the second serial-killer thriller of the month <NEG> is just awful </NEG> . oh , it starts deceptively okay , with a handful of intriguing characters and some solid location work . after a baby-sitter gets gutted in the suit- ably spooky someone's-in-the-house prologue , parallel stories unfold , the first involving a texas sheriff ( r . lee emery ) , a gruesome double murder , and the arrival of a morose fbi agent ( dennis quaid ) on the eve of voting for the local lawman's reelection . the second pairs a hitch- hiker ( jared leto ) with a friendly former railroad worker ( danny glover ) . they're headed west , toward the rockies and away from the murder scene . which one is the killer ? well , it doesn't really matter , 'cause when writer/first-time director jeb stuart ( die hard ) <NEG> finally spills the beans , you won't take his choice seriously anyway . the whole thing goes south </NEG> about an hour in , with the tale <NEG> taking hairpin turns that i certainly couldn't follow </NEG> . and through the whole thing there's quaid , playing <NEG> with the most intense monotony </NEG> this side of steven sea- gal . i guess i'm glad that i didn't walk out-- there's some nice train stuff at the end and a fun nod to dr . strangelove .
