Tags:
Film: Capture Kill Release
Year: 2016
Directors: Nick McAnulty and Brian Allan Stewart
Writers: Nick McAnulty
Starring: Jennifer Fraser, Jon Gates and Farhang Ghajar
Review:
This is a movie that I heard about through podcasts. My guess is that this popped up on one talking about found footage. Since it was on my must-see list, I decided to check with my co-host Jake for Side Quest Podcast to see if he was interested. This is a filming style that I don't think we've covered yet.
Synopsis: a couple plots to murder a random stranger just for the thrill of it, but things turn ugly when one of them changes their mind.
This synopsis is spot-on for what we're getting here. We start this with Jennifer (Jennifer Fraser) buying a camera. She surprises her live-in boyfriend, Farhang (Farhang Ghajar). She wants to document the prep work ahead of them murdering someone. We get to see them as they buy supplies, discuss who they should target and what their plan is to dispose of the body. The main goals are to kill a stranger and not get caught.
One day, Jennifer is filming and meets a homeless man named Gary (Jon Gates). He is nice and they're getting along when Jennifer bumps into a rich guy, played by Rich Piatkowski. He was rude to her when it was an accident. He goes as far to call her a horrible name. She follows him home. This the man that she wants to murder.
As they approach the actual killing, Farhang has reservations. It almost seemed fun to do the prep work. He doesn't think he can go through with it right now. He thinks they need more time. Things happen that push things forward and creates problems between the couple. Decisions are made that will change everyone's lives forever.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I went lighter on the recap here as this doesn't have the deepest storyline. It doesn't need it either. This premise is perfect to be shot as a found footage film to be honest. What we get is more of a character study of the duo. We get to know our two leads and delve into their psyche as this life altering decision is made. What is great about this, the deeper we get into it, we get to peak behind the mask of humanity that there's a psychopath hidden beneath. That is terrifying.
Now with that set up, let me delve into our lead couple. They seem normal. I'll be honest, I've had talks with friends in the past about if I was going to commit murder, how would I do it. It would stem from watching true crime shows and documentaries. How this starts is harmless enough. They go farther than others by going to a hardware store where they buy things like tarps, shovels, rope and an ax. These are things that a homeowner would use. Not necessarily living in the city, but it is fine. It is here that we get glimpses that Jennifer is more into this than Farhang. She might also not fully grasp the consequences of what she wants to do.
The tension builds from these opening scenes. There is one that bothered me where Jennifer wakes up Farhang in the middle of the night. What is done is in line with real psychopaths. It is soon after that she goes out with the camera and meets Gary as well as the rich guy. That is where we know it is going to happen. There's an interesting duality here. We don't want anything bad to happen to Gary since he's such a nice guy, at least I didn’t. The rich man though, he's not only a jerk, but also cheating on his wife. I love how for me; I want her to kill the latter. It is Farhang who points out though, he hasn't done anything that warrants it though. He is right in that logic.
Let me then shift over to filmmaking. There is a realism here that is unnerving. It starts with our couple just normalizing the practice of disposing of a body. When it happens, it makes it less shocking, while still making the viewer feel empty. They aren't looking at the person as a human. Going with found footage, which makes us feel like we're helping them. The effects feel and look real. That again goes back to cinematography and framing. They can hide things there. I'm also glad that they didn't include a soundtrack. It is just the sound design of what the camera is picking up which helps add to the atmosphere it created. This worked for me.
All that is left then is acting. Fraser steals the show here. She seems normal at first, but the deeper we get and the closer to killing someone, we peak behind her 'mask'. It gets scary as we go on so credit to her. I like Ghajar as her partner. It seems like a fun game to plan this until that time is upon us. The stress of it is unbearable and I felt that in his performance. Gates was good as Gary. He is likeable and when Jennifer is talking to him, I feel genuine concern. Piatkowski works well as this rich guy. He is the opposite where I don't like him, but credit to get a reaction out of me. Other than that, Christina Schimmel as well as the minor roles rounded this out for what was needed.
In conclusion, I thought this was a tight little found footage style movie. It works well to set up Jennifer and Farhang, also credit to their performances to bring the characters to life. I thought that this was well made. The effects look real. The cinematography and framing help there. How this is constructed helps build that atmosphere and build tension. I'm there until the end. This won't be for everyone though. If you don't like this filming style, avoid this. Outside of that though, this is an interesting look at a psychopathic killer, giving in to this urge.
My Rating: 8 out of 10