Out to Kill

The murder of a highly desired -- and universally detested -- male "slut" named Justin Jaymes is the anchor for writer-director Rob Williams' gay mystery movie "Out to Kill." Gay music rising star Tom Goss plays the corpse, but before his untimely demise he has a chance to strut his stuff for the camera -- including few scenes done in the buff.

Scott Sell plays Jim Noble, the new guy in an apartment complex that serves as a gay pocket universe situated in Tampa, Florida. The center of this closed, cruise ecosystem is the complex's swimming pool, where randy queens congregate to preen, dish, and cruise; it's also where peacock Justin most likes to doff his duds and give passers-by an inviting smile.

Noble happens to be a private investigator, so when Justin ends up dead in the swimming pool the morning after a party, it's to him that Justin's only real friend, Gene (Rob Moretti) turns. The cops have no interest in finding out the truth; an autopsy report shows that Justin was full of heroin at the time of his death, which is explanation enough for the authorities. But no one at the apartment complex believes it -- not even the residents who disliked Justin, including Noble's new flame, Vic (Mark Strano).

There's no lack of possible killers, including hookups from a site called "Manhandler" and a twink called Ted (Michael Kenneth Fahr) who, in a moment of poolside pique, was seen hurling a drink into Justin's face and hissing a death threat. Whether Ted is, in fact, the one who carried out the deed rests on the question of who was diddling whom at a post-pool party orgy hosted by a thruple called The Stevens. (The three explain to a bemused Noble that one of them is Steve [Lee Williams], another is Stephen [Nicolas Burgos], and the third is Steven Christopher Cutillo].)

Clues and corpses pile up as Noble continues his investigation, culminating in a revelation offered by a mysterious fellow known locally as "Rear Window Man" (Aaron Quick Nelson). But how reliable are any of these friends, neighbors, playmates, and witnesses?

The killer's identity isn't any great surprise (there's a major clue that points right at the guilty party well in advance of the big reveal), and the motive isn't necessarily what the film's set-up leads us to think it is -- also not a huge surprise, given that the film treats the putative reason for Justin's murder as an obvious red herring. It's too bad, too, since we're never exactly sure just what it is people dislike about Justin, and when the film takes the opportunity to showcase Goss as a singer (Williams would be crazy not to), overlaying his performance of a song titled "Hard to Breathe" on a montage of apartment dwellers going about their daily tasks, we get our one and only chance to see Justin as a human being and feel a little pity at his fate. Otherwise, he's offered up as a mere plot contrivance, amounting to little more than a reason to set Noble loose on a network of gay guys, with all their sordid secrets and sketchy, fraught relationships.

The script's fun is all on the surface (there are some pretty funny one-liners scattered throughout), which lends the movie a campy feel the viewer can roll with, but the acting is largely stilted and unconvincing. Goss and Sell are by far the two actors who seem most comfortable in front of the camera, but Goss is saddled with a character who is so unlikeable (at least, in theory) that it's an impossible task: Goss is simply too sweet for the role of the strutting, callous playboy, though he seems to be enjoying his chance to play the bad apple. (Check him out in his videos, where he's a much better fit with the happy personae he portrays.) He's a good sport about shucking his clothes, too, which livens up the film considerably.

Sell, similarly, has some real sex appeal, and he's given some decent comic material to work with; but his character is put through some contortions that he can't reconcile. There are reasons for this, as it turns out, but knowing the reasons and believing in them are different things, and Sell doesn't quite sell it.

Otherwise, the acting is... let's call in inexpert, though, to be fair, Nelson plays his wheelchair-bound peeping Tom with a weird intensity that's interesting. The performances are not helped by editing that feels a little lax. On the other hand, these same factors impart a cult-movie charm; you could imagine watching this film on any number of late night occasions, clutching a wine glass sticky with dregs. Much better are the cinematography, by Paul D. Hart, and the music, both by Goss and score composer Jake Monaco.

This release includes some intriguing extras, including an extended opening scene, cast interviews with Scott Sel, Tom Goss, Rob Moretti, and Mark Strano, and two Tom Goss music videos (performed in character as Justin Jaymes -- "You Don't Know How Hard" is particularly sassy and fun).

Overall, this is a funky, likable little indie film that feels like the cinematic equivalent of lounging by the pool for not quite an hour and a half.

"Out to Kill"
DVD
$24.99
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