Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

merklekranz The plot is excellent, the execution somewhat confusing, and the surprising ending totally acceptable. I enjoyed "The Lesser Evil", but constantly found myself questioning who was who, as the film bounced back and forth between present day, and twenty two years earlier. Boldly depending on four teenage friends to keep a lifelong secret, the plan eventually spirals out of control, leading to paranoia, double crosses, and another murder. The outcome is always in doubt, which maintains interest through the entire 96 minutes. David Paymer is a standout as the lawyer who seems intent on self preservation rather than commitment to his cronies in crime. - MERK

blanche-2 "Lesser Evil" is a 1998 film starring Colm Feore, David Paymer, Tony Goldwyn and Arliss Howard. It's very well directed by David Mackay, and the script by Jeremy Levine and Steven Schultze is excellent. The film starts at a funeral presided over by a priest (Howard) who then tells the story in flashback. As teenagers, four buddies - Ivan (the priest, played as a young man by Marc Worden), George (Alan Scott/Paymer), Derek (Jonathan Scarfe/Feore) and Frank (Steven Petrarca/Goldwyn) are being crazed, drunken, out of control lunatics in the woods when George (Adam Scott/Paymer grown up) shoots into a car, gravely injuring the driver. The driver has a shotgun on his lap. He also has something else, which is revealed later in the film. The kids become completely hysterical and, as the man isn't dead but seems close to it, they attempt to rush him to a hospital. Then they change their minds and take him back to the woods, where he dies hours later, helped along by one of them when they see police lights.Twenty years later, the gun that killed the man has surfaced, and the police question its owner, Derek (Feore), who has called them all together. George has become an attorney, Frank a police officer, Ivan a priest, and Derek's business is failing. He has made a mess of talking to the police and is a wreck. Ivan thinks they should go to the police and tell them what happened all those years ago, though they had all made a pact to protect George and keep quiet. Then they realize that George has been getting everything on tape and that Frank has been keeping a big secret from them all these years.Fascinating story of the ramifications of guilt even after "getting away" with something and how guilt molded the lives and personalities of each man and changed their relationships with one another. In that way, it's a tiny bit like "Mystic River." With Colm Feore in it, the acting can be nothing less than spectacular. He is one of my favorite actors, having seen in perform at Stratford in Canada several times. The leads are all excellent, and the young men who play them as teens are superb.There's a twist at the end. You won't want to miss this superlative drama that could only come from an independent filmmaker, as Hollywood is too busy with cartoon characters and blowing up things.

ericmcd This is an excellent film, and was a very pleasant suprise, to say the least. I'm amazed, however, at the lack of online information for "The Lesser Evil". It's a shame it hasn't gotten much attention, because this is a very well done, totally gripping film, with a twist ending I never saw coming. If you like your movies suspenseful, thought-provoking, and unpredictable, check this one out...you won't be disappointed.

og-6 A great movie that forces you to think. The characters aren't simply drawn in black and white, but deal in complex shades of grey. The film kept me guessing up to the very last scene. Whatever you do don't walk away from the television without pausing your VCR or you'll miss an important clue to the mysteries that the film unravels.