Killer: A Journal of Murder
Encyclopedia
Killer: A Journal Of Murder is a 1996 American film. It is based on the life of serial killer
Carl Panzram
, and uses passages of his biography.
, Panzram (James Woods
) forms an uneasy friendship with prison guard Henry Lesser (Robert Sean Leonard
). Panzram asks Lesser for writing equipment and proceeds to write his life story, in which he confesses to several murders.
After recounting his life of homicide
and crime, and refusing to apologise for any of it, Panzram ends up beating to death a prison trustee
, and is sentenced to death
. Lesser tries to convince the condemned man to appeal
by claiming insanity, but Panzram stubbornly refuses, and in one scene makes his hatred of his own existence
clear to Lesser by angrily declaring "I want out of this body, I want out of this life!"
In the end, Panzram gets his wish and is hanged. In his last hours he steadfastly refuses to appeal for clemency and even chases away a priest
who comes to hear his confession.
Despite showing obvious disgust at Panzram's crimes, Lesser is troubled by Panzram's death. Throughout the movie, Lesser's relationship with his wife Esther (Cara Buono
) is briefly touched upon. It is to her he confides his experiences with dealing with Panzram's violent and nihilistic
outlook on life, although she has difficulty understanding the people her husband must deal with in his line of work.
to flesh out Panzram's adult life, although significantly it only briefly mentions his murders and instead concentrates on his experiences in prison. In some of these flashbacks, Woods narrates by reading the actual words of Panzram's confession. Seth Romatelli portrays a teenaged Carl Panzram during these flashbacks.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Carl Panzram
Carl Panzram
Carl Panzram was an American serial killer, arsonist and burglar. He is known for his confession to prison guard and only friend, Henry Lesser. In graphic detail, Panzram confessed to 22 murders, and to having sodomized over 1,000 males...
, and uses passages of his biography.
Plot outline
During the latest of many imprisonments for burglaryBurglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, Panzram (James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
) forms an uneasy friendship with prison guard Henry Lesser (Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
). Panzram asks Lesser for writing equipment and proceeds to write his life story, in which he confesses to several murders.
After recounting his life of homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
and crime, and refusing to apologise for any of it, Panzram ends up beating to death a prison trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
, and is sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. Lesser tries to convince the condemned man to appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
by claiming insanity, but Panzram stubbornly refuses, and in one scene makes his hatred of his own existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
clear to Lesser by angrily declaring "I want out of this body, I want out of this life!"
In the end, Panzram gets his wish and is hanged. In his last hours he steadfastly refuses to appeal for clemency and even chases away a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who comes to hear his confession.
Despite showing obvious disgust at Panzram's crimes, Lesser is troubled by Panzram's death. Throughout the movie, Lesser's relationship with his wife Esther (Cara Buono
Cara Buono
Cara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director, probably best known for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of the AMC drama series Mad Men.-Early life:...
) is briefly touched upon. It is to her he confides his experiences with dealing with Panzram's violent and nihilistic
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
outlook on life, although she has difficulty understanding the people her husband must deal with in his line of work.
Thematic elements
The film employs many flashbacksFlashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
to flesh out Panzram's adult life, although significantly it only briefly mentions his murders and instead concentrates on his experiences in prison. In some of these flashbacks, Woods narrates by reading the actual words of Panzram's confession. Seth Romatelli portrays a teenaged Carl Panzram during these flashbacks.