I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday
He may want to murder you, but at least he’s willing to give you the heads-up and a timetable.
Cast of Characters:
Robert Partridge – Thomas Siedle
Georgette Partridge – Traci Newman
Bobby Partridge – Camson Alevy
Tate Odeta – Scott Broughton
Garret Egbert – David McMahon
Mister Basilicus – Taurean Royal
Director – Durden Godfrey
Screenplay – Durden Godfrey, Taurean Royal & Jared Rush
Producer – William Bishop, David Petlansky & Taurean Royal
Not Rated
Robert Partridge (Thomas Siedle) is living the dream, or seemingly so at least. He’s got a cushy job working in advertising, a loving wife, a son who looks up to him, and he’s going to kill someone this Friday.
…
Soooo… cancel my Saturday plans then?
As the days go by leading up to Friday, the stress over Robert’s job, his home life and everyone interrupting his damn peace and quiet during coffee time at breakfast begins to build and build and build within him ’til it pushes him to his breaking point. This will, in fact, lead him to… kill someone this Friday.
Just in case the title was maybe a little too cryptic for you.
There is one million dollar question, though, that remains: Who will be the unlucky victim?
Descibed as American Psycho meets American Beauty, I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday is a low-budget psychological thriller shot in Jacksonville, Florida that just recently debuted at the Jacksonville Public Library earlier this August, presented by the Jacksonville Film Festival. Brought to you by co-writer/director/editor Durden Godfrey and his two co-writers – Taurean Royal (who also co-stars) and Jared Rush – the film takes place over the course of one week, and follows a man’s descent into homicidal mayhem.
So essentially, yeah, swap Lester Burnham for Patrick Bateman.
One interesting bit of backstory info that I discovered, while looking up some of the background behind this film, is something everyone associated with this movie refers to as the “Kill Curse”. What is the “Kill Curse”? It’s a curse that the production team believes has caused both the cast and crew to experience something tragic and (or) terribly inconveniencing: Hurricane Irma, major film set issues, illnesses, broken down cars and even one reporter who was apparently locked out of her house by her dog the day she was to interview the director. Of course, this isn’t anything new for a film. Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, Twilight Zone: The Movie, the Poltergeist franchise, The Crow and The Passion of the Christ all have alleged curses attached to their projects. Still, first or not, it is a bit of lore that this film can attach to itself.
I mean, hell, if it sells more tickets, I’d twist one bad hair day into a film curse if I could get away with it.
So, cursed or not cursed, how is the film itself?
For the record, nothing bad has happened to me… yet.
The Good: Black satires like American Psycho or surrealist dramadies like American Beauty are mostly seen by average moviegoers as performance showcases for their stars – in those two films’ cases, Oscar-winners Christian Bale and Kevin Spacey, respectively. What often gets overlooked, at least from those average moviegoers’ perspectives is that they’re also showcases, or at least they can be, for the director’s aesthetic toolbox. Having an extensive editing background under his belt, Durden Godfrey brings with him a visual style that, while not exactly original (Stanley Kubrick and Nicolas Winding Refn appear to be notable influences), does provide I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday with a touch of frenzy, at least from a visual standpoint. Between the frantic, almost pulse-like style of editing and some nice shot selections (aided by co-producer/cinematographer William Bishop), Godfrey shows a keen eye for psychological thriller aesthetics that mostly works well in creating a level of visual tension.
Complementing Godfrey’s visuals, composer Doctor Jones’s score is musical madness, a combination of eerie synthesizers and warped tempos and pitches that sounds like an unholy alliance between ’80s John Carpenter and The Shining.
Personifying this madness, Thomas Siedle turns in fine work as the psychopathic Robert Partridge (no relation to the family musical act, though that would make an amazing sequel). Imbuing his performance with an uneasy edge that effectively captures the unraveling mental descent of this seemingly typical suburban man, Siedle’s performance is the clear-cut standout. Yes, we’ve seen the obligatory ticks and mannerisms schtick from thousands of other actors before and a thousand more will surely follow after – some that work and some that don’t – but Siedle manages to sell them.
An additional highlight concerning Siedle is the relationship he shares with his workmate played by Taurean Royal. Their chemistry together felt the most authentic, and amid the problems found in the script (more on that soon), it’s their relationship that presents the most intriguing element of the story. Without delving too much into the details between them, for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’ll just say Kevin Costner’s Mr. Brooks came to mind.
The Bad: For all that I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday has going for it, it unfortunately has almost as much holding it back, and most of it concerns the script. Over the course of the film, Godfrey, Royal and Rush, try to craft a reverse whodunit mystery (i.e., instead of figuring out who the killer is, the question here is who Robert will kill) that never quite generates the captivation a good mystery is able to do. The problem is many of the potential victims are either perfunctorily developed or feel disconnected from the main conflict ’til everything appears to magically come together at the end. This ultimately leaves us with a mystery that at best is uninvolved, and at worst left me with more questions than answers concerning certain character developments (once again, no spoilers).
The film’s biggest misstep, however, is its inconsistency in creating tension through its character interactions. Psychological thrillers hinge on strong character interactions, yet much of the interactions are stunted by clunky dialogue. In an odd way, this does highlight Siedle’s performance more in that he’s able to come off unscathed despite some flat exchanges he partakes in. This is most evident during the scenes taking place in the Partridge home, which, save for one effectively unsettling scene between Robert and his son at bedtime, lacks unease and tension in moments where the punch should be packing the hardest wallop.
For sure, there is partial tension and earned investment created through Godfrey’s use of editing and scoring, as well as Siedle’s performance; however, on the other end, Traci Newman and Camson Alevy – as Robert’s wife and son, respectively – are underserved by a lack of substantive material. It’s not enough to just throw in a scene of abuse and expect that to deliver a devastating blow on its own. You also need strong, developed scenes that build up to that moment, gradually increasing the tension along the way. That’s what allows the big dramatic moment to carry a massive punch; otherwise, the big moment fails to make an impact and instead feels empty.
All that said, this is still hardly a bad film; it’s just one that’s only okay. Considering all the reported setbacks this production experienced – “Kill Curse” or not – it should be considered an accomplishment that they were able to finish this project. It’s a miracle for even a bigger film that has the benefit of more resources and a truckload’s worth of studio money dumped on top of it to produce something even just marginally competent following a litany of setbacks, much less a low-budget, indie flick.
Given his artistic chops, I do believe Godfrey has it in him to make a good, really good, maybe even a great film, provided there is solid material in his hands.
The Ugly: Someone that clearly has a case of the Mondays… and Tuesdays… and Wednesday, Thursday, Fridays… Hell, maybe even Saturday and Sundays too.
Seriously, butt out of his damn coffee time! Is that too much to ask?
Consensus: While I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday does feature some nice artistic flourishes from co-writer/director Durden Godfrey and a fine lead performance from Thomas Siedle, its undercooked story and the sometimes puzzling elements of the mystery at the center of it have it falling short of achieving true psychological thriller greatness.
Silver Screen Fanatic’s Verdict: I give I Am Going to Kill Someone This Friday a C+ (★★½).
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