Mister Deathman (1977): An Exercise in Poor Lighting

Pop quiz, hot shot: when it is dark, what can you do to make it not dark? If you answered "turn on a light", give yourself a pat on the back because apparently you are qualified to be a filmmaker. The crew working on Mister Deathman just couldn't wrap their heads around this radical new concept.

Well, why not shoot in broad daylight, you logically suggest? Hey, not so fast, egghead! They're already one step (and 31 years) ahead of you!


As you can see, not even the sun, the brightest object in our solar system, is an adequate source of light for this production. Or could it be possible that our main character, Geoffrey Graves (played by a young Dr. J/Danny Glover hybrid) is so black that no light, sun's rays included, can escape his face?

I'm probably being too tough on this movie, I mean, maybe they didn't have the budget necessary for good film, decent lighting equipment, new cameras, a competent DP, etc. But wait.....they had enough of a budget for huge explosions, giant mansions, a helicopter, and a fucking JET complete with fully-functional missles. In the end, I think they spent their money where it counts. The fact that you can't see anything gives the movie a kind of rustic charm you don't usually get from today's pictures.


Hey, what happened to our hero?


Even after making it this far in the post, I'm still contemplating whether or not I should "review" the "movie". I don't think it's really worth it, I mean, it's much more fun pointing out how terrible the production values are.


For instance, finding a boom mic in the shot always brings a smile to my face.


See if you can guess how many people are in this shot.



I always did enjoy ending things with a bang!

*audience groans*