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The Killing Jar

Play trailer Poster for The Killing Jar R 2010 1h 30m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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0% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Seven people are passing time late one evening at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. When a radio reports the disturbing murder of a family in a nearby county, the patrons immediately suspect new arrival Doe as the killer. Armed with a shotgun Doe takes the seven hostage, but as the body count rises the desperate survivors discover that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their captor.

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The Killing Jar

Critics Reviews

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Brian Tallerico Movie Retriever 03/22/2010
Thrillers that rely on tension-building within a small group of characters are harder to pull off than aspiring filmmakers may have been led to believe. Look no further than The Killing Jar for proof. Go to Full Review Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times 03/19/2010
2/5
Strains to wring tension from a tired premise and an airless script. Go to Full Review Tom Long Detroit News 03/19/2010
D
There's little fun involved, for either the audience or the diner patrons. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 03/14/2017
C+
Makes no sense and is unpleasant. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ian R @RT23899272 08/02/2025 I watched this because a few audience reviews said it was better than critics thought. It wasn't. I agree that it is okay for a day when the weather is too bad to do anything else. The plot was full of holes, it had no suspense and it was way too bloody. Madsen was the same as he always was. Barely average. See more Iamwhoi M @Shaboutiques 07/05/2025 The twists weren't very twisty; in fact, they were see through as hell. Still, considering the whole movie takes place in one location, it was good enough to watch. See more Charles P @RT36323923 06/27/2025 Above average film and performance for Madsen, but with a plot that has holes akin to Swiss cheese. Not the worst thing for a sick day or when snowed in, just don't expect this caper pic to hold up to a lot of logic at the end of the day. Trejo is here for name value only, and has little to do in this one, his role not much more than a cameo. See more PaulKMF1 @RT53880787 03/11/2024 These so called "top critics" gave this a bad review? I say whatever. This is a cool little slow burner with some interesting twists. See more DiCat F @RT31343662 12/11/2023 I certainly enjoyed this film. Started off slowly but you knew something was going to happen. It certainly did. Kept my attention throughout. I would certainly recommend. Good cast. See more GM @Greyzer 12/19/2022 Fairly meaningless. Apparently there was a twist. See more Read all reviews
The Killing Jar

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Young

Director

Michael Madsen

Doe

Harold Perrineau

Smith

Amber Benson

Noreen

Jake Busey

Greene

Danny Trejo

Jimmy

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The Killing Jar

The Killing Jar (2009) The Killing Jar (2009) The Killing Jar (2009) The Killing Jar (2009) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Seven people are passing time late one evening at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. When a radio reports the disturbing murder of a family in a nearby county, the patrons immediately suspect new arrival Doe as the killer. Armed with a shotgun Doe takes the seven hostage, but as the body count rises the desperate survivors discover that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their captor.
Director
Mark Young
Screenwriter
Mark Young
Production Co
Morningstar Films, Mark Young Films
Rating
R (Strong Bloody Violence|Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 19, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 30m
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