The Barber

source: The Barber

A very interesting twist to the hold serial killer story, with great acting from Scott Glenn and Chris Coy. Yes, some plot twists can easily be spotted beforehand, but I guess this is Cinema, not sleight-of-hand. And yes... the choices made by the female police character are plain dumb, but overall a good watch. On hindsight, 90% of the credit for the quality of this movie should go straight to Scott Glenn.

First I'd just like to say that the plot-summary on this page is inaccurate, albeit not far from what it is about it's still inaccurate. What is true is that it is a serial killer themed thriller which starts with a wannabe serial killer meeting the real deal. I can't go into any details without starting to spoil stuff but there are many twists and turns throughout the movie. Luckily these twists aren't the typical random twists that sometimes Hollywood scriptwriters tend to throw in in last minute to shock the viewer and think that they are clever but doesn't make sense with what we've just witnessed. They all make a fair amount of sense actually in the end so that's a definite plus. And Scott Glenn is as I said really nice to see in a lead again, a underrated actor, Chris Coy in the other lead-role is also good. It's not a perfect movie, it does feel like they didn't have much budget or time to deal with and some characters aren't fleshed out as they could have been but it does entertains and yeah I'd watch it again.

With a fairly engaging back story, good overall acting, and plot twists that make sense / don't feel overtly contrived, The Barber has plenty going for it as a thriller. However, there's just something overall missing, something that could have probably made it a much better film. The pacing is so-so; it doesn't drag and in fact there are a few points where I felt things were skimmed over leaving me guessing. The dialog, perhaps, is where things got lackluster. I just had a tough time empathizing with the main characters. I was definitely interested in what they were going though but I felt no emotional involvement. Still, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for a bit of entertainment, and its darker themes may even leave you with some philosophical musings after the credits have rolled.

Smart protagonist and smart antagonist- thats what makes this movie so great. An unceasing game of cat & mouse keeps the tension going through the story, with some nice plot twists and really good timing on the reveals. 5.9? REEEE diculous. This movies is far and away better than that score. I think ppl were looking for car crashes or nudity. Not w/ this one. Good dialogue, superb acting. Just a taut, smart little thriller. Worth every minute of your time.

A barber comes into contact with two men fixated on what triggers evil. A father, whose life is destroyed in pursuit of a killer, and a son who is trying to prevent his father's obsession. So, they had me hooked early on with the mention of the Kenosha PD, an organization I happen to be rather familiar with. Did this have anything to do with the story? No. But it was still a great mention. Then we also have Scott Glenn. Although he has been acting for decades, he seems to have finally come into his own as of 2014-2015. He made a big impression on "Daredevil" that he may never had done before. I can see fans of that show wanting to see more of him ,and they will love his performance here.

This movie is excellent. And the people who say it's not all have the same complaint. It's not a noir neo noir film with endless 'twists'. A twists within twists and yet more twists. It's not told backwards it does have weird cuts and camera work. And Lord knows no shakeycam. How can there even exist a movie that goes from A to B to C without the obligatory 'slow burn' that starts nowhere goes nowhere and trails off to nothing like so many other highly rated movies do? That's the beauty of this film. It's tight, compact, direct, well acted, well constructed no nonsense no making the audience jump through hoops to appreciate what a genius the director sees himself as. Scott Glenn is great as a homespun malevolence playing it easy. Chris Coy does an excellent job of playing a guy who 'might' be a bad guy. All I can take one point off is the Audrey character and her involvement. Her character is unneeded entirely.

Greetings again from the darkness. There is a theory that to catch a killer, one must think like a killer. Young John McCormack is in the next room when his detective father, frustrated at being unable to put away a serial killer, commits suicide. Flash forward twenty years, and John is now himself a police officer intent on finishing his father's work … and gaining a bit of revenge in the process. The story picks up as John (Chris Coy) has tracked Francis Visser to a small town, where he is known as Eugene the town barber, a gentle and dignified friend to all. Scott Glenn portrays Eugene as a slow-shuffling elderly gentleman who doesn't much appreciate profanity, rudeness or poor decisions. He is even friends with the local police chief (Stephen Tobolowsky), who accepts Eugene's word on just about any topic. The cat and mouse game between John and Eugene plays a bit like Sleuth (1972) where each participant sees himself as smarter than the other. Only this time, there are 17 previous murders to go along with the developments after Eugene agrees to mentor John on the fine art of stalking, planning and killing without evidence. Beginning with a gypsy proverb: "You have to dig deep to bury your father", the film seems to use that quote figuratively and literally, as being buried alive plays a role alongside the detective father's ruinous obsession. Supporting work is provided by Kristen Heger, as John's co-worker (and more), Olivia Taylor Dudley as the waitress looking to John for fun, and Max Arciniega as Eugene's barber shop employee. More attention to the John vs Eugene piece, and a little less to the various sub-plots, could have tightened up this thriller and elevated it to an even more suspenseful level. Mr. Glenn and Mr. Coy are both excellent, and at their best when sharing a scene. It's a nice first feature from director Basel Owies, who has an eye for nuanced characters with a dark side.

Seems like I like movies with the title the barber thoroughly enjoyed this film and the barber with malcolm McDowell. This film wasnt your knock down drag out action thriller or a gore fest serial killer film. It's a mystery thriller with a couple of decent twists and also features excellent performances by the cast especially mr Scott Glenn. I'm very happy we purchased the bluray as we'll watch it annually!! Very well written and directed with a average at best budget they did fantastic. Watch it or better yet purchase the bluray on Ebay cheap like we did.

How and why IMDb rates this so called movie at or around a 5.7 is beyond me. This movie is a classic B- movie from the first scene to the final credits. Forget the storyline as the writer of this movie doesn't have a clue what a good storyline is, what it may look like, or how to fashion an even interesting tale. I could get into what this stupid movie is about, but if that is what your looking for then read the IMDb summary, what I want to share is my opinion of "The barber". First and foremost this movie has people acting and doing things nobody would ever do, the plot is so stupid your only reasonable response is to fast forward the entire movie to the end so you can be done with it. Scott Glenn was once a decent actor who took reasonably good roles, he has obviously fallen on hard times to take on crap like this. Here's the bottom-line on this movie, if you like stories that are so unrealistic and unbelievable then maybe this movie is for you after-all, However, if you enjoy a good drama, a good plot, decent acting, a storyline that makes sense, a movie that draws you in and keeps you invested in the story, then this trite called "The barber" is not worth your time, effort, or attention....avoid it like the plague, you can thank me later.