Director: Lou Antonio Starring: Michael Biehn, Jason Bateman, Henry Thomas, Helen Cates, Blue Deckert, Renée Zellweger Certificate: 15 (UK), R (USA)
"Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the devil just made two new friends."
Plot
A pair of rich kids get a summer job on an offshore oil rig before starting law school. They are later caught up in the murder of their boss by a co-worker and blackmailed to keep quiet.
SPOILERS AHEAD...
I recently realised that I inadvertently lower my expectations for TV movies and I shouldn't; it's snobbish of me. There are some perfectly decent ones out there, Deadly Intentions being one such example. This one isn't half bad either if a little rougher around the edges. If I take anything away from this little mission, it'll be to not be so pre-judgemental about made for TV movies. Oh, and of course, comprehensive knowledge of Michael Biehn's movie career!
In A Taste For Killing, Biehn is back in full bastard mode as Bo Landry, a Texan oil-rig worker with a love for double denim, muscle fit tees and a haircut that requires some serious taming. Bo seems okay to start with apart from a little cocksure and when rich kids Blaine and Cary (Jason Bateman and Henry Thomas) join the rig for some summer work experience, it's Bo who looks after them. Meanwhile, their supervisor Elray (Blue Deckert), resentful of their charmed lives, does everything in his power to make their lives on the rig difficult.
One evening Elray gets angry after losing a card game to Blaine and is fired from the rig. A few days later, back onshore, Blaine, Cary and Bo bump into a drunken Elray who is still clearly holding a grudge. He immediately tries to attack Blaine but is stopped in his tracks by Bo and his large plank of wood (*snigger*). Elray is subsequently killed. A midnight clean up job led by Bo ensues and Elray's body is soon floating down the river.
Cue a whole lotta blackmail. You see, whilst Blaine and Cary are initially ignorant to Bo's nefarious ways, it soon becomes clear that Bo enjoys playing mind games and has the two wrapped around his finger, knowing he can easily frame the killing on them at any moment. He repeatedly coerces them into doing things they really don't want to do.
I like that this movie doesn't fall into the trap of making the young yuppie kids dislikeable. Whilst it's clear they're from a world of privilege, they're just about naïve enough to feel sorry for, especially when Bo attempts to extort as much money from them as he can. Perhaps he could have spent some of that money on a decent haircut, but it's the nineties; I guess we all looked a bit shit.
Bo's a little different to the previous villains Michael has played, the main difference being that Bo knows he's bad. He is always aware of what he is doing and doesn't seem to be a product of his surroundings or a troubled upbringing. Instead, he's innately evil and appears to enjoy being that way, smiling his way through much of the movie. This, of course, makes him all the more hateable as well; my favourite kind of antagonist!
I swear Jason Bateman has looked like a forty-year-old for the past twenty years, so it's fun to see him actually looking and playing a lot younger here. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it's nice to see an older Henry Thomas. I must admit I don't know a tremendous amount about his post ET career. However, looking at his IMDB, he appears to have been working consistently since the eighties.
The movie starts to suffer a little bit towards the end, particularly the last ten minutes, which is more like an episode of Total Wipeout with cranes. It's a shame as it spends eighty-seven minutes proving itself as a compelling psychological thriller. There's also a weird, unnecessary sex scene that I spent the entire time thinking, " Oh god, I'm watching the cute kid from ET doing it.
Overall, A Taste for Killing is pretty decent. Michael's performance is far and away the strongest thing going for the movie; he is despicable and detestable as Bo and totally convincing. I've said it before, but again, it's hard to believe this is the same guy who plays Kyle Reese! I also enjoyed that much of the movie appears to have been shot on an actual oil rig and the rest in and around Texas. As someone from little ol' England, it really helps set the scene and the mood. I promise this movie is worth a viewing if it ever crops up on an obscure satellite channel.
Conclusion
Imagine this, you're settling down under a blanket one cold evening to watch some thriller on TV, expectations aren't too high, after all, it's a TV movie, but hang on, it's the dude from The Terminator and oh hey, it's the guy from Arrested Development too and wait one second, is that... is that the kid from ET? Wow, what a cast! Just when you think it can't get any better up pops Renee Zellweger in a blink, or you'll miss it appearance.
A Taste For Killing is not bad as a psychological thriller, with plenty of twists and turns. It surprises me that it's only had 242 ratings on IMDB at the time of writing. It has an interesting setting, a decent cast and it features Michael Biehn doing what he does best; playing a complete arsehole!
A Taste For Killing doesn't appear to be streaming anywhere currently. Still, it is pretty easy to get hold of on DVD, particularly on eBay, where it is presently £1.99 in the UK.
IMDB: 5.5/10 Rotten Tomatoes: Not enough ratings (As of October 2021)
Dies? / Villain?
DEAD! Shot in the chest whilst scaling a crane, falling into the waters below. / He is the dictionary definition of a villain, a real nasty piece of work.
What Did This Movie Teach Me?
Oil rigs look like fun obstacle courses.
Anything Else?
This is Renée Zellweger's earliest IMDB movie credit. She appears very briefly at the fifty-three-minute mark.
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