Let Me Die Quietly (2009) Reviews

• Amazing

  davilland2009-07-18

  I saw the movie at a Festival last night. The screenwriter, Charles Casillo, creates an evil web which seems to engulf an entire city. The central character Mario, though flawed, shows compassion and humanity as a sinister chain of events ignites that come together in the surprising end. Beautifully scripted, the actors seem to revel in their complex characters. Charles Casillo himself plays the lead role and is so easy to watch. He really gives a touching and deeply layered performance. Dana Perry,the lead actress is strikingly beautiful and mysterious. Ian Tomaschik as the psychiatrist is fantastic. Draped with a hauntingly beautiful score,this modern homage to Hitchcock, "Let Me Die Quietly", is a clever and sleek film that is rarely seen today.

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• Uneven and slow but ultimately worthwhile

  Cinemascope3932011-01-28

  I recommend this movie because of the mature, intricate, screenplay and the excellent acting. On the other hand, from a technical filmmakers standpoint, there isn't really much more to recommend "Let Me Die Quietly." If there was a budget on this film I doubt it would add up to more than a decent dinner bill and although the movie is credited with two directors, which may have something to do with its patchiness, it really seems to have had no direction. The pacing is uneven and there are many missed opportunities for building dread and suspense. When you have no budget to work with, for the most part all that you have to make a movie a success is the dialogue and acting and that is where "Let Me Die Quietly" succeeds. I love film noir--and the screenplay here strives hard to modernize the style. That means voice overs, shadowy locations, some handsome men, a gorgeous, mysterious woman, melodrama, occasional over the top dialogue, and a murderous plot. This movie has all of these things although sometimes it seems a bit all over the place. Reigned in and sharpened and this movie could be a classic. As it is, "Let Me Die Quietly," actually belongs to the actors. Charles Casillo as the drugged and drunken, "Mario," rasps, broods, suffers, lusts, regrets, and eventually sheds everything in a complex and fascinating performance as a tortured psychic who "sees" things. No, he doesn't see dead people but his psychic ability does force him to live through the last moments of a victims moments before death. It is Casillo's shoulders that the first half of the film rests on--and his encounters with a priest, a stranger, his doctor, a detective, and most of all, a beautiful new friend, "Gabrielle." Casillo reacts differently to each character and I particularly enjoyed his interactions with the "seen it all" detective "Devlin." Paul Coughlan as "Devlin" is wonderful. At first he comes across as the all cliché, world-weary, homophobic, "seen it all" cop. But Mario also spills out all of his own cliché defense mechanisms to deal with the detective. In their first meeting Mario releases his vulnerability, flirts, gets angry, and then wearily sarcastic. Devlin is impervious to Mario's bag of "faggot" tricks. And as they match each other layer for layer, line for line, you can see a mutual respect growing and they begin develop into two men, from different worlds, with an unlikely fondness for each other. This is acting chemistry at its best, and Coughlan and Casillo's scenes demonstrate great interaction between two actors. It would have been easy for lovely Dana Perry to fall into playing "Gabrielle,"--the other psychic Mario meets by chance--as a sultry, sexy, vixen. Instead Perry displays a touching sensitivity in the role and you understand why Mario, basically a homosexual, falls for her. He is desperate for more than sexual excitement and longs for an emotional connection, which Gabrielle provides. Perry, with her multi-dimensional acting makes that attraction and connection believable. Mario also reveals his problems to his psychiatrist, Dr. Avery. From the start, Ian Tomaschik as the doctor gives off an oily charm. He is tough with Mario, but it seems like he is trying to break through his dream-like, drugged haze--his macabre fantasies--and force him to deal with reality. He doesn't believe in Mario's visions and hopes to get him to begin living in the real world. All of these encounters are the set up for the second half of the movie where the machinations going on surrounding Mario's life are revealed. It is in the last forty-five minutes that the movie shifts from being an art house character study into a more conventional Hollywood-type thriller. I enjoyed "Let Me Die Quietly" for the good writing, clever twists, and most of all the fine performances all around. Although I would say it is certainly not for conventional movie audiences who have grown to expect a slicker execution.

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• "Let Me Die Quietly" review

  JOYofSeeing2009-07-21

  This movie left me stunned in my seat for about 5 minutes. Perhaps because I saw this last week sandwiched between the usual festival fare, bigger-budget Hollywood independent films, and muddled low budgets. I must say "Let Me Die Quietly," really stood out. It is a gem of a find and it packs quite a visceral punch to the gut. It is moody, haunting, and in places quite riveting. "An affair between two mediums trying to stop a murder." A quick synopsis doesn't do it justice. I won't describe it any further. I'd probably make it sound like a cross between television's "The Ghost Whisperer" and "Medium." But if you are looking for the standard formula thriller you best look elsewhere. From the opening shots the atmosphere of this movie and the storyline draw you into a weird and unsettling world of death, sex, religion and betrayal. Nothing is what it seems. Danger lurks around every corner and menace creeps in between every line. The actors play their parts to perfection. There are no unusual setups, no long tracking shots, no movie-making tricks. It almost has a hidden camera feel. In fact you forget they are acting and feel they are simply following out an inevitable destiny--and they take you along for a chilling ride. These characters seduce you, repel you, enthrall you. The story will stay with you for days. It's one of those movies you want to see more than once. I strongly recommend it.

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• A haunting, "quiet" thriller

  Jenna-JenDrama2009-08-04

  This is an independent movie in every sense of the word. A "no frills" production that relies totally on story and performances. I caught it Saturday at a screening in Los Angeles and I'm here to report it succeeds!Unlike many low budgets this is not a movie made by wannabes. Becauseof the level of professionalism in "Let Me Die Quietly" it works onseveral levels. First the story which is intricate, interesting and written with skill. The plot unfolds slowly--but it holds your attention from the opening shots of the sexually-addicted psychic (Mario) in front of the porno theater, to the exciting final scenes of mayhem and revelation. You later learn that not a single moment in the movie, not one line in the script, is wasted. And there are many clever lines along the way. It also works on an acting level. These are performances filled with nuances and moments of subtle brilliance. Charles Casillo does a fantastic job conveying a confused yet determined Mario--a man at the end of his rope who makes it his final mission to stop one murder before he dies (particularly in close-up Casillo leaves you transfixed) He meets a beautiful, enigmatic woman (Gabrielle)--also a psychic--who claims to be seeing the same murder from different perspectives. Dana Perry is highly skilled and delicate as the other psychic who slowly falls for Mario as the delve deeper and more dangerously into the upcoming murder. Ian Tomaschik gives a terrific performance as Mario's psychiatrist and I must also note the first rate work of Paul Coughlan as the tough detective with a heart underneath and Ian Macrae in a small role with a big payoff. As written, many of the scenes are between only two characters and the chemistry between each actor is amazing. The actors' stunning personalities shine through the darkness of the themes in the movie. Some viewers used to formula pictures may be turned off by the movie's leisurely-paced first half hour. Some may not be able to see beyond the gimmicky plot twists to the in-depth character studies of loneliness and fear in the big city. Also, in the theater in Hollywood where I saw it there were a few glitches that were either production problems or technical problems with the projection. What makes this movie so very special is that its success relies completely on the acting of the small cast and the storyline (plus an excellent musical score.) The picture is worthy of several viewings and mainstream success.

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• Relaxed into Intrigue

  amsy552009-10-17

  I saw Let me Die Quietly at a festival last week and I have been turning it over in my head for days this film really left me thinking ....and I loved it. The slow pace allowed me to relax and absorbed the characters, Mario grabbed me and took me on his journey of wanting more in his life, the loathing he had of his visions and the torture it gave him. The development and honesty of the character really gave you the ability to root for Mario causing you to become suspicious of all the other characters because you were bonded to Mario by his vulnerability in the very first scene of the movie. The audience became enveloped with the twist and turns of the intrigue in this film Noir' allowing you to be unable to resist rooting for Mario to get just a little peace of mind. Even with the seedy sex scene in the movie theatre and steam room you are still overcome with his honesty as a human being and his want of a normal quiet life. The Cast all gave excellent performances and were credits to their characters with outstanding performances by Charles Casillo, Dana Perry and Paul Coughlin. If you sat and relaxed into the story line of this film the performance by these three actors really do put you on the edge of your seat by the end of the film.

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