A Better Way to Die (2000)
#29 in my 2007 movie challenge was A Better Way to Die, the oldest thing on my Tivo. My husband G. Grod refused to watch it again, but my visiting sister, Sydney, had not seen it. It’s set in our small hometown, and Scott Wiper, (whose current movie is getting creamed by the critics) was a classmate of our sister’s and the actor, writer, and director. A second viewing only confirmed the opinions I had the first time I saw ABWtD: Wiper can direct at a good clip, but his story and dialogue sometimes strain belief, and his acting and voice can’t carry the movie. Lou Diamond Phillips is unbelievable and stiff as a main character, and Natasha Henstridge is the requisite hot actress who does a love scene, then provides a motive for Wiper’s Boomer to get angry and vengeful. Sometimes it fairly crackled with humor, though. Joe Pantoliano stood out in a short amount of screentime, and Andre Braugher elevates this movie beyond mediocrity. A Better Way to Die has some sharp one liners, a fast pace, and crisp direction. It’s a decent B movie.