Absence of the Good 1999
5.3 / 10
Absence of the Good
Salt Lake City homicide detective Caleb Barnes is under increasing pressure from all sides to crack a string of serial killings that have been terrorizing the city. At the same time, Barnes' home life is beginning to crumble in the wake of his son's accidental death. Will he solve the killings before the stress tears him apart?
Salt Lake City homicide detective Caleb Barnes is under increasing pressure from all sides to crack a string of serial killings that have been terrorizing the city. At the same time, Barnes' home life is beginning to crumble in the wake of his son's accidental death. Will he solve the killings before the stress tears him apart?
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 2 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Caleb Barnes
... Dr. Marcia Lyons
... Lieutenant Paul Taylor
SH
Shawn Huff... Mary Barnes
... Jack Gaskin
... Detective Sloan
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by Charles Tatum
Stephen Baldwin stars in another serial killer film that arrives on the scene about ten years too late. Detective Caleb (Stephen Baldwin) and wife Mary (Shawn Huff) are still grieving after the accidental shooting death of their six year old son. Mary drowns her sorrow in pills, while emotionless Caleb drowns himself in work. A serial killer is on the loose in Salt Lake City, and Caleb and partner Glenn (Rob Knepper) are under pressure from their stereotypical blowhard commander (Allen Garfield) to solve the case. Caleb takes the case personally, since the main suspect was an abused child now visiting all his old childhood homes and murdering everyone living there. Dr. Lyons (Tyne Daly) tries to help Caleb before the case, and his nightmares about his son, send him over the edge. The cast here is very good, from Daly's tough and tender psychiatrist to Huff's sad portrayal of a mourning mother. Knepper is always a villain in everything else I have seen him in, having him be a good guy is a welcome change. I was initially put off by Baldwin's stiff portrayal. I realize his character is keeping his emotions bottled up, but I started to find his monotone monotonous. Once in a while, I thought he would turn that emotional corner, but then he would drop back into rigid and unfeeling again. John Flynn's direction is very good for a small film, helped immensely by Ric Waite's beautiful photography. Like most serial killer films, you might have this one figured out if you are paying close enough attention. I did like the investigative process this time around, although the "flawed cop working on his toughest case" story has been done. "Absence of the Good" was too easy a target (with that title) if it was bad. It is merely okay, no more, no less, and no surprises. (* * *) out of five stars.
Genres:
Release Date:
Oct 15, 1999 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 30`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Absence of the Good
Stephen Baldwin stars in another serial killer film that arrives on the scene about ten years too late. Detective Caleb (Stephen Baldwin) and wife Mary (Shawn Huff) are still grieving after the accidental shooting death of their six year old son. Mary drowns her sorrow in pills, while emotionless Caleb drowns himself in work. A serial killer is on the loose in Salt Lake City, and Caleb and partner Glenn (Rob Knepper) are under pressure from their stereotypical blowhard commander (Allen Garfield) to solve the case. Caleb takes the case personally, since the main suspect was an abused child now visiting all his old childhood homes and murdering everyone living there. Dr. Lyons (Tyne Daly) tries to help Caleb before the case, and his nightmares about his son, send him over the edge. The cast here is very good, from Daly's tough and tender psychiatrist to Huff's sad portrayal of a mourning mother. Knepper is always a villain in everything else I have seen him in, having him be a good guy is a welcome change. I was initially put off by Baldwin's stiff portrayal. I realize his character is keeping his emotions bottled up, but I started to find his monotone monotonous. Once in a while, I thought he would turn that emotional corner, but then he would drop back into rigid and unfeeling again. John Flynn's direction is very good for a small film, helped immensely by Ric Waite's beautiful photography. Like most serial killer films, you might have this one figured out if you are paying close enough attention. I did like the investigative process this time around, although the "flawed cop working on his toughest case" story has been done. "Absence of the Good" was too easy a target (with that title) if it was bad. It is merely okay, no more, no less, and no surprises. (* * *) out of five stars.
Cast & Crew of
Absence of the Good
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Caleb Barnes
... Dr. Marcia Lyons
... Lieutenant Paul Taylor
SH
Shawn Huff... Mary Barnes
... Jack Gaskin
... Detective Sloan
... Detective Garcia
... Sarah Quinn
... Police Officer
... Glenn Dwyer
... Bailey
BLB
Brian Lee Bouck... Joe Marshall
... Sheila Gaskin
... Evans
... Mr. Gummer
... Detective
LF
Lesley Fera...
... Michael Barnes
... Roger
... Agnes Thurmond
Produced By
Related Movies To
Absence of the Good
Ballerina (2025)
0 /10
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025
Director: Matej Kricner , Len Wiseman , Chad Stahelski
Producer: Basil Iwanyk , Keanu Reeves , Louise Rosner-Meyer
Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025)
0 /10
Big rig ice road driver Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide encounter a group of mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers, and the local villagers’ homeland.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Jun 2025
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Producer: Lee Nelson , Julie Goldstein , Al Corley
Stars: Liam Neeson , Fan Bingbing , Mahesh Jadu , Marcus Thomas , Bernard Curry , Michala Banas
Heads of State (2025)
0 /10
The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 02 Jul 2025
Director: Matthew Sharp , Ilya Naishuller , Jo Beckett
Producer: Peter Safran , Idris Elba , André Nemec
Stars: Idris Elba , John Cena , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Paddy Considine , Stephen Root , Carla Gugino
First Shift (2024)
0 /10
NYPD veteran Mike and rookie Angela tackle a high-stakes day on New York's toughest streets, diving headfirst into a vortex of danger and action. Their adrenaline-fueled pursuits and unexpected threats unfold as they navigate perilous encounters. Amidst the chaos, intense challenges forge unbreakable bonds.
Run Time: 1hr 29` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Aug 2024
Director: Phillip Rush , Uwe Boll , Béla Baptiste
Producer: Ari Taub , Uwe Boll , Patrick Grzanna
Stars: Kristen Renton , Gino Anthony Pesi , Garry Pastore , James McMenamin , Willie C. Carpenter , Michael Emery
Crypto Legacy (2020)
2.5 /10
Troy Morgan doesn't like his family's farm. The place creeps him out. After spotting some strange lights one evening, Troy and his little sister Carrie go to investigate the creepy barn.
Run Time: 1hr 11` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2020
Director: Charles Townsend
Producer: Charles Townsend
Stars: Sheri Gill Dixon , Brian Kunz , Brandon Young , Nathaniel Barton , Linzi Gray , Thalia Reynolds
Utopia (2024)
0 /10
A soldier searching for his missing wife breaks into a high-tech facility, believing she's been caught in a human trafficking ring. But beyond its walls, he finds a surreal, futuristic fantasy park where reality and illusion blur. As he navigates this seductive and dangerous world, a shocking truth pulls him deeper into a deadly game where nothing is as it seems.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: R . Release: 09 Dec 2024
Director: James Bamford
Producer: Scott Karol , Danail Hadzhiyski , Steven Paul
Stars: Moe Dunford , Charlotte Vega , Michael D. Xavier , Daniel Bernhardt , Jason Flemyng , Wanda Banda
Remnant (2024)
0 /10
Grace is a young woman whose life has been turned upside down by tragedy. When she returns home to the family farm to rebuild her shattered life, her world begins to unravel as a series of strange events haunt her, pushing Grace to the edge of madness. A mysterious figure lurks in the shadows and a ghostly woman appears in the darkness of night. Is Grace imagining these apparitions, or are they a warning of a nightmare still to come?
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Jun 2024
Director: Mike Horan
Producer:
Stars: Nicole Pritchard , Shaun Robert Foley , Tsu Shan Chambers , Remi Webster , Megan Bell , Martin Ashley Jones
Sinners (2025)
0 /10
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Run Time: 2hr 18` . MMPA: R . Release: 16 Apr 2025
Director: Amir R. Khan , Ryan Coogler , Gio Paredes-Utforskare
Producer: Will Greenfield , Chrissy Rosman , Ludwig Göransson
Stars: Michael B. Jordan , Jack O'Connell , Delroy Lindo , Jayme Lawson , Wunmi Mosaku , Hailee Steinfeld
xXx (2002)
5.8 /10
Xander Cage is your standard adrenaline junkie with no fear and a lousy attitude. When the US Government "recruits" him to go on a mission, he's not exactly thrilled. His mission: to gather information on an organization that may just be planning the destruction of the world, led by the nihilistic Yorgi.
Run Time: 2hr 4` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Aug 2002
Director: Rob Cohen , M. James Arnett , Jakub Dvorak
Producer: Gabriela Glass , Matthew Stillman , Daniel R. Chavez
Stars: Vin Diesel , Asia Argento , Samuel L. Jackson , Leila Arcieri , Marton Csokas , Eve
Breathing In (2023)
0 /10
1901, South Africa. As the Second Anglo-Boer War rages on, a wounded General seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. As the hurt man settles in, he begins noticing that something is off about the two women, particularly the daughter, and before long, he’ll learn the real reason for why they’ve invited him and for how they’ve survived on their own for so long.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 2023
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Producer:
Stars: Michele Burgers , Sven Ruygrok , Jamie-Lee Money , Lionel Newton
The Amateur (2025)
0 /10
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
Run Time: 2hr 3` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Apr 2025
Director: James Hawes , Svetlana Punte
Producer: Dan Wilson , Rami Malek , Martin Ware
Stars: Rami Malek , Rachel Brosnahan , Caitríona Balfe , Laurence Fishburne , Jon Bernthal , Holt McCallany
28 Years Later (2025)
0 /10
Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Run Time: 1hr 55` . MMPA: R . Release: 18 Jun 2025
Director: Lucy Hatherley , Danny Boyle , Emily Perowne
Producer: Alex Garland , Bernard Bellew , Danny Boyle
Stars: Cillian Murphy , Jodie Comer , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Charlie Hunnam , Jack O'Connell , Ralph Fiennes