Over the credits, a well-built man gets out of bed and does push-ups in his black trunks. He showers and dons a sharp, purple suit. Suddenly, he shoots himself. Clearly, this man wants to look his best for Death. As the opening credits end, a woman wakes up as if the preceding scene was a nightmare. We don't get to see her shower or get dressed, but she will make up for this in later scenes. This woman is beautiful and wealthy psychiatrist Victoria Pratt (as Victoria "Vicky" Wrightmar). She is the story's heroine, psychoanalyst, hypnotherapist and self-help author. Super-friendly, Ms. Pratt addresses her male patients in a sultry voice. This may be why Pratt has trouble relating professionally to attractive patient Patrick Muldoon (as Derek Barris), a slightly Rob Lowe lookalike. Pratt's tone with female patient Barbie Castro (as Blaire Bennett) is only a bit more professional. In fact, she seems overly warm and loving with everyone...
The ambiguous title "Patient Killer" may refer to the backstory of this slow-burning thriller. Some years ago, we're told, Pratt's attractive patient David Chokachi (as Dylan McNalt) committed suicide. We see a bit of him in flashback. Presently, Pratt is seeing handsome Casper Van Dien (as Jason Turner), who also directed the movie. He directs himself to surprise Pratt, while sunning herself, with a rough strangle-kiss. This seems like a cheat, but you can decide for yourself. The ending surprised this viewer only in that a character turned out to be the sibling, rather than the spouse, of another character. One more gripe is the fact that Pratt seems ill-suited for her profession. People do not see their psychiatrists in candlelight or cocktails. Still, the actor-director and photographer Bernard Salzmann do give it a lush, dream-like quality. And, since most all and everyone are strangely inappropriate, they add up to a style.
****** Patient Killer (2015/01/13) Casper Van Dien ~ Victoria Pratt. Barbie Castro, Patrick Muldoon, Casper Van Dien
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