THE MURDER MEN

Written and Directed by King Jeff
Produced by King Jeff, Gorio, Brian Lanigan, El Timo
Director of Photography Charles Bush
Editor -Tim Watson, King Jeff, and Natalie Murrah

Detective July - King Jeff
Detective Rook - Gorio
Detective Lane - Brian Lanigan
Detective Janus - Roy Jackson
Detective Moses - Charlie Hollins Jr.
Detective Gunner - El Timo

One of my favorite television programs has to Law & Order. For those that haven't caught it, the show revolves around the relationship between New York City Police Detectives and the District Attorney's Office. It's one of the few shows that succeeds with character taking a back seat to story and procedure. That's not to say characterization isn't present, it's just not the focus of the show. Each episode follows an accused offender from arrest through trial as the two legal factions work together to bring about a winning prosecution.

THE MURDER MEN is Law & Order done bayou style.

Six Louiseanna detectives wake to find a murder in their normally quiet town. One murder quickly becomes three in as many days. Like L&O, this isn't a mystery. The identity of the killer is revealed early on, the trick is to pull in the right evidence to arrest and convict. That's not always as easy as it sounds, look at Klaus Von Bulo and O.J. Simpson.

The director, King Jeff, who also stars as Detective July, has a keen eye for human observation. He knows that it's out quirks that will eventually give us away. Someone just has to be perceptive enough to make all the connections. Jeff writes his characters as being sharp and cunning, well aware of the fact that everything is not always open and shut. To win the day, there's a great deal to unearth.

THE MURDER MEN moves along at brisk pace, there is little in the way of dead weight. As I mentioned before, there is no time for character development outside of the plot. No man is the star. All characters are given equal footing, and deservedly so, it's the team that will bring about conviction. Contrary to Hollywood conventions, no man is a super-cop.

There's an unnecessary bookending-segment that is meant to pay homage to the film's hard-boiled, noir roots that does more to undermine the impact of the film than anything else. I'm not sure why the segment was included other than to pad out the 75-minute running time. With a brisk re-edit, THE MURDER MEN would make one fine episode of Law & Order.

You can order THE MURDER MEN directly from Sub Rosa Studios.
Visit the official MURDER MEN website.

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