Comments on: Movies: Cleaning up after a murder

Question: Movies: Cleaning up after a murder

99percentfake — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:30:43 -0800

Looking for movies where there is a suspenseful scene of one or two people cleaning up after a murder and/or concealing a body.

The scene should be tense and show regular people (not habitual gangsters/criminals) trying to avoid detection. Also, it should be an unplanned cleanup and not part of a premeditated crime. I am looking for mystery/suspense movies and not so much horror/gore.

Two examples would be China Moon (1994, Ed Harris and Madeline Stowe) and The Morning After (1986, Jane Fonda).

Can anyone think of others? Thank you.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:43:22 -0800

Blood Simple

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:43:30 -0800

TV show, not movie; but the second episode of Breaking Bad involves two novice murderers trying to wrangle the logistics of destroying a corpse.

By: Rustic Etruscan

Rustic Etruscan — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:44:37 -0800

Boy, that sounds like the whole premise of Rope.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:46:15 -0800

Psycho has a great murder cleanup scene.

By: sacrifix

sacrifix — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:50:44 -0800

Very Bad Things.

By: Sunburnt

Sunburnt — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:58:41 -0800

"Shallow Grave," an excellent Scottish movie featuring a couple of unknowns like Christopher Eccleston and Ewan MacGregor. In this case, there was no murder, but the late man's property gave them a few hundred thousand reasons to vanish the corpse.

By: mochapickle

mochapickle — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:59:51 -0800

Two examples of concealing the body after a drug overdose:

Shallow Grave
Morvern Callar

By: Sunburnt

Sunburnt — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:00:29 -0800

And of course there's "Pulp Fiction," in which the murder and cleanup are played for comedy, but suspense is created by some circumstances of proximate characters.

By: mochapickle

mochapickle — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:08:17 -0800

Beautiful Creatures
Little Shop of Horrors, where the corpse starts out as premeditated but ends up being serendipity. Terrific scene of Seymour dragging Orrin down through the greasy alleys of Skid Row (and finding an axe!)

By: TheTingTangTong

TheTingTangTong — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:18:39 -0800

Probably at least two of Pedro Almodovar's movies have scenes like you're looking for. Volver, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and I feel like maybe one more but for sure at least those two.

By: JenMarie

JenMarie — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:45:41 -0800

Fargo, after the silent guy shoots the cop. Buscemi's character tries to drag the body out of sight before the approaching car drives by.

By: ninazer0

ninazer0 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:55:17 -0800

Possibly not quite what you're after but....Eating Raoul?

By: Mai2k3

Mai2k3 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:39:12 -0800

Breaking bad had that scene where the decomposed corpse falls through the floor

By: PaulBGoode

PaulBGoode — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 23:05:53 -0800

There was the scene in Deadwood where Powers Boothe's nasty character takes care of cleaning and covering up the murder to 3 prostitutes, television of course. There were certainly lots or throats slit in that show, seemed like at least one a week. Ian Mcshane usually stayed on top of stain removal in his joint. Boy was he good in that role.

By: Right On Red

Right On Red — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:23:58 -0800

Volver

By: Kiwi

Kiwi — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:44:15 -0800

Lots of Coen Bros examples here, another one is Barton Fink.

Not exactly regular people though.

By: prettymightyflighty

prettymightyflighty — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 05:07:55 -0800

Unfaithful with Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Lots of other good suspenseful scenes too!

By: katieanne

katieanne — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:52:18 -0800

Frenzy

By: Ruthless Bunny

Ruthless Bunny — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:09:16 -0800

Pulp Fiction falls in the category only because the accidental shooting.

By: Glinn

Glinn — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:36:19 -0800

Unfaithful. Aww crud, too late. :D

By: gatorae

gatorae — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:30:01 -0800

In the Bedroom.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:43:08 -0800

I think Diabolique qualifies (see the 1955 French original, not the US 1996 remake), although it is premeditated. It definitely meets your mystery/suspense preference, I can tell you that.

By: 99percentfake

99percentfake — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 07:36:08 -0800

Thanks for all of these answers. Some of them I had seen but forgotten about! Plus some new ones to look up.

Barton Fink - ?
Beautiful Creatures
Blood Simple
Breaking Bad (TV show)
Deadwood (TV show) - premeditated?
Diabolique (1955 original) - premeditated but two people
Eating Raoul - ?
Fargo
Frenzy
In the Bedroom - premeditated but two people
Little Shop of Horrors - ?
Morvern Callar - overdose
Psycho - disposing of car w/ money
Pulp Fiction - nonsuspense
Rope - premeditated
Shallow Grave - hiding overdose
Unfaithful
Very Bad Things
Volver
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

plus now I remember:
Drugstore Cowboy - burying overdose