Jennifer 8 (1992)

Jennifer 8 is written and directed by Bruce Robinson. It stars Andy Garcia, Uma Thurman, John Malkovich, Lance Henriksen, Kathy Baker and Graham Beckel. Music is by Christopher Young and cinematography by Conrad Hall.

The small town of Eureka and John Berlin (Garcia) is the new cop in the precinct. When a severed hand is found at the local dump it leads Berlin to believe a serial killer is at work. One who has a penchant for blind girls.

The problems quickly mounted up for Jennifer 8, it flopped big in America and went straight to home format release in the UK. Problems back stage got so bad that Bruce Robinson quit Hollywood and never made another film for 19 years! In spite of these facts, it's not the monstrosity it was originally painted as back on its "limited" release.

It's a frustrating film in many ways because it promises so much. There's bags of moody atmospherics wrung out by Conrad Hall's superb photography, where he filters most things via minimal lighting. Much of the play unfolds in ominous surroundings, where dialogue exchanges are either hushed or laced with harried fervour, and the writing is actually quite smart as it blends psycho thriller staples with strong characterisations that are in turn boosted by committed acting performances. Yet these things can't compensate for the too long run time, a rushed ending and some awkward tonal shifts that often take you out of the required mood. The rushed ending is particularly galling, after asking the audience to stay with the pic for two hours, it's not unreasonable to expect a good long and dramatic finale, sadly that's not the case.

Fans of neo-noir type visuals have some interest here, as does anyone who likes the type of serial killer movies that dominated the late 80s and early 90s before Fincher's Seven raised the bar. 6/10

Fmovies: "Jennifer 8" is a solid suspense thriller that is smart, inventive, and a success overall. Cops Andy Garcia and Lance Henriksen are trying to stop a serial killer who seems to always be one step ahead of them. They are positive that the next victim will be a blind woman (Uma Thurman). She is basically the bait, but it still appears that the killer is just a little smarter than the cops. In the end, an unconventional conclusion will bring everything together. "Jennifer 8" has a smart screenplay, strong direction, and a great cast. John Malkovich and Kathy Baker, in particular, are strong in short supporting roles. 4 stars out of 5.

"Jennifer Eight" is one of those movies that flies under the radar. For whatever reason, it never got the accolades I feel it deserves. It is a beautifully filmed, haunting movie that showcases some very fine performances. Uma Thurman is remarkable as the blind Helena, and one would be hard pressed to find fault with her very realistic performance as the would-be next victim for the serial killer. Likewise, Andy Garcia, is excellent as the tough, big city cop who is working through his own personal issues. One of the most compelling performances is that of John Malkovich. Arguably one of the best actors we have today, his commanding depiction of the hard-grilling FBI man is superb, and worth the watch just for his few cameos alone. But don't get me wrong. This movie is very, very good. It will leave you guessing to the end. Overall, beautiful cinematography, beautiful score, great thriller. Highly recommend this underrated gem. Very much worth the viewing.

Jennifer 8 fmovies. Director Bruce Robinson got robbed! Would have been nice if the film company put into their budget advertising. This movie has it all folks.

First, the cast. Excellent. Several budding stars in the making. Lance Hendriksen is just fabulous. Like any great film actor there is little time to develop a character so casting must be spot on. Lance is believable from the first seconds of the opening scene. Sets the tone of his character Freddy Ross. Uma is great. Her eyes are eerie. She plays this role with softness and depth. All the characters are well thought out. Graham Beckel is just a scary dude. We don't know his name, but he plays the bad guy perfectly. Those eyes! All the supporting cast hit the bulls-eye like watching Seinfeld...memorable from the get-go.

Secondly, the atmosphere. Blind girl in a school for the blind in the cold mountains--rain and snow. What more could you ask for? Thirdly, the first little nugget. Christopher Young. The soundtrack is amazing. Haunting. Beautiful. When I first saw this movie I actually searched to buy the soundtrack. I never do this. It's that good! Lastly, the gold nugget. This is a movie with a twist of an ending. Remember, it is 1992. This was not done to my recall at the time. Rent this, buy this movie and watch with close friends late at night when it rains. Trust me! A great movie for male-female company. OK...the actor I never saw before had one core scene and just for this it is worth watching. Enter the brilliance of Mr. John Malkovich! We have all seen many movies where FBI agent interrogates suspect. But Malkovich takes extremely well written dialogue and it comes alive off the page. He should have won something for this performance. What I thought was just another actor for a pivotal scene made the move. His nuances, tone, pace, timing...just being Malkovich is acting at the highest level. This should have been another scene in the movie and he now becomes a main character stealing the scenes. Incredible performance.

Watch this movie. There are so many little details that are engaging. The time clock that speaks freaks you out. The empty light sockets. The sound of the mattress in the house. On and on...

I cannot and will not for the life of me comprehend why people do not like provoking and complex movies, (ya know, WHERE YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO THINK).

Jennifer 8, is a great movie, it is daring, smart, witty, scary and....

a bit on the real side. There are a lot of movies which people that due to reading their reviews should not watch movies that are beyond their simple mind and well, IQ. This movie is well on the top of the list for under rated serial killer flicks. Rent, Buy, Borrow but must see this excellent movie.

This is easily one of the most underrated Hollywood films of the nineties - it's got a compelling script, beautiful performances (particularly from Andy Garcia, Uma Thurman, and John Malkovitch in a short but unforgettable cameo.), some of the best cinematography ever set on film (director of photography Conrad Hall later went on to shoot 'American Beauty'.), and one of the greatest scores ever written by underrated composer Christopher Young. As it is, this film is heaven from a filmmaker's perspective and a pretty damn good drama to boot. Highly recommended.