, who gives a performance that lives up to her surname.  Based on Detour: An Extraordinary Tale by Martin Goldsmith.

**

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan (Laura Prepon) tries to protect a 10-year-old girl (Jamie Bloch) targeted by a serial killer who wants Eve to relive the murder of her own daughter, years before.  A Lifetime Original Movie.  With cookie-cutter characters, unbelievable situations, and a ludicrous payoff.  Borrows the decibel meter from shows like Law & Order to ensure the monotonous delivery of dialogue.  Based on the second book in Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series of novels.

*****

Fascinating crime drama about two kids -- a 25-year-old misfit and the impressionable 15-year-old girl who falls for him, neither of whom have anything remotely resembling a conscience -- forced to go on the lam after the boy kills the girl's disapproving father.  Features outstanding performances by both its young leads, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, with the latter shining even in her narration.  Always believable, even as the body count mounts, and cleverly entertaining:  Sheen's bad-boy charm and Spacek's naïveté alleviate much of the horror without diluting the underlying and terrifying truth of what it means to be without empathy.  Loosely based on the crimes of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.

**

Human trafficking crime drama — about Eden (Jamie Chung), an 18 year old Korean-American girl who is kidnapped and forced into prostitution by a corrupt lawman (Beau Bridges) and his young crack-smoking assistant (Matt O’Leary) — confuses intelligence and resourcefulness with selfish opportunism, squandering all the sympathy we have for the girl immediately following her abduction.  Based on the lies of a woman named Chong Kim, whose story evidently was taken at face value by the filmmakers and only later shown to be fantasy when it was investigated by Breaking Out, an anti-trafficking non-profit organization.  The movie, however, retains the “based on a true story” title which, ironically, is more accurate here than in some other cases, as Kim appears to share the same vile personality traits as Eden.  For those who think making us hate inherently hateful people is an accomplishment.  Also known as Abduction of Eden.