Rating of
3/4
A product of its times?
kcvidkid - wrote on 05/13/08
I guess we've come a long way in almost 20 years: watching "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" now, it's hard to believe there was such hoopla over the violence when it was first shown. By today's standards, it's very mild indeed.
That's not to say it's not still disturbing. The matter-of-fact way that Henry goes about his murders, coupled with the nonchalance in which he begins including his friend from prison in these murders, is treated darkly realistic. But that's not the most troubling thing about it: I found the friend's niece's attraction to Henry extremely pitiable.
The actual murder scenes are few, showing instead the bloody aftermath. The music is very effective, probably the best use of a simple melody since "Halloween". I don't suppose there's much suspense, but it is nevertheless a sad, involving story.
