Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Emmett's Mark (2002) > IMDb user comments

IMDb user comments for
Emmett's Mark (2002) More at IMDb Pro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]
Index 25 comments in total 

9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good suspense film., 21 October 2003
7/10
Author: senortuffy from Glen Ellen, CA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is a very good movie by first time writer/director Keith Snyder about a Philadelphia homicide detective who hires a hit man to kill him because he thinks he's dying. The story plays against the background of a serial killer on the loose.

Det. Emmett Young is told he has a week before he has to check himself into a hospital where he will surely die a painful death. While sitting in a restaurant having a cup of coffee and looking very depressed, a stranger approaches and tells the young detective that he was a cop once and things can't be all that bad. The two go and have a few drinks and Emmett tells him the truth, that he's going to die soon. Eventually the conversation gets around to what Emmett should do, and the man offers to find someone to kill him for $15,000, and after thinking it over, Emmett decides that's the best way to end it.

The stranger isn't who he appears to be however. He isn't a retired FBI agent, he's a sleazy lawyer with a record for fraud, and he approaches an acquaintance to do the hit. The man is an ex-cop who killed a young detective once because he was jealous of losing a promotion to him - the sleazy lawyer got him off.

About halfway through the film, Emmett learns there's been a mistake and he was given another patient's diagnosis - he only has a bad viral infection. Now the dilemma, how to find the guy who contracted his own hit and stop things from happening.

I won't spoil the ending, but the plot takes a few twists and turns, and things don't turn out the way you think they will.

The director scored a major coup by getting two excellent actors to play major roles in this movie. Gabriel Byrne plays the sleazy stranger who arranges the hit, and Tim Roth plays the ex-cop contracted to carry it out. Byrne is an underutilized actor who deserves more roles like this because he's very good. Tim Roth is the one who really stands out, however. He plays the dimwitted killer with dead eyes perfectly. The end scene when he finally confronts Emmett was excellent, and different.

Scott Wolf plays Emmett Young, and though he looks more like a choir boy than a big city homicide detective, he handles the part well enough. The rest of the cast is unknowns but they carry the story along very well also.

I never heard of this film when it came out last year, which is too bad because it's much better than a lot of the better known police dramas that got all the notice. Definitely a good one to rent and Keith Snyder is someone to watch in the future.

Was the above comment useful to you?

8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly good!, 20 August 2002
Author: Gurkenhappen from Germany

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw Emmett's Mark at the Fantasy Filmfest in Hamburg, Germany. And it was a pleasant surprise - though the story isn't exactly new and was last used in Aki Kaurismäkis I hired a contract killer and Warren Beattys Bulworth: A man hires someone to kill him and isn't able to contact and stop him, when he suddenly changes his mind and wants to keep living. But Writer and Director Keith Snyder added a quite smart murder mystery to this plot (the main character is a cop), had an excellent cast (including the always fantastic Tim Roth), creates a dark, melancholic atmosphere and has some very good ideas. I especially liked the sub-plot with the killer and his 'girlfriend'. The only thing about this movie I had a problem with, was the soundtrack. The music is far too big, too loud and almost never stops. It doesn't create a mood, it's distracting.

Was the above comment useful to you?

5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A sleeper, 28 September 2005
8/10
Author: supah79 from Netherlands

Young cop Emmet Young gets the news has only weeks to live. An ex-cop offers him a solution: A hit-man will kill Emmet thus sparing him a long and painful deathbed. Emmet takes the deal, but than finds out the hospital screwed up. He isn't dying. Now he has to stop the hit-man. In a substory he is also pursuing a serial killer who rapes en kills young women. On all fronts time is running out.

I liked this movie very much. The actors are good, especially Wolf and Roth. The script is original and avoids the pitfalls of cliché and stays logical. This is the first time I really liked Scott Wolf in a role. He plays Emmet as a young and intelligent but obsessive cop. I liked the fact that the director really took his time to let us in the life of the hit-man (Roth). It made the final showdown so much more powerful.

Though the film probably had a fraction of the budget most blockbusters have, this doesn't show in the film. The sounds and visuals are very well done. I highly recommend it

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Mystery, 23 April 2006
7/10
Author: whpratt1 from United States

Scott Wolf,(Emmett Young) gave an outstanding performance as a young detective who just starts on the police force and is an eager beaver to achieve his goal as an FBI agent in the future. However, Emmett is given some medical advice from this physician that greatly upsets him and throws him completely out of focus. His girlfriend, Sarah,(Sarah Clarke), "24" Nina Myers,'04 TV series, decides to leave him because he never spends any time with her and pays her very little attention. Despite all these personal problems, he has his mind set on a string of female killings and will stop at nothing in order to attempt to capture this serial killer. There is plenty of twists and turns in this mystery and it will keep you guessing just who the killer or killers are. Almost forgot, Khandi Alexander,(Detective Middlestat),CSI TV Series, was very hot and sexy looking as a forensic specialist/Detective.

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A great thriller with a dark edge, 2 July 2005
8/10
Author: head_banger106 from United States

The story follows Detective Emmett Young who finds out that due to a sudden and very rare disease his death will be very soon and very unpleasant. He soon meets someone who offers him a way out. He then puts out a hit on himself that is sent to a former police man and now security guard (Tim Roth). Emmett Young is soon met with another challenge of finding a violent serial killer/rapist within the time of his hit. The story unfolds perfectly with some great character study. From start to finish the story is bleak and dark which blends perfectly with the over all theme. The story also has a surprising and unsettling twist in the middle which gives the movie more tension and well as adds to the protagonists struggles. The use of dialog throughout the story helps set the mood as well as give the audience a truthful look at the 3 main characters. We see what exactly separates Emmett Young from his assassin as well as what can drive someone to make the choice to kill another person. Tim Roth gives a brilliant and chilling performance as a broken former cop who has more reason to kill than just money. Anyone who likes smart story telling as well as fine character performances will enjoy Killing Emmett Young.

Was the above comment useful to you?

5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Pretty great stuff, 3 August 2006
8/10
Author: Petri Pelkonen (petri_pelkonen@hotmail.com) from Finland

Scott Wolf plays a young detective called Emmett Young, who's said to have one week to live.He hires someone to kill him.When he wants to cancel the order, it's not so easily done.Emmett's Mark (2002) is a fine thriller drama that manages to keep the suspense on from the beginning till the end.Scott Wolf, who played Bailey Salinger in Party of Five, is very good in the lead.Gabriel Byrne, who plays the guy after him, is very good also.Other actors I could mention are Khandi Alexander and Tim Roth.Everybody's great in the movie.The plot is, I think, something unique.You don't see movies like this every day.Sure it's not a masterpiece and soon to have a classic status, but who cares.It's great entertainment.I think this movie is way underrated and you should give it a chance.All of you.

Was the above comment useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
This is GOOD., 10 July 2007
8/10
Author: Onorien from Belgium

Screw what anyone says about movies where everything is not about action, 'cause this is a very very good film. I don't know the first thing about what a good cameraman is supposed to do or what good special effects are (if there even are in this one), but I look at the big picture and that must count for something. The acting is good, natural, down to earth, the atmosphere is a bit cold, distant and autistic. But that made the whole movie worth watching it, I thought, and the absence (finally!) of any wild romance or crazy love made it a big Hansaplast on a bleeding wound. Really. If you have lost hope in Hollywood, see this.

Was the above comment useful to you?

3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
For a debut film, brilliant!, 8 October 2002
9/10
Author: The Coma-man from Berlin, Germany

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw "Emmet's Mark" some months ago at the Berlin Fantasy Film Fest, and have to admit, that it is a masterpiece!

Scott Wolfe does a great performance as the young officer, who tries to solve a serial-killer-case in the last three days he has to live: when it turns out, that he is suffering to a deadly disease and has only a week left to live, he affirmates to an old FBI agent he met only once (Gabriel Burne), that he should contact a killer (Tim Roth) who'll kill him in 3 days, before the disease will do so. But then, the whole story turns...

Gabriel Burn does a very good job as the old FBI agent, who tries to "help" the dying man, but the true Star of the movie is clearly Tim Roth: his brilliant Coen like performance of the idiotic killer really should get an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

The camera work, the cutting and the soundtrack are perfect, and keep you in a tight mood. And the ending of the movie is both shocking, surreal and realistic.

If you can see this true hidden gem, watch it!

10 out of 10!

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
A good debut from a first time director., 14 April 2002
Author: cmyklefty from Philadelphia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this movie at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. It was the world premiere of this film. Emmett's Mark about a young detective, who try to solve a murder case finds out he is has a terminal illness. The detective meets a mysterious stranger and arrange somebody to kill him. Things are about to heat up when detective immerses in a new case and gradually try to solve the case before the deadline of his killing. Keith Snyder is the director of this movie. He talked after the film and said he did not have a plans to shoot in any city or any star to be attach to the film, when he wrote the screenplay. Snyder decided do the film in Philadelphia when somebody to produce the film. It stars Scott Wolf, Gabriel Byrne, Tim Roth, and Khandi Alexander. Made all fine performances in the movie. This is a good first time effort from Keith Snyder. I have a feeling he will become a big director one day. This movie is worth a look.

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Lacks focus, but packs punch, 14 April 2002
6/10
Author: creed78 from united states

Just saw this film at its world premiere in Philadelphia. I thought it was beautifully shot (wait till you see the shot of Roth in the closet), nicely directed (that closet shot again), and impressively acted (even Scott Wolf) but the story seemed a little unfocused, even cliched at times. There was a subplot involving a murder investigation that was never given the attention it should have received. And there is a certain extremely cliche plot-twist about midway through the film that should have been eliminated in the writing stages. On the other hand, both Wolf's and Roth's characters were well-written, each receiving a nice amount of screentime to showcase their characters' depth. Overall, this was a solid, above average drama/thriller. And with today's lack of quality films, that's a huge compliment.

Was the above comment useful to you?
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings Awards
Newsgroup reviews External reviews Plot keywords
Main details Your user comments Your vote history