From my favorite movies..

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

"Lesser Evil" is a 1998 film starring Colm Feore, David Paymer, Tony Goldwyn and Arliss Howard. It's very well directed by David Mackay, and the script by Jeremy Levine and Steven Schultze is excellent. The film starts at a funeral presided over by a priest (Howard) who then tells the story in flashback. As teenagers, four buddies - Ivan (the priest, played as a young man by Marc Worden), George (Alan Scott/Paymer), Derek (Jonathan Scarfe/Feore) and Frank (Steven Petrarca/Goldwyn) are being crazed, drunken, out of control lunatics in the woods when George (Adam Scott/Paymer grown up) shoots into a car, gravely injuring the driver. The driver has a shotgun on his lap. He also has something else, which is revealed later in the film. The kids become completely hysterical and, as the man isn't dead but seems close to it, they attempt to rush him to a hospital. Then they change their minds and take him back to the woods, where he dies hours later, helped along by one of them when they see police lights.Twenty years later, the gun that killed the man has surfaced, and the police question its owner, Derek (Feore), who has called them all together. George has become an attorney, Frank a police officer, Ivan a priest, and Derek's business is failing. He has made a mess of talking to the police and is a wreck. Ivan thinks they should go to the police and tell them what happened all those years ago, though they had all made a pact to protect George and keep quiet. Then they realize that George has been getting everything on tape and that Frank has been keeping a big secret from them all these years.Fascinating story of the ramifications of guilt even after "getting away" with something and how guilt molded the lives and personalities of each man and changed their relationships with one another. In that way, it's a tiny bit like "Mystic River." With Colm Feore in it, the acting can be nothing less than spectacular. He is one of my favorite actors, having seen in perform at Stratford in Canada several times. The leads are all excellent, and the young men who play them as teens are superb.There's a twist at the end. You won't want to miss this superlative drama that could only come from an independent filmmaker, as Hollywood is too busy with cartoon characters and blowing up things.

I won't go on describing the plot outline as you can get that from just about any other review on here. All I will say is that the film is far above the expectations of most people, but in truth isn't as amazing as some people make it out to be.It is well written and directed and the acting is reasonably good. The "brilliant twist" at the end to me felt like it was done just to follow the formula of these films, and didn't really feel like it was a natural part of the script. Also, it was quite predictable.But don't dismiss it, and if you have a chance do watch it, it won't be a waste of your time (unless your idea of a good film is Vin Diesel shooting things or racing flash cars for 2 hours).

I liked this movie. Yes, the plot twist at the end was awesome--never saw that coming! The actors chosen to play the parts was EXCELLENT!!! Colm Feore is a top-notch actor, and he was the main reason I wanted to watch--anything he acts in is Outstanding! This movie had a Lesson--everything we do in life stays with us--the mistakes of the past, when unresolved, follow us until we do resolve them in some way. The guys, however, choose to keep their past secret and poor Derrick was the..........Nah, you can figure that out when you watch the movie! ;) You know, Why this Movie is titled, The Lesser Evil! :)

"The Lesser Evil" was the opening film at the first San Diego International Film Festival in June 1998. This suspenseful drama reveals the terrifying events that take place when four high-school friends make a big mistake. The story is told in flashbacks as the four, now adults, meet again to try to maintain the secret they have kept for years. Several surprises and one really scary night in the woods will hold your interest. The double cast, one for the early events and another for the present, is quite good.