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MOVIE REVIEW

I Know Who Killed Me

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for grisly violence including torture and disturbing gory images, and for sexuality, nudity and language.

Reviewed by: Bob Rossiter
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults Teens
Genre: Thriller
Length: 1 hr. 45 min.
Year of Release: 2007
USA Release: July 27, 2007 (wide)
Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony)
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Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony) Copyright, Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Featuring Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough, Brian Geraghty, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Spencer Garrett, Gregory Itzin, Bonnie Aarons, Kenya Moore, Thomas Tofel, Rodney Rowland, David Figlioli
Director Chris Sivertson
Producer Johnny Lopez, Frank Mancuso Jr, David Grace
Distributor
Distributor: Columbia Pictures. Trademark logo.
Columbia Pictures
, a division of Sony Pictures

When people are led to believe they are walking into a theatre to watch a crime/thriller movie and end up having to sit through an adult horror flick many tend to come away disgruntled with Hollywood. I know I did with “I Know Who Killed Me”. I can only guess at the discussion a mom and 13 year old daughter had afterwards that were in the same showing.

The movie begins with a visual representation of a story Aubrey (Lindsay Lohan) has written and is reading to her class. The scene is at a gentleman’s club with a woman not unlike Aubrey dancing at the pole. After her successful reading, Aubrey decides to set aside some of her other endeavors that merely get her awards and begins focusing on writing as her career. The town of New Salem is reeling from another of its students who had been kidnapped, tortured then killed. This puts a lot of fear into the community when Aubrey ends up missing.

The search lasts for several weeks until a driver spots her laying abandoned along a country road. After waking at the hospital, the young girl, who was apparently tortured, insisted that she wasn’t Aubrey, but someone who looks just like her named Dakota. The rest of the movie is spent with her family and friends trying to help her see that she is going through post-traumatic stress syndrome and really is Aubrey Fleming. The young girl herself searches for clues about how her name, Dakota Moss, was used as a character in Aubrey’s fictional story almost a month before her abduction.

As an adult horror film there are plenty of moral problems with the film, and those who are squeamish about such things may want to skip down to the final paragraph to read my take on the movie. One ethical difficulty is that of language. The F-word is used almost 20 times while God’s name is misused an additional 10 times with an equal number of other foul language.

As an adult movie, there is no lack of sexual immorality. There are at least 4 or 5 extended scenes set inside a stripper club. One of these begins the film and early on zooms in on a woman’s bare breast. At other times strippers are seen full frontal, wearing only the skimpiest of panties and heels. Other scenes include exotic dancers trying to arouse their male clientele doing pole and table dances wearing only stick-ons and thongs. Some of these dances are shown in close up view. The Dakota character is also shown having sex with Aubrey’s boyfriend. The boyfriend is shirtless, and Dakota’s bare back is shown. This extended scene is complete with sexual movements and sounds. Other nudity includes the naked body of a slain girl shown full frontal on a table. This picture is shown several times throughout the movie.

Even some who like horror movies won’t be able to keep their eyes fixed on the screen at all times. The music and screams combined with torture are too much for a few who like the genre. Aubrey is drugged to keep her awake during the agony. The killer is shown using a press to squeeze two blocks of dry ice on either side of Aubrey’s hand until it turns black and blue from frostbite. The view of when he pulls it off her hand is too horrendous for me to print here. A close up shot of him slowly cutting off one of her fingers is then shown along with him amputating one of her legs. All of this is done with her awake and screaming.

* If you skipped the previous part of the review due to the sex/nudity or gore you can continue reading now.

While the film is morally degrading, it isn’t without a couple positive aspects. Technically, the film was of good quality in the acting, directing and even the writing. There were also a couple moral actions performed by Aubrey’s parents. Aubrey’s dad risks his life for his daughter and her mom, wanting to help her cope with life tells her, “Kick your way to the other side of this problem, and I’ll be there.”

I have to ask myself, however, which came first—Lindsay Lohan the person, or Aubrey Fleming the character? Lindsay Lohan is a wonderful young actress with so much life and potential, who seems to be throwing it all away for drugs and alcohol. Her Aubrey Fleming/Dakota Moss character seems almost autobiographical. Aubrey is smart and successful at everything she attempts, while Dakota needs drugs to make it through her next exotic dance routine at the topless bar. One can only pray that Ms. Lohan discovers that it’s Jesus Christ alone that can meet her deep needs before it’s too late.

The R-rating, mixed with the horror and adult elements, make “I Know Who Killed Me” unacceptable viewing. It makes me wonder why they insist on making such films when they’re going to receive so little return on their investment.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Negative—This movie is nothing but “GARBAGE.” Lindsay Lohan was trying very hard to show what a “sex pot” she has grown up to be, and this movie was an eye-opener to know why she has been messing up so much in real life, drugs, alcohol, etc. This movie was nothing that I had expected from the previews. The original review done by: Bob Rossiter, is very accurate, except I didn’t find anything redeeming in this film, it was nothing but gross, bad acting, full of filth, not anything that could be called “good,” as far as a film goes. You would not leave the theater saying, “Man, that was such a good scary mystery movie.”

We left the theater after realizing that she was going to attempt to be sexy again in a strip bar, realizing it was just going to continue to be a bad movie. I complained to the manager and got movie passes for another film. Too much sex, sex, sex, oh my goodness, seemed it was more of a sex film than a murder mystery and that too was gross. One would really have to enjoy seeing gore and watching someone be tortured. The acting was terrible. Any parent would be embarrassed for their children to see Lindsay in this film, going from Disney to this, what a sad way she has gone. She has sex with some boy from school in her bedroom, after being mutilated on her arm and leg, while the mother silently cleans the kitchen downstairs, doesn’t say anything? Come-on—how real it that? I do not recommend this filthy movie to anyone, I felt it was very misleading as to the content through movie trailers. Don’t waste your time or money.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 1
Donna M, age 51

[Why are humans supposed to wear clothes? Answer]

Negative—Aside from the excess gore and nudity, which wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be in my opinion, this was just simply not a good movie. I thought the basic story they came up with was great, and had they concentrated on that instead of trying to gross everyone out, it could have been a fantastic movie. The script couldn’t have been handled more clumsily, as we had not plot holes, but craters. Lindsay Lohan has proven to be a great talent, and I’d love to see what she could do with a good thriller. This definitely isn’t it though. If you just have to see it then rent the DVD, but anyone who pays full price as I did is a fool.
My Ratings: Offensive / 2½
Dustin, age 19
Negative—I am not really a fan of Lindsay Lohan, but I do like horror movies and this looked like a potential creepy thriller. That it was not. “I Know Who Killed Me” is a terrible film, it is morally sick and is stupid to boot. Even without the 15 plus minutes of unneeded nudity in this film (as well as some unwarranted shots of the violence) this movie is weak. It has weak acting (again, not a fan of Lindsay), a weak script and the timeline makes no sense whatsoever. You never can tell when we’re in story mode, back in time, seeing a premonition or in present tense.

To top that off, the color blue is highly contrasted in this film. While the blue rose is pretty amazing, the unending concentration on that color all throughout the film is both nauseating and becomes repetitious. The killer, while still evil and nasty, when finally revealed--is to say the least--underwhelming. No big surprise (it is surprising though, but only in the sense that it doesn’t make sense) and we really don’t care. Who the heck is this guy? We only see him once before his final reveal, and we think nothing of him. The makers probably thought this was an intelligent, blow-the-audience-away move, but NO it was not.

This film is too gross, has way too much nudity and sexy dancing and is just a waste of time. I mean come on, “Hannah Montana” is better than this slop!!!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 1½
Benjamin Badger, age 18 (USA)