The Barber

Scott Glenn serves up a masterful performance as an elderly, mild-mannered serial killer in director Basel Owies' small indie gem of a psychological thriller. Decades after a Chicago killing spree that brutalized 17 young women, Eugene van Wingerdt (Glenn) lives a quiet life cutting hair in a midwest backwater town where no one knows he was a suspect. A police detective who was obsessed with the case eventually killed himself in despair after a lack of evidence set van Wingerdt free. Now the policeman's grownup son (Chris Coy) arrives on the scene, seemingly in search of a mentor who will help him foster his own growing career as a murdering psychopath. The plot here is exceptionally twisty with quietly charged scenes of cat-and-mouse between a master and his young padawan. In addition to Glenn's compelling turn, The Barber also features a delightful appearance by veteran character actor Stephen Tobolowsky as the wily local sheriff. A razor-sharp example of fine American independent cinema, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (10 min.), extended scenes (3 min.), an alternate ending (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine psychological thriller.] (T. Fry)