THE MAN WHO WAS DEATH (1989): Starring- William Sadler, J.W. Smith, Roy Brocksmith, David Wohl, Gerrit Graham, Dani Minnick, and Robert Winley
Directed by- Walter Hill
So, here it is. The very first episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. ... Well, sorta. There's actually some dissension as to which episode is the official pilot, due to the fact that the first three episodes were broadcast on the same night. However, I'm going by the order on the DVD release, and this one is first there.
The episode centers on Niles Talbot (Sadler), a former prison electrician now working as executioner. Talbot has a certain zealousy for his job and sees it as his moral duty. Unfortunately, the death penalty is suddenly overturned is his state, leaving Niles out of a job and, as he sees it, leaving many criminals unpunished. So, he does the only sensible thing- he proceeds to follow murder trials and then electrocutes anyone that gets off not guilty.
This episode serves as a decent introduction to the series. The plot is fairly simple, and there's not much in the way of violence or gore, with the exception of several electrocutions. Plus, you can see the twist ending coming a mile away.
However, one thing in particular really does stand out- William Sadler's performance. He's really the only main character, and he is phenomenal in this episode. He really sucks you into this character's head, and you actually start to like him a little. It's one of the best performances of the entire series run.
So, all in all, this is a pretty good episode, carried by some brilliant acting.
My rating- * * * 1/2 out of * * * *
The episode centers on Niles Talbot (Sadler), a former prison electrician now working as executioner. Talbot has a certain zealousy for his job and sees it as his moral duty. Unfortunately, the death penalty is suddenly overturned is his state, leaving Niles out of a job and, as he sees it, leaving many criminals unpunished. So, he does the only sensible thing- he proceeds to follow murder trials and then electrocutes anyone that gets off not guilty.
This episode serves as a decent introduction to the series. The plot is fairly simple, and there's not much in the way of violence or gore, with the exception of several electrocutions. Plus, you can see the twist ending coming a mile away.
However, one thing in particular really does stand out- William Sadler's performance. He's really the only main character, and he is phenomenal in this episode. He really sucks you into this character's head, and you actually start to like him a little. It's one of the best performances of the entire series run.
So, all in all, this is a pretty good episode, carried by some brilliant acting.
My rating- * * * 1/2 out of * * * *
