Dot.Kill: aka “Digital Jesus” and “Digital Reaper” (2005)

A dying police detective pursues a serial killer.

Genre – Thriller

Director(s) – John Irvin

Writer(s) – Andrew Charas and Robert Malkani

Cast – Armand Assante, Sonny Marinelli, Raffaello Degruttola, Clare Holman and Stanley Townsend

Blue Rider’s Role – Arranged bridge financing

Distributor(s) – Bauer Martinez Studios, MGM, DEJ Productions, First Look Home Entertainment, 21st Century Pictures (Australia), EMS (Germany)

Release Date – 2005

Release Data:
In 2005 it premiered on DVD in The Netherlands and the U.S., also coming out on video in Spain. In 2006 it bowed on Hungarian TV. It premieres on Italian DVD on March 11, 2009. It appears on U.S. cable TV in 2009.

Users’ Ratings:
Through Feb. 26, 2009, 381 people had rated Dot.Kill at the Internet Movie Database, and the demographic groups that liked it best women 45 and older (who rated it 7.5 out of 10), followed by women age 30-44 (5.7). Women liked the film more than men did.

Critics’ Kudos: 
Reel Film Reviews: “An astoundingly intense performance from Armand Assante, who barks and rages his way through the entire film. The actor stars as a grizzled cop who’s been trying to kick a morphine addiction for an undetermined amount of time (his doctor has long since stopped prescribing him the drug, forcing him to turn to a former ‘collar’ to get his fix). Though he is a complete mess, he’s forced to pull himself together after a psychopath begins murdering people and broadcasting their deaths on the Internet.”

“Directarbosh,” Direct to Video Movie Reviews: “”Dot.Kill” is an entertaining mystery. Charlie Daines (Assante) is morphine-addicted cop on the edge, who doesn’t have much time to live. Daines has his own demons, but a serial killer is on the loose, killing people over the internet. Can he stop him in time before his next fix?

“The best part of the movie is Assante’s performance. He goes over the top and back. One point he is confronted by one of his partners about his drug addiction. Daines starts going insane. He picks up a hot poker (which comes out of nowhere) and says ‘Do you want to burn me?!’

The drawbacks to Dot.Kill are the similarities to Fear Dot.Com and the ending. But if you like Assante’s work, you’ll have a fun time.”

Your Video Store Shelf review: “A good, old fashioned, direct-to-video detective film, starring the always awesome Armand Assante as a sick detective on a mission. I’ve been loving Armand Assante as of late and I enjoy standard detective movies, so it wasn’t hard to get into this.”

Major Cast and Crew Credits and Awards:
Special Effects supervised by Bob Keen (Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Alien, Highlander, Event Horizon; six Saturn Award Best Makeup nominations for Warlock: The Armageddon, Candyman, Nightbreed, Hellraiser, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and Waxwork).

Directed by John Irvin (Turtle Diary, Hamburger Hill, Raw Deal, A Month by the Lake, Dogs of War; award nominee for Widow’s Peak, City of Industry and TV’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).

Written by Andrew Charas (producer on Hit and Runway, Way Off Broadway) and Robert Malkani (Day Zero).

Stars Armand Assante (Emmy Winner for Gotti; nominated for nine other awards for Q & A, American Gangster, The Odyssey, Jack the Ripper and The Road to El Dorado; also appeared in Mambo Kings, Judge Dredd, Striptease, Two For the Money, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Private Benjamin, Fatal Attraction, Belizaire the Cajun and 72 other films and TV projects); Sonny Marinelli (10th and Wolf, Noel, Jumpin’ At the Boneyard, The Black Donnellys, Fast Company, eight episodes of That’s Life and two episodes of NYPD Blue); Raffaello Degruttola (Saving Private Ryan, House of 9, Wit, Wing Commander, What a Girl Wants); Clare Holman (Blood Diamond, Tom & Viv, Let Him Have It, Afraid of the Dark, five episodes of Inspector Morse, five of Lewis and three of The Lakes) and Stanley Townsend (In the Name of the Father, The Libertine, The Snapper, The Van, What a Girl Wants).

Cast includes Frank Nasso (Gone Fishin’, Prince of Central Park); Jason Durran (Casino Royal, The Walker, Victims); Tony Sciena (The Merchant of Venice, Wake of Death, The Number One Girl); Jeff Merchant (Queer as Folk, The Second Coming, Sparkhouse) and Ray Nicholas (The Final Cut, Al’s Lads, Knock Off; stunts in 53 films including Saving Private Ryan).

Executive producer is Armand Assante (debut).

Producers are Philippe Martinez (The Groomsmen,
Wake of Death, Modigliani, Harsh Times, Land of the Blind, Texas 46, Out of Season, I Could Never Be Your Woman, The Flock, Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj and 17 other films and TV projects); Andrew Charas (Shampoo Horns, Hit and Runway, Dead Broke); Alan Latham (I Could Never Be Your Woman, The Defender, Modigliani) and Robert Malkani (Day Zero, Turning Green).

Director of Photography is Damian Bromley (House of 9, The Business; won Dinard British Film Festival Best Cinematography Award for The Football Factory).

Film Editing by Peter Przygodda (Paris Texas, Lisbon Story; won German Film Awards for Editing The American Friend and False Movement; won Bavarian Film Award for editing Last Exit to Brooklyn) and Oli Weiss (Palmetto, Lisbon Story; with Peter Przygodda was nominated Best Editor at the European Film Awards for Don’t Come Knocking).

Production Design by Michael Kane (Once Were Warriors, Meet the Feebles; won New Zealand Best Design Film Award for Desperate Remedies).

Art Direction by Matthew Button (Spivs, The Last Drop and The Riddle).

Costume Design by Marianne Agertoft (Cold and Dark, Brothers of the Head).

Digital Effects by Frank Wegerhoff (The Patriot, Enemy at the Gates, FeardotCom, 2001: A Space Travesty, Comedian Harmonists, The Frighteners).
Links:
Internet Movie Database entry for Dot.Kill

Dot.Kill trailers (for WMP and Real Player) at imdb.com