Point Of Origin
Look for the killer with a short fuse.
When they arrive at a crime scene, one of them has been there before.
Based on a terrifying true story, there's a madman setting fires that kill in Southern California. A madman leading a double-life that his friends, his partner, even his wife doesn't know about.
John Orr (Liotta) is a veteran investigator with a sixth sense for placing the origin of suspect fires. His partner, Keith Lang (Leguizamo), has taken all he's learned from Orr to a joint task force in search of a killer.
If the knowledge it takes to commit the crime is the knowledge it takes to solve it, then one of these two men is tracking the other. Time is running out as the number of victims rises. Now the only way to stop the killer is to find the Point of Origin.
Member Reviews
Passable Time-Waster - dlwc
The source material (the arsonist's "novel" and Joseph Wambaugh's "Fire Lover") has the potential for a good cimematic story, but this is really underdeveloped.
You come away with no idea of what makes this psychopath in uniform tick and Ray Liotta (who is prone to phoning in performances in some lesser films) doesn't really add much to it.
Obviously a major investigative crime book based on detailed circumstantial evidence (plus the damning fingerprint) and a subtext of police/fireman tension is going to be hard to condense into a film, but HBO usually does better than this. Comes off as a typical TV-movie.Great Cinematography - Okay Story - E
This film had great cinematography. HBO definitely gives "big screen" attention to their movies, and there were tricks of trade used in this film which were excellent.
I like Ray Liotta and I like John Leguizama as actors so it was enjoyable to see them in a film together.
However, my opinion on this film was that it was just "okay" by the time the closing credits rolled. The performances did not leave me feeling "wow." Perhaps my sentiment has more to do with the fact that I disliked the main character fron the onset.
Forgettable.Good Story that caught me off guard - Willy1
I knew absolutely nothing about this story before seeing the movie. The film began and when it said that it was based off true events, I almost turned it off. What caught my attention was the visual protrayer of the arson investigation... after that it was the story and the performances of the actors themselves. Ray Liotta stars as arson investigator John Orr. He, along with John Leguizamo, are trying to figure out who is starting all these arson-based fires. John Orr is well regarded as the chief arson inspector and if anyone can find out, he can. So the film plays out like a cat and mouse game. You are trying to figure out what is motivating the person who is setting these fires. What makes the story a bit more compelling is that, during the 90's, at least three firefighters were arrested for arson. After watching the DVD, I found myself going over the film again. I figured, since it was based on a true story the DVD would have some interesting extras. I was disappointed, therefore could not give it a 5. Nevertheless I did find the story fascinating.
Member Reviews
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Passable Time-Waster - dlwc
The source material (the arsonist's "novel" and Joseph Wambaugh's "Fire Lover") has the potential for a good cimematic story, but this is really underdeveloped.
You come away with no idea of what makes this psychopath in uniform tick and Ray Liotta ...Great Cinematography - Okay Story - E
This film had great cinematography. HBO definitely gives "big screen" attention to their movies, and there were tricks of trade used in this film which were excellent.
I like Ray Liotta and I like John Leguizama as actors so it was enjoyable to see ...Good Story that caught me off guard - Willy1
I knew absolutely nothing about this story before seeing the movie. The film began and when it said that it was based off true events, I almost turned it off. What caught my attention was the visual protrayer of the arson investigation... after that it was ...