The Cry Baby Killer (Back-to-Back Jack Edition)
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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Confronted by two brass knuckled toughs, a gun wielding Jimmy (Jack Nicholson) picks the pair off and flees to a nearby drive-in where he takes three hostages and creates a media frenzy.

Roger Corman has been responsible for "discovering" talent that would go on to achieve tremendous success in the world of film. A couple of my favourites are Martin Scorsese directing Boxcar Bertha and the team of director Joe Dante and writer John Sayles in Piranha. But maybe Corman's biggest find can be seen in the otherwise uneventful The Cry Baby Killer starring a then 21-year-old Jack Nicholson.

From a historical perspective, The Cry Baby Killer is certainly intriguing. But once you're halfway through, the idea of seeing Nicholson for the first time has faded and the film stands on its own. Unfortunately it doesn't stand up very well. The premise of a hostage taking has been done so much better since the film was first released in 1958, most notably in Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino.

The Cry Baby Killer feels disjointed. Heavy in dialogue, the scenes plod along without much rhythm. It might have helped if the dialogue was memorable, but minus a couple of exceptions, it comes off as low-grade pulp. I guess this is a Roger Corman film, but still…

Video: How's it look?
Shown in its original black and white with a new digital transfer, the look of The Cry Baby Killer is a disappointment. The full screen picture shows lots of signs of wear, such as scratches and dirt.

Audio: How's it sound?
Converted to Dolby 5.1 Surround, the film sounds pretty good, although there's not a lot to it.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• In an interesting marketing gimmick, the original 1960 version of Little Shop of Horrors is included. The film also co-stars Nicholson, which explains the edition title. This is the colourized version of the movie.
• Corman provides brief introductions for both of the films.
• Spanish subtitles.

Closing Thoughts
The only real reason to see this DVD is to get a glimpse of Nicholson at his earliest or to add to a Roger Corman collection. The main feature is forgettable and the "bonus" feature isn't much better.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com