Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas

HENRY LEE LUCAS: SERIAL KILLER is a modern B-movie retelling of the life of the infamous killer, originally played (to the hilt) by Michael Rooker in the unforgettable '80s movie HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A KILLER. Of course, this isn't on a par with that movie, but at least it does something entirely different. While the Rooker flick provided a realistic, slice-of-life portrayal of the killer at the peak of his infamous crimes, HENRY LEE LUCAS: SERIAL KILLER is a biopic told via annoying flashbacks (and forwards) that covers his entire life.

First off, the most surprising thing about this film is that Antonio Sabato Jr. (CRASH LANDING), a notable B-movie actor, actually gives a fine performance in the titular role. He plays Lucas as a hulking, scarred brute, who seems permanently stoned and given to unpredictable violence. At the same time he's charismatic to boot and certainly Sabato's performance outshines everyone else in the production.

For a low budget film, the production values for this are pretty decent, and I particularly enjoyed the exploration of Henry's childhood which sows the seeds for his latter day crimes. The best thing about the movie is that it doesn't dwell on the brutality of the crimes; the temptation for modern film-makers would surely be to sicken the viewer at every opportunity but this is surprisingly restrained, giving the production a mature feel as a whole.

Serial killer movies have become two a penny, it feels like at least a couple come out each year. This one, directed by Michael Feifer, just feels like old hat, like it is treading water to make a point that has been made a hundred times before. It doesn't help that Henry Lee Lucas has already been covered in brilliantly grainy fashion previously with John McNaughton's 1990 skin itcher Henry: Portrait OF A Serial Killer, which quite frankly is superior to this in every department. On the plus side are the performances of Antonio Sabato Jr. (Henry) and Kostas Sommer (Ottis), where the former is broody and twitchy, the latter hyper insane, but ultimately it achieves nothing. Kudos, however, is due for at least cleaving close to what facts of the case are known to be true. 4/10

Not only horror is my cup of tea but the story behind serial killers does interest me too. But being in the biz for over 15 years I'm mostly not into movies about serial killers. Oh yes, there are some great ones, The Deliberate Stranger (Mark Harmon playing Ted Bundy) for example, still OOP and the other OOP To Catch A Killer (Brian Dennehy playing John Wayne Gacy), and of course Henry:Portrait Of A Serial Killer concerning Henry Lee Lucas (played by Michael Rooker). The movie I just saw also told the story of Henry. But here it's boredom all the way. Were Portrait gives some nasty disturbing scene's (remember the television) this flick just is about, did he kill 3000 persons or not. We see some killings but the blood never flows. We see stabbings in the back, in the neck but the victims never bled. The best part is when Henry and his friend Otis picks up a hitchhiker. What happens next isn't disturbing but is really the best part. The only fact I could agree with is the truth about Henry having an affair with his niece Betty. He did kill his mother but not as stated in this flick. It's sad to see that a flick about two weirdo's doesn't deliver fear.

While the infamous "Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer" is considered the definitive movie about Lucas, it does leave out a ton of facts and information. "Drifter" certainly helps to fill in the blanks, with it's disturbing account of young Henry Lee's childhood, and the mental and physical abuse inflicted upon him by his mother. Here we are shown Lucas in three different stages of his life, child, teenager, and full grown psycho killer. All three actors to portray him are very believable in their roles, and I must say this is Antonio Sabato's film, and his depiction of Henry Lee Lucas is cold and charismatic at the same time; unfortunately in this case, Sabato's good looks are something that needs to be overcome in order for him to come across as believable. Watching the film from start to finish, I found myself looking for any flaws or weaknesses that would cause the pathetically low rating for the movie on this site. I found none. The murky cinematography perfectly captures the mood as well as the time that the story is supposed to take place in, and the script, although leaving many of the murders out due to time and budget limitations, (Lucas murdered over 100 people) never loses focus. This is a lean and mean production that ditches big budget Hollywood sheen for a low key, factual approach. I can only assume the low rating was given because of Sabato's extreme good looks, as most negative reviews mention that and consider it a problem. Those interested in one of America's most notorious mass murderers should ignore those silly criticisms and give this a watch.

Antonio Sabato was so bad in this movie. I used to think he was a good actor. I read the book about Henry Lee Lucas in the 80s. As always, the book is always better than the movie. However, the movie from the 80s "Henry Lee Lucas, Portrait of a Serial Killer" was done real well. This one couldn't hold my interest. It was done so badly.