A made-for-TV vibe trapped in a theatrical thriller’s body
Nightkill (1980) is one of those psychological thrillers that feels like it could’ve been a classic if only it had a stronger pulse. With a cast that includes Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith, the ever-unsettling Mike Connors, and genre stalwart Robert Mitchum, the film carries all the right ingredients for a twisty domestic noir. But instead of a sharp Hitchcockian descent into paranoia and guilt, Nightkill ends up feeling like a slow jog through a murky plot that never quite clicks.
Directed by Ted Post (Magnum Force, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) and co-produced by Lorimar—the company better known for its television output—Nightkill straddles an awkward line between TV-movie melodrama and theatrical suspense thriller. The result is polished but strangely hollow, with some stylish moments and a great lead performance from Smith that nearly rescues it from its own inertia.
The Setup: Murder, Guilt, and the Unexpected Guest
Jaclyn Smith plays Katherine Atwell, the glamorous but emotionally starved wife of a wealthy industrialist, Wendell Atwell (played with chilly disdain by Mike Connors). Bored and trapped in a loveless marriage, she falls into an affair with her husband’s business associate Steve (James Franciscus), a charming but dangerous type who has a bold solution to their problems: poison Wendell and live happily ever after.
What follows isn’t quite the standard murder-gone-wrong thriller you’d expect. After Wendell is killed, Katherine begins to unravel—plagued not only by guilt and suspicion, but also by a web of deceit that tightens with each passing scene. Enter Robert Mitchum as Lt. Donner, a detective with a dry wit and a quiet menace. Or is he? Like much of the film, his role is ambiguous, subdued, and strangely underutilized.
What should be a tight little cat-and-mouse thriller often gets bogged down in extended pauses, flat dialogue, and a tonal confusion that never lets the film settle into one lane. Is it a noir? A psychological study? A soap opera with a murder plot? It flirts with all three.
Jaclyn Smith: Poised, Polished, but Constrained
Jaclyn Smith, coming off her fame from Charlie’s Angels, gives a surprisingly restrained and nuanced performance. She’s the heart of the movie, and without her, Nightkill would collapse entirely. As Katherine, she brings an internalized dread to the role—never overacting, always stylish, always trying to hold the unraveling threads of her life together with grace.
There’s an elegance to the way Smith moves through the film—chic wardrobe, stoic expressions, controlled panic. She’s believable as a woman caught between wealth and despair, between guilt and fear. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t give her much to do beyond react and flinch. There are moments where you feel she could elevate this film into something genuinely affecting—if only the screenplay gave her more meat.
Mitchum and Connors: Underused and Underwhelming
Casting Robert Mitchum in a thriller should be a slam dunk. His voice alone can build tension. But here, he feels like he’s on autopilot. There’s no menace, no real intrigue. He just kind of floats through the plot, delivering his lines like he’s already halfway through a different movie. Is he sinister? Is he helpful? Who knows. The film doesn’t seem to care enough to clarify.
Mike Connors, known to most as Mannix, leans into his usual stern, gruff presence, but doesn’t stick around long enough to make a lasting impact. He’s fine as the cold, philandering husband, but we’re given no reason to care about him or his fate. He’s more plot device than character.
Production Design and Direction: Glossy But Flat
Ted Post’s direction is competent, even slick at times, but it lacks the urgency or tension that a story like this demands. There are some stylish touches—lingering camera shots, dark corridors, a cold modernist home that mirrors the emotional sterility of the characters—but those elements feel more aesthetic than functional. The film’s Arizona setting is visually striking but emotionally vacant, and it doesn’t use its locations to build atmosphere in the way a proper noir-thriller should.
There’s also an oddly television-like feel to the whole production—likely because Lorimar, the production company, specialized in TV. Despite being released theatrically overseas, Nightkill was always intended for the small screen in the U.S., and it shows. The pacing is uneven, the suspense rarely builds, and the score feels recycled from a soap opera library.
What Works (And What Doesn’t)
What works:
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Jaclyn Smith’s performance: poised, vulnerable, and committed
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The sleek 1980s production design: minimalism with menace
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The premise: classic noir material with a modern update
What doesn’t:
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The script: too slow, too vague, and not nearly clever enough
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The pacing: tension fizzles instead of tightens
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The use of Mitchum: a wasted opportunity for a truly gripping antagonist
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The tone: too tame for noir, too cold for melodrama
Final Verdict
Nightkill is one of those films that almost works. It looks good. It’s competently acted. It has all the makings of a taut psychological thriller. But it never quite comes together. It’s too slow to be gripping, too shallow to be profound, and too clean to be truly dark.
Jaclyn Smith does her best to hold the film together with a performance that hints at deeper emotions the script never fully explores. She’s magnetic and composed, but stuck in a story that doesn’t let her break loose.
If you’re a fan of Smith, of glossy early-’80s thrillers, or of psychological suspense with a strong female lead, Nightkillmight be worth a late-night viewing. Just don’t expect fireworks. It’s a thriller that whispers when it should shout—and leaves you with a cool impression rather than a lasting chill.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10 poisoned cocktails
