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Good start, but then it gets ruined

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Partial spoilers. It's very "arty" (largely in the self-conscious sense, I guess), it's in some ways a stereotypical early ' 70s film, it has maybe a third as much suspense most people demand in a suspense film, and in spite of the first and third things, I'm hugely attached to it. (I don't apologize for the second thing.) Alan Alda is completely believable as "Evelyn" (a strange name for a character from the kind of background you presume he has), and he's just the opposite of the Hawkeye character, who came along only about a year later (or the character in "Jenny", for that matter). Even his trademark laugh is replaced by a deep-sounding one, just what you'd expect from such a character. I don't know why it isn't even mentioned casually (as far as I know) in interviews with him, or even in an entire book about him that I looked through. Blythe Danner is just as good as "Lily", especially in the scene where she tries to seduce him, and he starts reliving the accidental prank with the "Kick Me" sign, which had one of the best lines - "You put a sign on yourself!" Followed by the "Buttons" scene, which is almost funny in a sad way. And Heath Lamberts (whom I know from very few things) is very good as "Timothy", whom you almost think of as no match for Evelyn (in spite of his handicaps), but who almost manages to be. The theme song seems to have nothing to do with the story (except maybe the line "I hurt my friend instead" connecting with the accidental prank ; I don't know), but that's another thing that never seems to bother me. Even though it uses two big clichés of early (and later) ' 70s suspense films - Vietnam vets and Dobermans - and in spite of the downbeat ending, I think it's very original, and that it mainly works.

Adapted from Algis Budrys excellent short story "The Master of the Hounds," TO KILL A CLOWN is an oddity of revenge cinema from the early 70s. While it serviceably handles the man vs. man with dogs scenario, it unfortunately never achieves full audience involvement due to unsympathetic leads.Despite being based on a short story, the material here is still painfully underdeveloped with major dramatic portions of the story left untouched. Director George Bloomfield has altered Budrys' source story by making Alda's character a Vietnam vet (in the short story he was a WWII POW) and the young couple hippies. This dynamic of the war monger vs. the peaceniks should have offered some interesting social commentary but Bloomfield does nothing with it. It also doesn't help that our hero Timothy (Lamberts) is a really annoying hippie prone to acting like a immature child and talking about his career path as a clown (another variation from the story and source for the odd title).Bloomfield was also obviously inspired by the previous year's STRAW DOGS and more interested in making a film like that. Not only is his lead Lamberts a dead ringer for Dustin Hoffman from that film, but Bloomfield changes the end of the story (where the crippled Major and his dogs invade the couple's house via underground tunnels) to outside assault that segues into a fistfight where the peaceful become the punishers. But Bloomfield is no Peckinpah and the end result is not as powerful as it could be.If CLOWN does have any merit, it is for the pre-M*A*S*H performance of Alan Alda as the deranged Vietnam vet. At first he is subtilely creepy with his awkward questions and affable laugh but as the film progresses he becomes more unhinged. The scenes where orders Timothy around like a soldier are very creepy and by the end he is just a notch below raving lunatic (his speech about how buttons are the foundation of America is a keeper). In fact, all of the acting in this is good with fine turns by Danner (who looks so much like her daughter that it is creepy) and Lamberts despite the bad characters they are saddled with. The two Doberman Pinschers are also quite good and deliver all of their lines perfectly.

Okay. I have very little to say about this "movie" since I understand very little of what went on. But I will say, if you see this piece of crap on the shelf at your local video retailer, put it back and rent Strawdogs. This movie had a nonsense plot, a horrible script, bad acting, and the worst tanline this side of the pacific. Blythe Danner can act, but she must have been dealing with some personal issues during this movie (probably working on her clone, the one we now call Gwenyth). Alan Alda as a sadistic, cripple Vietnam Vet. Sorry, I just don't buy it. And you won't either. Please, do me one favor, don't subject yourself to this "psychological thriller". You'll just end up playing Scrabble anyway.

This movie contains some of the worse dialogue and direction I've seen in years. No one seems to know what the hell is going on. What's the point? The dialogue and acting is uncertain and the little photographic tricks like freezing the frame at the end of every scene is ridiculous. Who is Alan Alda's character suppose to represent and why is he torturing these people? Although his character has presence and conviction, his inane dialogue betrays him every step of the way. What are his motives? Anyone?? The movie starts out like a 1960's hippie comedy(check out the opening credits and music) but then goes straight downhill. It looks like it might have been an interesting story(great location- a nearly deserted beach) but someone forgot to write a coherent story. Too bad. What a terrible waste of a young, cute Blythe Danner(in a bikini for the most part) and a young Alan Alda just before MASH. The movie feels like it's trying to make a point. Wish I knew what it was.