The Minus Man

Critics Consensus

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60%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 35

46%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 4,047
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Movie Info

Notable as the directorial debut of Blade Runner co-scripter Hampton Fancher, this darkly comic thriller stars affable Owen Wilson as Vann Siegert, a different brand of serial killer: one who actually believes he's doing his deeply depressed victims a service of mercy. Wandering up the West Coast, Vann chooses victims from a parade of colorful social misfits -- including a haggard junkie (singer Sheryl Crow) whose pain he ends with a nip from his flask of poison amaretto -- and expounds on his motives with a pocket tape recorder (a drawling monologue that serves as the film's narrative voice-over). A brief layover in Owensville eventually finds Vann in the company of quarreling middle-aged couple Doug and Jane (Brian Cox and Mercedes Ruehl), who grow fond of the young drifter's amiable demeanor and take him on as a boarder. After landing a job at the local post office, Vann catches the eye of co-worker Ferrin (Janeane Garofalo), and a tentative romance blossoms -- but even love can't distract Vann from his crusade to terminate people's unhappiness: "They come to me like moths, because I shine," he explains. Though not the complex psychological game it purports to be, The Minus Man is an intriguing character study -- imagine a kindler, gentler version of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer -- with some clever twists and fine performances, including a touching portrayal from the usually acerbic Garofalo. Geared more to the art-movie crowd than to fans of Hitchcockian thrills, this film opened to raves at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

Cast

Owen Wilson
as Vann Siegert
Janeane Garofalo
as Ferrin
Brian Cox
as Doug
Mercedes Ruehl
as Jane
Dwight Yoakam
as Blair
Dennis Haysbert
as Graves
Sheryl Crow
as Caspar
Eric Mabius
as Gene
Larry Miller
as Paul
Lois Gerace
as Lois
Alex Warren
as State Trooper
Chloe Black
as Karen (age 18)
Walter C. Bassett
as Utility Cable
Brent Briscoe
as Chief of Police
Mark Derwin
as Creech
Maria Diaz
as Anchorwoman
Meg Foster
as Irene
Matt Gerald
as Arresting Officer
Erik Holland
as Coach
Madeleine Ignon
as Karen (age 5)
Shannon Marie Kies
as Wendy
Lew McCreary
as Man in Diner
Axel Ovregaard
as Joe La Moine
Danny "Big" Black
as Arthur
John Vargas
as Priest
David Warshofsky
as Pate
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Critic Reviews for The Minus Man

All Critics (35) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (14)

View All Critic Reviews (35)

Audience Reviews for The Minus Man

  • Jan 27, 2012
    Something constructed back when Owen Wilson felt a need to act. The film hangs far too often.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • May 15, 2010
    In this movie Owen Wilson stars as a cold-blooded serial killer who travels around the country in order to choose victims who complain about their lives and talk about all their misery. When the killer comes to a new small town where he gets to stay at a unhappily married couple, he just waits to find his next victim. He sees ghosts who taunt his concience and he later starts a relationship with a woman from his job. It was very interesting seeing Wilson in this kind of character and I think it suited him well. He expresses this kind of innocence. Very interesting movie.
    Naughtia N Super Reviewer
  • Nov 17, 2008
    This movie is so lame.
    Kevin L Super Reviewer
  • Dec 28, 2007
    I first saw this movie in 2000, I thought it was good then. I just seen it again today for a better clarity of the movie, and I have to say it was pretty good. Low-key. But, fairly well. Great cast- Owen Wilson, Brian, Dennis Haysbert, and Janeane Garofalo.
    Leo L Super Reviewer
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