Movie Type: Police Detective Film, Psychological Thriller
Themes: Mind Games, Murder Investigations
Main Cast: Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Michael Rooker, Renée Zellweger, Ellen Burstyn
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Walter Wayland (Tim Roth) has lead a life that many would envy. The heir to a fortune, he was educated at Princeton and then took over the family textile mill. Why then is he sitting before detectives Kennesaw (Michael Rooker) and Braxton (Chris Penn) taking a polygraph test to prove himself innocent of cutting a streetwalker in half? This stylish psychological thriller from twin writer/directors Jonas and Joshua Pate, explores the answer. Firstly Wayland is not as stable as he seems. Addicted to absinthe and suffering from epilepsy, he is also a compulsive liar who occasionally lapses into strange fits where he becomes zombie-like and violent. He also periodically loses his memory. Despite his obstacles, Wayland is a smart cookie. Knowing that the interrogators disbelieve his innocence, he does a little research to learn their weak points and secrets. Chief among the skeletons in their closet are their ties with Elizabeth (Renee Zellweger), the victim, and with a female mobster named Mook. The result is a mental game of cat-and-mouse between the accused and his accusers that culminates in violence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Laurel Smith - Casting, Don Winston - Co-producer, Dana Allyson Greenberg - Costume Designer, Eric Davies - First Assistant Director, Jonas Pate - Director, Joshua Pate - Director, Dan Lebental - Editor, Mark Damon - Executive Producer, John Saviano - Line Producer, Harry Gregson-Williams - Composer (Music Score), Carol Sue Baker - Musical Direction/Supervision, John D. Kretschmer - Production Designer, Bill Butler - Cinematographer, Peter Glatzer - Producer, Chuck Potter - Set Designer, Peter Bentley - Sound/Sound Designer, Jonas Pate - Screenwriter, Joshua Pate - Screenwriter
Deceiver, also known as Liar (UK release), is a 1997 murder mystery film about two detectives (Chris Penn and Michael Rooker) interviewing a highly intelligent underachiever (Tim Roth) about the brutal murder of a hooker.
