I recently watched an interview of an "A-list" actress, who's main concern is the believability of her projects - an element which is distractingly absent from CHAMPION KILLER. It is so unrealistic, in fact, that, as the action proceeded, my primary focus became noticing things which just weren't depicted as they would happen in everyday life. Utterly laughable. Also, the actors often try too hard, or, they're simply incompetent, although it's probable that NOBODY could convincingly deliver what's written here. And a few times, the dialogue is difficult to hear. The plot contains so many extreme events as to be too far-fetched: A cop cheats on his wife, but she and their son are murdered. Next, his partner is wounded and the successor is a female, with whom our main character falls in love. Then, a bullet finds HER shoulder. And HE is suspended from the force for brutalizing a drug-using homicide suspect who he shot in the leg once before. After the perp kills more victims, and repeated payoffs to him fail, the mean mistreater is reactivated to pursue the culprit. My impression is that it is just not well done.
6 Reviews
Amateur Killer
DEPRESSEDcherry16 March 2021
Laughably bad amateur movie. I'm not sure if it's so bad it's good, but it will provide laugh-out-loud moments...for the wrong reasons.
This is basically a Dirty Harry rip-off, it straight up just copies scenes throughout, albeit in a way that looks like adults playing make-believe rather than making a movie. Still, it looks like they had fun making it.
It's probably worth watching just to see how bad it is, maybe with some mates while getting drunk... I definitely recommend the drunk part.
This contender is no 'CHAMP'
mrbarbar19 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER WARNING!!!
`In this deadly game of cat & mouse there are no winners' declares the tag line to Juney Smith's movie. Indeed there are 'no winners' upon watching this dreadful attempt of a film. The 'story' for lack of a better word, revolves around Police Detective Bo Butler trying to track down a serial killer (the self proclaimed `Champion Killer' of the title) who is demanding one million dollars to stop his murderous spree. Sound familiar? Well yes, the similarities to Dirty Harry don't end there, as entire scenes are lifted form Don Segal's classic movie: -Detective Butler's partner wounded in the line of duty. -The killer gets caught but freed again due to a technicality in the law. -The Killer paying a hood to be beat him up, then blaming the police department for his wounds to the press. -Detective Butler running across town from one pay phone to another to deliver the extortion money. -The killer hijacking a bus of school children and making them sing nursery rhymes. It's all here, but executed with zero dramatic effect. One might concede that the reason Warner Brothers haven't sued for libel is because:
1. This movie is so low brow that Warner's are unaware of its existence. (Peacock Films and Duck Lit Productions. Ever heard of them?) 2. It is so terrible, that any association between the two movies may give it more attention then is deserved.
It is very likely that you will watch in open mouthed incredulity, as this `train wreck of a film's' 87 minutes running time seems like hours. Ben Guillory as Detective Bo Butler has the acting range of cold soup, as he spends most of the movie trying to act 'cool' by looking bored and disinterested. For more 'dramatic' scenes he shows his cat like prowess for the art, by over acting scenes and shouting dialogue. The script (if you can call it a script) has every bad 'cop movie' line in the book, containing dialogue so banal you would have expecting it to be written by a child. Most of the movie comes across ad-libbed, with many scenes not having any point to the story. The terrible acting throughout cannot be saved by the 'un-credited' musical score, which sounds like pre-programmed samplers from a 1980's Casio synthesizer.
Photographed with the attitude of `lets put the camera here, and hope for the best', most of the movie comprises of wide shots as Director Juney Smith forgets to use 'medium's' or 'close ups'. The locations of suburban houses and driveways, doubling up for hospital wards, junkie filled alley ways and Police headquarters look awful. The prop guns sound like plastic toys, (and most probably where.) The word 'amateur' does not do this woeful inadequate movie justice, and there is little doubt you will see a worse film.
It makes `Plan 9 from Outer Space' look like `Citizen Kane', but that is where the similarities end. While Ed Wood's movies consistently win `Worst Film of all Time' polls, they are still genuinely entertaining. Juney Smith's `Champion Killer' (alongside Nightmare on Alcatraz) is a LEGITIMATE contender for the worst film of all time.
`In this deadly game of cat & mouse there are no winners' declares the tag line to Juney Smith's movie. Indeed there are 'no winners' upon watching this dreadful attempt of a film. The 'story' for lack of a better word, revolves around Police Detective Bo Butler trying to track down a serial killer (the self proclaimed `Champion Killer' of the title) who is demanding one million dollars to stop his murderous spree. Sound familiar? Well yes, the similarities to Dirty Harry don't end there, as entire scenes are lifted form Don Segal's classic movie: -Detective Butler's partner wounded in the line of duty. -The killer gets caught but freed again due to a technicality in the law. -The Killer paying a hood to be beat him up, then blaming the police department for his wounds to the press. -Detective Butler running across town from one pay phone to another to deliver the extortion money. -The killer hijacking a bus of school children and making them sing nursery rhymes. It's all here, but executed with zero dramatic effect. One might concede that the reason Warner Brothers haven't sued for libel is because:
1. This movie is so low brow that Warner's are unaware of its existence. (Peacock Films and Duck Lit Productions. Ever heard of them?) 2. It is so terrible, that any association between the two movies may give it more attention then is deserved.
It is very likely that you will watch in open mouthed incredulity, as this `train wreck of a film's' 87 minutes running time seems like hours. Ben Guillory as Detective Bo Butler has the acting range of cold soup, as he spends most of the movie trying to act 'cool' by looking bored and disinterested. For more 'dramatic' scenes he shows his cat like prowess for the art, by over acting scenes and shouting dialogue. The script (if you can call it a script) has every bad 'cop movie' line in the book, containing dialogue so banal you would have expecting it to be written by a child. Most of the movie comes across ad-libbed, with many scenes not having any point to the story. The terrible acting throughout cannot be saved by the 'un-credited' musical score, which sounds like pre-programmed samplers from a 1980's Casio synthesizer.
Photographed with the attitude of `lets put the camera here, and hope for the best', most of the movie comprises of wide shots as Director Juney Smith forgets to use 'medium's' or 'close ups'. The locations of suburban houses and driveways, doubling up for hospital wards, junkie filled alley ways and Police headquarters look awful. The prop guns sound like plastic toys, (and most probably where.) The word 'amateur' does not do this woeful inadequate movie justice, and there is little doubt you will see a worse film.
It makes `Plan 9 from Outer Space' look like `Citizen Kane', but that is where the similarities end. While Ed Wood's movies consistently win `Worst Film of all Time' polls, they are still genuinely entertaining. Juney Smith's `Champion Killer' (alongside Nightmare on Alcatraz) is a LEGITIMATE contender for the worst film of all time.
What can you expect for 99p?
mriamboring1 October 2007
Well, for 99p I could have made a better film than this. Cut a square out of the side of a cardboard box, place a small child inside the box, sit back and watch for an hour and a half. There will be more drama, excitement, satisfaction and better acting watching that child in the box than ever watching "Champion Killer." I saw it in the 99p shop once when I was looking for wrapping paper and on a whim I purchased it. Nothing could prepare you for such a dull experience. Made on what looks like the worst/cheapest camera available in the shop, with actors the director seemingly chose because they live next door/didn't demand payment, "Champion Killer" fails to deliver on any meaningful level. It's difficult just to recall how bleak an experience this was. I could waffle on about plot, setting, cast, camera work, lighting, sound and a whole host of other production values but there really is no point. They were all lost on this "film."
so amazingly bad its good!
nat2nathan200518 June 2005
This movie is so horrendous its funny! The acting is some of the worst I've ever seen, the plot is amazingly plain, and the action is terrible, this is officially the ONLY film to be worse than "Flesh Eating Mothers"! OK, so here's the plot, a crack dealer in a ski mask and gloves gets annoyed at an under-cover cop, who's having an affair with another cop, so he kills her, then goes on to kill the other cops family for no apparent reason at all, then he takes off the ski mask (again, I don't know why)and decides to start killing teenage girls until the city pay him $1,000,000. they do pay him, but he gets angry again and wants $2,000,000 instead, then he tries killing the other cop, only to get shot in the leg, I turned the DVD player off at this point.
pour quoi?
hektor_uk2 February 2004
A perceptive review from Mr Barbar, but why did he seek this film out?. This is the hidden tale within a tale. We should be told why this elephantine reviewer chose such a movie. As for the film, I saw it once, in Granchester, in Grantchester. It has the charm of Kickboxer 3 and the grace of Le Belle et la Reunion..
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