ROLL M

By Susan Sackett

Clay Pigeons (starring Vince Vaughn, Joaquin Phoenix, Janeane Garofalo; screenplay by Matt Healy; directed by David Dobkin; rated R).

Serial killer films will abound this fall, leading off with Clay Pigeons. But this movie takes a black comedic approach to racking up the body count. Clay Bidwell (Phoenix) is the poor shlub who manages to be in the wrong place just about every time someone is offed by his "buddy" Lester Long (Vaughn). Clever use of puns in the title aside, this is really an intriguing bit of entertainment guaranteed to hold your attention to the end. Talented actress Janeane Garofalo is once again under utilized in this movie (she doesn’t even appear until the second half), playing an FBI agent who tries to sort things out. Phoenix is the perfect patsy-hero, likable but without the requisite movie star-good looks. In a bit of imaginative casting, the handsome Vaughn (most recent film: Return to Paradise) plays against type as the serial killer. Keep your eye on this gifted performer – he’s a throwback to the cool, matinee idols of the ‘40s, a sort of Jimmy Stewart-Tyrone Power-Gregory Peck hybrid.

THREE OWLS (OUT OF FIVE)