The Man Who Wouldnt Die (1995 film)

Synopsis

In The Man Who Wouldn't Die art imitates life for Thomas Grace (Roger Moore), a famous British ex-novelist who wrote a series of acclaimed crime stories featuring a villain patterned after real-life criminal Bernard Drake (Malcolm McDowell). Now living in America, Grace works as a hack reporter for a city newspaper. After reading one of Grace's books, Jessie Gallardo (Nancy Allen), a waitress with burgeoning psychic abilities, predicts several murders—with Grace as one of the victims. Her visions identify the enemy as Drake, who has escaped from prison by faking his own death in a fire. As Drake sets out to frame the author for a series of grisly murders based around his novels, it is up to Thomas and Jessie to clear their names, stop him, and stay alive in the process. Eric McCormack co-stars as a doubtful newspaper colleague.

Cast

Reviews

Why aren't there more TV movies with the same dark sense of fun as this one? Take one crime novelist, have him meet a waitress (who is also a medium) and have her announce that the supposedly dead villain on whom he based one of his characters is not only very much alive, but is busy re-enacting the killings his monarchy-mad murderer perpetrated on the page. Cracking stuff, directed at full tilt by Bill Condon and with splendidly hammy performances from Roger Moore, Malcolm McDowell and Nancy Allen. This is surely worth an hour and a half of anyone's time.

The Youngstown Vindicator said the film was "thoroughly enjoyable" and "as polished and as surprising as any good mystery drama can provide".