Rough Draft (1998)

Brilliant and touching

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

A washed-up freelance journalist stumbles upon a serial killer in his city. When the killer finds out that a journalist knows about him, instead of killing the journalist, the killer asks to be interviewed. This premise is an interesting one, though not really original (check out the Kurt Russel movie "The Mean Season"). It could have worked again here, but the end results are pretty poor. None of the characters seem to be very interesting, even the serial killer. In fact, all the characters in the movie make some really stupid decisions when common sense would have quickly ended this story. The movie moves at a snail's pace because there's simply not enough story here. Don't get me wrong - I like a lot of low budget B movies, but this one is so poorly made that even I can't forgive its shortcomings.

I don't know why everyone is so harsh towards this movie. I saw this movie really late at night on one of the "premium" channels, and by the end my side hurt from all the laughing. Often time one is reminded of a modern day Ed Wood with this films script and production values. As I don't want to ruin any of the film for you, I would be remissed if I didn't mention how funny the scene where Gary Busey's character is running through the streets. As mentioned by another, the scene is done with a stand in, in a ridiculous wig. The scene was shot totally guerilla style during some sort of nighttime festival on the streets of a very "New Orleanish" city. Basically the standin in the wig runs into various groups of people while Busey's voice is dubbed in yelling things. This was sort a high point for the film when its truth was laid out there for all to see.If you can imagine how funny this scene would be then this film might hold some value to you.

I bought this film for £1 from my local supermarket. It was hugely over priced.Despite featuring 3 fairly established Hollywood actors (Gary Busey, Michael Madsen and Arnold Vosloo) the acting is so excruciatingly bad it often seems like a tongue in cheek comedy sketch. The director must have been a functioning alcoholic or drug addict to think the script was i anyway feasible and to apparently not notice the laughably poor standard of acting. This is genuinely one of the worst films ever written, directed or acted in. Another reviewer states that the film is so bad it is almost funny. Fair enough, but I can't (as he can) watch it twice a week. Because I would vomit into my own mouth over and over.

Arnold Vosloo comes accross believable in this movie as a crooning smoothe serial killer who gets off on killing women who he meets in the street by using his charm to walk them into isolated alleys where the deed is done. I'm afraid that Gary Busey is a weak act in this movie reminding me that this is a B grader and not a star studded cast. No mindblowing camera or lighting work as a matter of fact it really belongs on daytime TV. With Michael madsen playing the dodgy cop who smokes and swears a lot ( mmmmmmm thats a new role for him ) NOT. The movie is pretty predictable right through to the end scene when finally there is a small twist. My video case boasts "Independent video release of the year 1998 VSDA Award Winning" ........What??? Yeah right! I reccomend you watch it in the afternoon when you're bored and havent anything better to do like I did. Outta 10 ....about 4 and thats because Vosloo made a good effort when the odds were against him starring in a B grade movie with a B grade cast