The Killing Jar

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The Killing Jar

R

Released Mar 19, 2010

1h 30m

Mystery & Thriller

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8 Reviews

37%

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500+ Ratings

Seven people are passing time late one evening at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. When a radio reports the disturbing murder of a family in a nearby county, the patrons immediately suspect new arrival Doe as the killer. Armed with a shotgun Doe takes the seven hostage, but as the body count rises the desperate survivors discover that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their captor.

Brian Tallerico

Movie Retriever

Thrillers that rely on tension-building within a small group of characters are harder to pull off than aspiring filmmakers may have been led to believe. Look no further than The Killing Jar for proof.

Mar 22, 2010

Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Strains to wring tension from a tired premise and an airless script.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 19, 2010

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Tom Long

Detroit News

There's little fun involved, for either the audience or the diner patrons.

Rated: D

Mar 19, 2010

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Makes no sense and is unpleasant.

Rated: C+

Mar 14, 2017

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Iamwhoi M

The twists weren't very twisty; in fact, they were see through as hell. Still, considering the whole movie takes place in one location, it was good enough to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

Charles P

Above average film and performance for Madsen, but with a plot that has holes akin to Swiss cheese. Not the worst thing for a sick day or when snowed in, just don't expect this caper pic to hold up to a lot of logic at the end of the day. Trejo is here for name value only, and has little to do in this one, his role not much more than a cameo.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

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PaulKMF1

These so called "top critics" gave this a bad review? I say whatever. This is a cool little slow burner with some interesting twists.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

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DiCat F

I certainly enjoyed this film. Started off slowly but you knew something was going to happen. It certainly did. Kept my attention throughout. I would certainly recommend. Good cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/23

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GM

Fairly meaningless. Apparently there was a twist.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/22

Full Review

Audience Member

DO NOT BELIEVE THE CRITICS! This movie was RIVETING. I've seen it twice. Its awesome.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Mark Young

Director

Michael Madsen

Doe

Harold Perrineau

Smith

Amber Benson

Noreen

Jake Busey

Greene

Danny Trejo

Jimmy

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Synopsis

Seven people are passing time late one evening at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. When a radio reports the disturbing murder of a family in a nearby county, the patrons immediately suspect new arrival Doe as the killer. Armed with a shotgun Doe takes the seven hostage, but as the body count rises the desperate survivors discover that one of the hostages may be even more dangerous than their captor.

Director: Mark Young
Screenwriter: Mark Young
Production Co: Morningstar Films, Mark Young Films
Rating: R (Strong Bloody Violence|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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