The Minus Man

A drifter named Vann (Owen Wilson) lands in a small town. He's a polite, upright joe, but there's something not right about him that's hard to pin down until townspeople start disappearing. No one suspects Vann, of course. At first, not even the audience realizes they should. But beneath his queerly congenial exterior is the complicated mind of a poison-toting serial killer. Directed by Hampton Fancher (screenwriter of Blade Runner) with a restrained style that never even raises the heart rate, this oddball character study nevertheless always feels slightly unsettling, thanks to Wilson's sly, understated, even empathetic lead performance that keeps the viewer off balance. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)