The Killing Jar is a 2010 American thriller film starring Michael Madsen

Michael Madsen

Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...

 and written and directed by Mark Young.

Plot

Seven people are passing time one late evening at a small roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. Among them are Noreen (Benson), a waitress trapped in a loveless marriage; John (Perrineau), a melancholy salesman; Hank, a quiet man with a secret; Lonnie, a small-town cop; and Jimmy (Trejo), the ill-tempered owner. When a local radio station reports the shocking, seemingly senseless murders of a family in a nearby county, the patrons immediately suspect new arrival Doe (Madsen) of being the killer. A bloody confrontation ensues, and the patrons become hostages as the troubled Doe decides their fates. As secrets are revealed, the desperate survivors slowly realize that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their crazed captor.

Synopsis

At a small diner, several people are gathered. Noreen, a waitress, Lonnie, a cop, Jimmy, the owner, Billy and Starr, a couple on their way to elope, John, a salesman, and Hank, a quiet man. The radio is turned on and tells of four family members murdered gruesomely a county over. Noreen is shocked, wondering how someone could kill children. She talks to John, who reveals his wife died two years ago. Then she goes back to the counter and talks to Lonnie and Hank, complaining about her lazy husband. The cop flirtatiously offers to run away with her, but is rebuffed. A man in a black leather jacket comes in and sits. When his order of steak is denied, he gets angry, and Jimmy yells at him to leave if he doesn't like it. Noreen not so stealthily gets Lonnie to the back, and suggests the man could be the killer. The cop doesnt believe her, and the man approaches them to ask for more coffee. Noreen spills it betraying her nervousness, and Hank asks Lonnie to check out the man. Questioned, the man is antagnosistic, belittles Lonnie and just wants to be left alone. Angry, Lonnie pulls a gun and demands answers, asking if he drives a black truck, but Hank confirms the man drives a red truck. Lonnie regrets his actions and apoligizes, and explains. The man pays and leaves. Hank smokes in the bathroom, and Noreen and John talk. But the man comes back with a shotgun and kills Lonnie and Jimmy. He points it Noreens face, but doesn't shoot after Noreen begs him not to. The man assembles the five remaining characters and demands their wallets, keys and cellphones. Noreen tries to keep one, but gets caught. Hank is ordered to drag Lonnies body out. He doesn't want to, but threatened he does. Afterwards, he says there are likely only 8 bullets in his handgun and 7 shells in his shotgun, and Hank wants everyone to rush him, but John is too scared. Greene comes in, and the man threatens him, but Greene stays cool and flippant, asking him if he finished the job, and gives him a suitcase of money. He tries to leave, but the man won't let him, saying hes not Smith. Greene is handcuffed to a chair, and the man asks about Smith and the money, but Greene doesn't want to answer, so the man beats him. When the shotgun is aimed at his crotch, Greene comes clean: he's a businessman who was buying up land to build a shopping mall. But one man wouldn't sell, worried about his partner wanting his money, and failing that blood, he hired Smith to persuade the holdout. Smith killed the man, his wife, and his kids, the deaths on the radio. With no heirs, Greene could buy the land from the bank. After this, the man kills him. The man now suggests that one of them is Smith, and wants to know who. John volunteers to talk, but the man wants to talk to Hank first. He beats Hank, and sits him down without handcuffs. John plans with Noreen to get the gun away. Hank reveals hes an exsoldier and claims hes married, but the man shows him his wallet with a condom inside. Hank doesn't want to talk about it, so hes shot in the leg. In pain, he admits he has sex with men at truckstops, and claims he's Smith if he'll stop shooting, but the man kills him. Noreen asks him why hes doing this, but he says he just came in to get something to eat and 'just snapped'. John (handcuffed) after threatened, admits to be Smith and turns back the questioning, revealing the mans an exmiltary man who was booted on psychological issues. The situation is now reversed, the man bargaining with John, who refuses to let the man go without all the money. The man panics, kills the couple, shots John, and when he goes for the kill, Noreen comes from behind and cuts his throat. John asks Noreen for the key, but Noreen pulls the handgun, not trusting him. John taunts her, saying she doesn't have the guts and shes out of bullets. But Noreen, good at counting, knows and proves she has one left, and kills John.

Cast

• Michael Madsen
  Michael Madsen
  Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
  
   as Doe
• Harold Perrineau as John Dixon/Smith
• Amber Benson
  Amber Benson
  Amber Nicole Benson is an American actress, writer, film director, and film producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but has also directed, produced and starred in her own films Chance and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics...
  
   as Noreen
• Jake Busey
  Jake Busey
  William Jacob "Jake" Busey is an American actor, musician and film producer. He is sometimes credited as "Jacob Busey" or "William Busey".-Personal life:...
  
   as Greene
• Danny Trejo
  Danny Trejo
  Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
  
   as Jimmy
• Kevin Gage as Hank
• Lew Temple
  Lew Temple
  Lew Temple is an American film actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Locus Fender in the action film, Domino starring Keira Knightley, and Cal, the diner manager in the comedy-drama Waitress starring Keri Russell....
  
   as Lonnie
• Patrick Durham
  Patrick Durham
  Patrick Durham is an American writer, actor, producer, and director.Spent childhood in South Carolina and Florida, USA. He spent a short time in Bimini, Bahamas....
  
   as Patron #1
• Lindsey Axelsson as Starr
• Talan Terriero as Billy

Reception

The film holds a 14/100 rating on the review aggregator website, Metacritic

Metacritic

Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, indicating overwhelming dislike. Furthermore, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

averages a percentage score of 0% positive reviews based on 7 sample write-ups.