''Killing em Softly'' is a 1982 Canadian thriller film directed by Max Fischer, starring

Irene Cara Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was an American singer and actress who rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film '' Fame'', and for recording the film's title song " Fame", which reach ...

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954) is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...

and

Nicholas Campbell Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is a four-time Gemini Awards, Gemini Award winner, a three-time Genie Awards, Genie Award nominee, and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award nominee. He is k ...

."Max Fischer's 'The Man in 5A'". ''

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which be ...

'', September 1983. It is most noted for production problems which led to it becoming one of the first Canadian films ever to be released direct to video, and led to a court case over production funding which was not resolved until 1995."Tele-Metropole ordered to pay $8 million for film fiasco". ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', May 27, 1995. Based on Laird Koenig's novel ''The Neighbor'', the film's plot centres on the girlfriend of a murdered man, who falls in love with her boyfriend's killer.

also performs the opening theme song "City Nights".

Cast

as Jimmy Skinner *

as Jane Flores * Joyce Gordon as Poppy Mellinger * Andrew Thomson as Lou Eberhard (credited as Andrew Martin Thompson) *

as Michael *

Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' ( ...

as Susan *

as Clifford * Gail Dahms-Bonine as "Cookie" (credited as Gail Dahms) * Emidio Michetti as Carlos * George E. Zeeman as Arnold * Arleigh Peterson as Harold * Sheena Larkin as Ms. Adamson, Lawyer * Jeffrey Cohen as Collector * Irene Kessler as Darlene * Charlotte Jones as Mrs. Zbanski * Antonia Ray as Fortune Teller * Daniel Whitner as Altman * Claudette Roche as Waitress (uncredited)

Production

The film was originally announced with the working title ''Neighbor'', and was originally slated to star

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

in the role that Segal ultimately played. Due to cost overruns, however, producer Claude Léger approached Télé-Métropole and the Dutch firm Mueller International as guarantors for a $3.15 million loan from the Mercantile Bank of Canada. When a dispute emerged over story rights, Mercantile Bank called in the loan, bankrupting Léger."Tele-Metropole ordered to pay bank for film deal that became a legal fight". ''

'', June 2, 1989. Mercantile Bank then sued Télé-Métropole and Mueller International to recover its costs, and gave the film a minimal theatrical run under the title ''The Man in 5A'', before selling it to Palan Entertainment for $480,000. In 1989, the

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec () is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Jurisdictio ...

ordered Télé-Métropole to pay $4.6 million to the National Bank of Canada, which had by this time acquired the Mercantile Bank. Télé-Métropole appealed the decision to the

Quebec Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal of Quebec (sometimes referred to as Quebec Court of Appeal or QCA; ) is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada. It hears cases in Quebec City and Montreal. History The court was created on May 30, 1849, as the Court ...

, which upheld the decision in 1995; with

compound interest Compound interest is interest accumulated from a principal sum and previously accumulated interest. It is the result of reinvesting or retaining interest that would otherwise be paid out, or of the accumulation of debts from a borrower. Compo ...

, however, Télé-Métropole was now ordered to pay $8 million. Screenwriter Leila Basen acknowledged in good humor that she had written what was widely considered "the worst Canadian movie ever made"."TV scripts earn living for `housewife'". ''

'', September 8, 1991. According to Basen, however, "at least the script for The Man in 5A was good. The problem was that the producers ran out of money. I paid to see the movie at a theatre - and asked for my money back at the end."

Awards

Campbell received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the

4th Genie Awards The 4th annual Genie Awards were held March 23, 1983, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Dave Thomas."Thomas goes genteel for Genies". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 19, 1983. ''The Grey Fox'' was the ...

in 1983."Top Genie prospects for Bill Miner movie". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', February 10, 1983. Writing for ''

'', critic J. Paul Costabile stated that the nomination had been given "for no discernible reason".

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0084206 1982 films English-language Canadian films Canadian thriller films Canadian direct-to-video films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films 1982 thriller films English-language thriller films