Midnight In The Switchgrass

Through history, we have a lot of serial killers, who have taken so many innocent lives. These sick individuals have no remorse, and only care about their own needs. I can never imagine how difficult it must be to catch a serial killer, especially at a time when there was no DNA research to be made, and they had to find other evidence, to find the killer. Since there are quite a lot of serial killers out there in history, let´s bring up one of the most classic serial killer cases. And that is of course the case of Jack The Ripper, the brutal serial killer who terrorized London in the year of 1888. Known as Whitechapel Murderer, he is one of the most well known serial killers in history. 5 women are known to be the victims of Jack The Ripper, between 31 August and November 9, in that year of 1888. One of the most interesting details about the serial killer Jack The Ripper, is that we still don´t know who he really was. There are a number of different theories out there, that he could be could be a member of the British royal family, or he could be a doctor. I have been to London 3 times ( so far ), and last time i was there i actually planned to visit the locations where Jack The Ripper killed his victims. Unfortunately, we had to skip that tour for different reasons, but i plan to visit in the future. There is a really good film, based on the Jack The Ripper case, that is called From Hell from 2001. Directed by The Hughes Brothers ( directors of classics such as Menace II Society and Dead Presidents ), this film tells the story of Whitechapel Police Inspector Frederick Abberline ( played really well by Johnny Depp ) investigates the mysterious murders in Whitechapel. From Hell is a really well made slasher horror film, that may not follow all the information about the serial killer case, but definetely give an interesting presentation of the case. There are a number of great acting performances in this film, from legendary actors such as Robbie Coltrane, Ian Holm, Ian Richardson, Jason Flemyng annd many others. If you are interested in the investigation of Jack The Ripper, you should watch From Hell on DVD or Blu Ray, and also listen to the very interesting commentary track. You do get to know some very nice details about the making of this film. Earlier this year i was hearing some news about a new serial killer film called Midnight In The Switchgrass. If i understand this correctly, this film is inspired by the story of serial killer The Truck Stop Killer, known as Robert Ben Rhoades. Since i am a big fan of serial killer films, of course i had to see this film on the premiere week. With a great cast, and a very interesting plot, is Midnight In The Switchgrass the film you need to see this summer, or is this a big pile of shit?

FBI agent Karl Helter ( Bruce Willis ) and his partner Rebecca Lombardi ( Megan Fox ) are very close to busting a sex-trafficking ring. When they realise that they have crossed path with a brutal serial killer, they team up with Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Byron Crawford ( Emile Hirsch ), who have been investigating for several years on this case.

Considering that Bruce Willis have had some really bad releases over a couple of years ( especially his sci fi film Breach that i reviewed in May this year ), i will say that he is at least not as horrible as he have been in recent years. I want to hope he will return in good form, and maybe he will if he gets a good role, that includes a great script. That does not mean he is acting good in Midnight In The Switchgrass, but i have seen him do worse ( i wish he could have showed more emotions, but i guess you can´t have everything you wish for ). The biggest surprise of this film, when it comes to acting, is that actress Megan Fox actually deliver a performance that is better than i expected, and trust me, i have seen her weak acting in several films, so this is actually a pleasent surprise for me. She still have a few issues with her acting that needs to be improved, but this is definetely a step in the right direction. Actor Emile Hirsch deliver one of the most solid performances in this film, as agent Byron. This is one of the few characters that you actually care about, since he seems to struggle with his work, not knowing if he can go on. It must be very heavy. on a psychological level, to work on serial killer cases. How do you turn off your emotions off completely, seeing so many dead young women? Music artist and actor Machine Gun Kelly, is not as powerful as i was hoping for, he did a better performancen in the Mötley Crue film The Dirt, but i would say he is at least ok in this film. Lukas Haas as serial killer is actually quite good as the serial killer Peter Hillbourgh. So as a serial killer film, does this film manage to function with such a heavy subject? I would say for the most part yes, thanks to especially some of the actors who take their roles seriously ( except Bruce Willis ). You may not see a lot of blood, or kills, but i think the story still manage to work, especially since this is a serial killer film that´s actually different ( i don´t think i have seen any film inspired by The Truck Stop Killer before ), and that is something i appreciate with this film. Director Randal Emmett ( who is mostly known as a producer on Mark Wahlberg films such as 2 Guns and Lone Survivor ), have made a directorial debut film that may not be original, but actually brings something different into the serial killer genre, by telling a story that is similar to killer Robert Ben Rhodes. Is this film unique in any other way? No, but if you are a fan of serial killer thrillers, i think you should give this film a chance. Midnight In The Switchgrass may not scare you, but possibly entertain you, if you enjoy this genre. 

Rating: DDD