Driller Killer is a movie I have been aware of for sometime but have until now avoided watching. Perhaps it was the title put me off, it just seemed quite ridiculous. I was also put off by some of the reviews of the film that described it as awful. After watching this movie I was pleased to find the movie was much better than I anticipated and is not awful.
The plot revolves around Reno, a struggling artist who lives in one of the scummy areas of 1970s New York. He lives in a squalid apartment with his girlfriend who in turn has a girlfriend. Things start to take a turn for the worse when a punk band rent a room in the apartment block and proceeds to practice constantly, making it difficult for Reno to concentrate. The painting he is working upon is rejected by the art dealer and Reno slides further into oblivion. He gets inspiration from a television advert for a portable electric suply pack that will power his drill. Off he goes into the dirty streets, killing random homeless people.
Watching this movie it was obvious that the director had been strongly influenced by two films: Taxi Driver (1976) and Mean Streets (1973) both directed by Martin Scorsese. The gritty portrayal of the streets of 1970's New York is captured by all these films. Unfortunately for Driller Killer it is let down by poor acting, and other technical issues. This was, however, one of the directors very early films and he went on to direct some heavy hitters within the acting community. You can see why, the movie is, despite its technical faults, a very competent movie within the constraints of a low budget.
On a deeper level it appears that Reno has a father, indeed the scene within the church suggests that the homeless man may well have been his father despite Reno stating it wasnt. His father is homeless, one of the many living rough on the streets. It is no coincidence that Reno chooses the homeless to start his drill killing spree. Indeed one of the homeless, standing at a bus stop raves about "Dad" before he gets the drill treatment. Reno is scared of ending up homeless, he complains of the bills that keep mounting. By the end of the movie he has reached rock bottom, and no one is safe from his drill.
I would recommend watching this movie, it has the typical technical problems of a small budget movie but it is also a very competent movie. There is some gore but gore fans might be disappointed as its far from a gore fest. There are moments in the film that are creepy and uncomfortable such as the skinned rabbit. There is also a pizza eating scene that almost put me off pizza for life. The ending of the movie is bleak, this is a movie that stamps upon hopes and happiness.
(6 out of 10) give it a chance!