The Lesser Evil (1998 film)
1998 American film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lesser Evil is a 1998 American psychological thriller film directed by David Mackay, and starring Colm Feore, Tony Goldwyn, Arliss Howard, and David Paymer. A nonlinear narrative film, it follows four men allegedly attempting to hide the crime they have committed after twenty years.
Stephan Schultze
David Mackay
| The Lesser Evil | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | David Mackay |
| Written by | Jeremy Levine Stephan Schultze |
| Produced by | Daniel Helberg David Mackay |
| Starring | Colm Feore Tony Goldwyn Arliss Howard David Paymer |
| Cinematography | Stephan Schultze |
| Edited by | Bret Marnell |
| Music by | Don Davis |
| Distributed by | MGM Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The four men have allegedly committed a murder when they were teenagers. Twenty years later, they hid the crime and became professionals. The flashback connects between the past and present day. As the police investigates the crime about the men, they betray each other. It is clear that one of them will take the blame and get convicted.
Cast
- Colm Feore as Derek Eastman, a lumberyard businessman
- Jonathan Scarfe as Young Derek
- Tony Goldwyn as Frank O'Brian, a police officer
- Steven Petrarca as Young Frank
- Arliss Howard as Ivan Williams, a Catholic priest
- Marc Worden as Young Ivan
- David Paymer as George, a lawyer
- Adam Scott as Young George
- Jack Kehler as Hardaway, a detective
- Mason Adams as Derek's father
Reception
The film has a 60% approval rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews, with an average score of 7.07/10.[1] Variety gave a positive review, calling the film "a crafty and well-crafted drama",[2] and Film Threat praised it as "an exceptionally well told tale".[3]
