Piggy Banks (2005) Reviews

• An Anti-Slasher Slasher Flick That Works

  bigpeanutdaddy2008-03-11

  I love it when I see a movie and it surprises me by being totally superior, and different, then what I was expecting. This film, about a young serial killer who is forced to confront the emptiness of his life, is not the clichéd blood fest the DVD cover, and the lame title ("Born Killers"? C'mon…), would have you believe. But don't get me wrong, because there is blood, murder and horror. The movie starts with two brothers in the prime of their careers as serial killers. Their father (a chilling Tom Sizemore, seen in flashback) taught them that people are "Piggy Banks" to be busted open for the loot. While Michael (a charmingly evil Gabriel Mann) gets off on the creepy sex part of their vocation, John (Jake Muxworthy, reminiscent of Kurt Cobain), the more cold-blooded of the two, just wants the cash. The brothers part ways, and John goes on an odyssey of self-discovery. What he finds is the enchanting Gertie (Lauren German), who may or may not be his sister. As John experiences deep feelings for another, he is shocked out of his moral abyss like a worm placed in the sun. John, always in control, begins to fall apart. It's as existential a piece of character development as I've seen, and it works. This film is packaged as a straight up exploitive slasher flick. It's not. There's no doubt that some will be disappointed by the way this film turns into something else. The killers don't crack jokes when taking lives, there isn't a race against the clock, a secret identity doesn't need to be revealed, and most of the killing is in the beginning. Director Morgan J. Freeman, probably best known for his break out Sundance debut Hurricane Streets, deserves a lot of credit. All the performances are outstanding, and even when the film gets cerebral, I was on the edge of my seat. It's a star turn by Jake Muxworthy, and Freeman isn't afraid to keep the camera on him. It's well paced, well shot (it has a cool bleach by-pass look for the flashbacks) and has locations that somehow evoke a serial killer paradise. This film deserves to be seen on it's own terms, and not as just another exploitive slasher film. Too bad the packaging and title are so deceptive.

  More

• Movie Plot (only beginning of storyline, no spoilers)

  imdb-46322006-11-27

  // Just finished watching this film and i really, really liked it. // I won't reveal any plot past the first significant part of the story - i simply hate it when the whole plot is revealed or is made obvious. It's about two brothers, who after their mother dies, grow up with their previously absent father who's way of life is to break into peoples homes, steal, kidnap and murder the occupants. "Piggy Banks" - simply smash one open, use the contents, move on to the next. // But this isn't a horror flick - more of a bloody, involving story as narrated by one of the brothers.) As the brothers (now in their 20s) follow in their fathers footsteps, the thieving and murdering become casual routine when they need money (a "work day") or not, until they become involved with a girl called Archer (Kelli Garner) who's intellect and ideas spark a disturbance in the brothers mindset. As this begins to unravel in John, who is quieter and less impulsive than his brother Michael, buried secrets come to the forefront and parts of the family's past is revealed. // An excellent cast with very good performances, especially Jake Muxworthy and Lauren German.

  More

• Completely Totally Not What I Expected

  sufferingsappho692008-07-01

  If there was ever a monument to the 11th Commandment of DVD selection (Thou Shalt Not Base Thy Expectations For The Movie on Its Packaging), "Born Killers" is it. Even the title seems designed to make you think you're getting some forgettable little blood-soaked b-movie schlockfest. (A little digging revealed the movie's real title when first released in foreign markets was "Piggy Banks," but the name was changed for the U.S. release because . . . Well, I'm not sure why, actually. You have to think a big successful distributor like Lions Gate knows what it's doing.) Anyhoo. I rented it on the recommendation of a friend whose taste in indie cinema I trust, and it turned out to be quite the dark little treat. Yes, the first thirty or forty minutes or so are--as advertised--a peek at the life of the roving North American serial murderer in his natural element. But instead of gore these scenes are punctuated with some entertaining dialogue, revelatory narration, and intriguing characters possessed of (admittedly) vulgar and brutal sensibilities . . . but somehow coupled with subtle hints of the real complexity beneath the crimson surface. And then as the movie reaches the half-way mark it spins off into a wholly new direction, at which point you realize (again) that though you thought you had a pretty good handle on just what kind of film you were watching you in fact didn't have a clue. Stick around, if for no other reason than to see the luminous Lauren German (Gertie) enter the story and surprise even the most jaded soul . . .

  More

• Original and largely unpredictable. A pleasant surprise.

  joshtree10002008-01-04

  This isn't a movie likely to suit all tastes, and if you're looking for a gore-soaked slasher movie or a by-the-numbers serial-killer drama you'll be disappointed. The crimes being committed are not brilliant or spectacular, and most of the violence--disturbing as it tends to be--is implied rather than shown. This leaves a lot of room for character, and these characters, detestable though some of them may be, are what make this movie stand out from the formulaic crowd. Jake Muxworthy's lead performance as John is overall very solid, considering he's saddled with the daunting task of imbuing a coldly opportunistic killer with enough human complexity to make his story one we can actually care about. The superb Gabriel Mann is at the height of his powers here as the fun-loving gleefully murderous older brother Michael, making John actually seem stable and reasonable by comparison. Tom Sizemore as their psychopath father is chillingly perfect in that role, as convincing a portrayal as he's ever pulled off. And Lauren German as Gertie is nothing less than a revelation; with her appearance the story spins off into a new and unexpected--and quite risky--direction, and the whole thing could have very easily slid right off the rails but for the strength and seamless believability of her performance. She is, in a word, perfect. She breathes life into an exceptionally complex character, and she adds some much needed light to what would have otherwise been a relentlessly dark story. The dialogue throughout the movie is mostly crisp and smart, and John's voice-over narration contains some real gems. The scenes of horror are appropriately horrific (though mostly bloodless), the funny parts are funny, and the occasional warm bits work surprisingly well too. Good script, good direction, good cast, good movie. It's an hour-and-a-half well spent . . . although you may feel afterward like you need a long shower in a room with a sturdy lock on the door.

  More

• What a hidden gem of a horror movie. I'm rather stunned

  rlange-32008-11-23

  I'm not much of a gore fan and once upon a midnight dreary I must have clicked this into my Blockbuster queue and it showed up in the mail. I didn't expect much. The best surprises are totally unexpected. This is most definitely NOT a cheap slasher movie, packaging aside. While the movie lacks the pizazz of Natural Born Killers, it is a very impressive and well acted movie that takes us on a horrifying trip that plumbs the depths of psychopathology. The very banality of the murderous lifestyles juxtaposed with the ordinary and almost attractive personalities (Gertie especially) of the characters is deeply disconcerting. You might find yourself asking if you might have tipped a few beers at a bar with any one of these and not realized how close you came to the personification of the deepest depths of evil. These are not the glamour figures of Bonnie and Clyde, nor the Robin Hood stereotypes, or the John Wayne Gacey perverts but a whole different breed of animal. Going into the more detail could ruin the plot. I'd recommend giving it a shot in first person. I also wonder who p.o'ed who in the marketing of this film. It's packaged as a cheap slasher movie which it definitely is not, and Blockbuster distributes it as "Born Killers" with no hint of an alternate title. But the IMDb doesn't even list that title (at the time this is written, and believe me I looked carefully). Try Googling it and you will find it hard to even locate a decent website for the film. Ironically I found the film by clicking on an advert on this site which took me to the movie at Amazon listing Piggy Banks as the alternative title. It's almost as if they don't want anybody to find out the secret.

  More