MovieChat Forums > The Lesser Evil (1998) Discussion > need some help

need some help

posted 14 years ago by justjoshing840
5 replies | jump to latest

I was taking my lunch break today and caught about 40 minutes of this movie on IFC. initially i stopped because i saw the great David Paymer (Payback, Get Shorty, City Slickers, etc.) I caught the parts in the cabin when they try to coach the blue collar friend how to lie to the cops up to when they discover Paymers character is hiding the recorder. The blue collar friend, the cop and the priest are discussing options when the blue collar friend has the idea to fake the suicide note and kill Paymer, who is tied up in the other room.

So, I missed the first and last 30 minutes to the movie, anyone out there care to fill me in on what set up their problem and how its resolved? A young David Paymer kills someone in self-defense, the friends cover it up, years later they cant live with the grief? the begging seems pretty standard...how does it all end? im sure there are some twists and turns? any responses would be great!

I tried to get it on my netflix but apparently a DVD doesn't exist.

Thanks people.

[–] sylvia67 14 years ago

The film starts out with police officers visiting Derek (the blue collar lumber yard owner) in his office. They had found his gun that he purchased as a young man in a car (along with a body) in a quarry that was drained.
There are several flashbacks in this film. After George accidently killed the one man and injured the other, Derek and Frank (the cop)push the dead guys car into the quarry with the body inside. Before they do so, Derek takes a bag of money he found in the car.

The young men initially decide to take the severely injured man in Ivan (the priets) car to the hospital. Derek convinces them that since the man will not make it, just to take him out to the woods and let him die. While the boys are waiting for the man to die, hunters come out to the woods, the dying man starts to make noise so Derek smashes his mouth down so they wont be discovered. The man dies.

The guys run away, for years they think that the hunters stole the money that was in the car, then it is revealed that Frank took it all and kept it for himself because his girlfriend was pregnant.

Anyway at the very end is a curious twist. You wanna here it???

[–] sylvia67 14 years ago

Ok Justjoshin wont keep you in suspense. After Frank and Derek tie George up and debate killing him, Ivan remembers that when his car was found as a young man that the trunk lock was not broken, it had to be opened with a key-- the guys had thought that the hunters in the woods had stolen the money when in fact, Frank went back to the woods and took it from the car for himself. This of course angers Derek but he still wants to kill George.
Ivan walks into the room where George is being held. You hear 1 gun shot, Derek and Frank walk in the room....

The next scene cuts to a funeral (like in the beginning of the film) Ivan finishes delivering the funeral service. Frank and Ivan are standing there talking, GEORGE walks up to them. Ivan actually shot Derek instead of George he made it look like suicide, he shot him point blank with one shot. The first gunshot was at the mirror to get Derek and Frank to walk into the room. George asks Frank and Ivan where the tape is, he does not find out.

As Ivan is driving away in the rain, he burns the check that Frank gave him (his half of the stolen money) but he keeps the tape that George had made of all of them talking

Cool huh??

any questions?

[–] justjoshing840 14 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Sylvia...very cool of you. Seems like a good thriller, shame its not out on DVD, Id like to give it a full viewing. But again, thanks for filling me in on what i missed.

[–] sylvia67 14 years ago

just joshing. It is out on dvd, i got a copy on amazon and you can sometimes find it at stores like walmart..

[–] Faye-9 14 years ago

Check out cable network IFC...I found it there this week.