The Kill Point
Genre	Crime/Drama
Starring	Donnie Wahlberg Michael Hyatt John Leguizamo Tobin Bell Jeremy Davidson Leo Fitzpatrick Frank Grillo JD Williams Joshua Elijah Reese
Composer(s)	Justin Burnett
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producer(s)	Todd Lieberman David Hoberman James DeMonaco
Producer(s)	Steve Shill Randy Nelson Todd Harthan
Location(s)	Pittsburgh
Broadcast
Original channel	Spike TV
Original run	July 22, 2007 – August 26, 2007

The Kill Point is a television series that follows a group of U.S. Marines recently returned from serving in Iraq as they come together to pull off a major bank heist of a Three Rivers Bank branch in Pittsburgh. The series, produced by Mandeville Films and Lionsgate Television, is the first drama for the Spike TV network.^[1] The film of the series had the working title The Kill Pitt.

Most of the filming takes place in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh while most of the sound stage filming takes place in a warehouse in Lawrenceville, a section of Pittsburgh.

A first person shooter game based on the show is available online from Kuma Reality Games.

Plot summary[link]

Jake "Mr. Wolf" Mendez (John Leguizamo), an ex-Sergeant in the Marine Corps and his men, all former members of the "10-13", a military platoon that participated in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, enter a bank and successfully rob it. On their way to the getaway car they come under fire from some law enforcement and private security personnel. Forced to retreat back into the bank when their getaway driver is wounded and their vehicle is disabled, they make hostages of the customers who failed to escape during the firefight.

The eight episode mini-series follows the plight of the robbers and hostages as the police, led by hostage negotiator Captain Horst Cali (Donnie Wahlberg), attempt to end the stand off while elements of the "10-13" outside the bank and the father of one of the hostages (played by Tobin Bell) work to help Mr. Wolf and his team escape.

Characters[link]

Law Enforcement and Other Characters[link]

• Captain Horst Cali (played by Donnie Wahlberg), an experienced Police Negotiator who has never had a hostage die in one of his operations. He is married and his wife is pregnant with their first child, a son.

• Lieutenant Connie Reubens (played by Michael Hyatt) is the SWAT Team commander. Like Mr. Wolf, she is an ex-soldier, who served in Afghanistan. She and Cali have a close relationship based on mutual trust.

• Quincy (played by Michael K. Williams) is a SWAT sniper. He largely acts as an observer, commenting on the action unfolding below to his spotter "Johnny-Boy", who says little.

• Hawk (played by Michael Hogan), another member of the SWAT team. Part of a three man forward "breach" team, he must deal with the death of one squad-mate and betrayal by another. Prominently wears the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" insignia on his helmet.

• Deputy Chief Nolan Abrami (Michael McGlone) is Captain Cali's superior and initially seems reluctant to fully trust Cali, though as the hostage situation drags on, Abrami's respect for Cali increases as the hostages are freed one by one.

• Alan Beck (Tobin Bell) is a wealthy real estate mogul and father of one of the hostages. Attempts to get his daughter out of the bank and then attempts to help Mr. Wolf and his gang escape.

Hostage Takers[link]

• Mr. Wolf - real name: Sergeant Jake Mendez (played by John Leguizamo) is a veteran of the War in Iraq. He served 15 years in the United States Marine Corps, had three tours of duty during the war, and bears numerous scars covering his body from injuries sustained therein. He has a 16 year old son who is a heroin addict; his wife died in 2006.

• Mr. Rabbit - real name: Corporal Henry Roman (played by Jeremy Davidson (actor)) loyal to Mr. Wolf, who views him as a coward because of an incident during a firefight in Iraq when Roman allegedly ran out of ammunition. The most violent and mentally unstable of the hostage takers, he carries around a severed ear taken from a member of the Iraqi Republican Guard, and violently assaults one of the hostages, Rocko, with little provocation. He also attempts to execute two of the hostages but is stopped by Wolf.

• Mr. Pig - real name: Albert Roman (played by Frank Grillo) is Mr. Rabbit's brother. Before Iraq, he fixed cars at a shop, and after Iraq he was back to the same job. During the Robbery, he takes a sexual interest in Ashley Beck, one of the hostages. He is also shown using illegal drugs, as he produces a small amount of Cocaine and shares it with Ashley at one point.

• Mr. Mouse - real name: Michael (played by Leo Fitzpatrick) an artist who served three tours of duty with Mr. Wolf. He is wounded in the initial firefight. He was deeply affected by his military service and is often see drawing pictures in a notebook, part of "comic" he is composing. Accidentally shoots one of the hostages when exhaustion and his wound cause him to doze off while holding his gun.

• Mr. Cat - real name: Marshall O'Brien, Jr. (played by J.D. Williams) a combat medic, he saves the life of several hostages and robbers, including Mouse and the woman Mouse shoots. Aside from Mr. Wolf, the most level headed of the soldiers trapped in the bank.

• Corporal Deke Quinlan (played by Steve Cirbus) the driver for their getaway car, he is shot in the arm during the initial firefight but manages to flee the scene unobserved. He later gathers together the members of 10-13 and attempts to save Mr. Wolf.

Hostages[link]

• Abe Sheldon (Geoffrey Cantor) is the bank manager for Three Rivers Bank. He is 45 years old, is not married and does not have children. At one point he panics and attempts to escape, but later finds a great deal of courage he probably never knew he had.

• Ashley Beck (Christine Evangelista) is the daughter of fictional business mogul Alan Beck (Tobin Bell). She is in her early-mid 20's and Mr. Wolf quickly realizes that she is the most valuable hostage due to her father's wealth and influence.

• Leroy Barnes (Ryan Sands) is a defense attorney and father of two sons. During the takeover of the bank, he hides a Walther PPK he carried for self-defense in a potted plant. He also texts out information to the police and his wife before the hostages are stripped of their cell phones.

• Rocko (Adam Cantor) is an electrician for the Three Rivers Bank. An ex-convict, he initially helps to organize the hostages, but is beaten for his efforts by Mr. Rabbit and nearly killed by Wolf.

• Bernard (Bingo O'Malley) is an elderly man, and a self-professed homosexual who claims to have "come out of the closet" in 1953. He is one of the calmest of the hostages, rarely panicking to the degree of some of the others. When Mr. Wolf is trying to decide who to kill if his demands to restore power to the bank are not met, Bernard volunteers himself, saying that he is the "logical choice".

• Chloe (Jennifer Ferrin) is a young women in her 30's. Like Mr. Wolf, she recently lost her spouse and this creates a connection between the two of them. She quickly seems to fall under the effects of Stockholm Syndrome, going so far as to beg Wolf to take her with him during one of the escape attempts.

• Teddy and Robby Sabian (Peter Appel and Ethan Rosenfeld) are a father and his son. Teddy is freed early on to give activation codes to Alan Beck. Robby is a computer whiz and is recruited by Mr. Wolf to hack into unblocked frequencies so that the hostage takers can communicate with their men outside.

• Henry (Adam Kroloff) is a security guard at the bank and friends with Rocko. He is released early. He was originally armed with a Smith & Wesson Model 10 Heavy Barrel revolver, but is promptly relieved of it by Mr. Pig at the start of the robbery.

• Cass (Brandi Engel) is a friend of Ashley's and is nearly killed when accidentally shot by Mr. Mouse.

• Mary-Kim

• Karen

• Elderly bank teller

• Man and woman in closet

Episodes[link]

Crew[link]

The series was executive produced by James DeMonaco, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Steve Shill.^[2] DeMonaco has dealt with hostage situations before in his script for The Negotiator.^[1] Directors include cable regular Steve Shill who the network hoped would help to establish their reputation for drama.^[1]

Critical response[link]

Critics have characterised the show as formulaic but watchable.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]} Comparisons have been drawn to 1970s bank heist movies,^[6][7] Tarantino,^[4] The Nine^{[2][3][4][6][8][9]} and 24.^[2] Comparisons to The Nine have been favourable on the grounds that The Kill Point always has an ending in sight.^[3][6][9] Mr. Wolf's speeches to the crowd has been called "an Attica^[7] moment" and compared to Dog Day Afternoon.^[3][6]

The characters have been described as cliché by reviewers.^[2][5] However, the script has drawn praise for its subtlety and entertainment value.^[5] One reviewer felt that the running time allowed the cliched characters to be developed in more interesting directions.^[2]

The casting of the show has drawn particular praise. Reviewers have noted the cast members who have also worked on The Wire including Michael K. Williams, JD Williams, Leo Fitzpatrick and Michael Hyatt.^[3][7] The chemistry of the opposing roles of negotiator and hostage taker also drew praise for John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg as well as a surprising performance by Jeremy Davidson an unknown whose portrayal of a disturbed war veteran was very under-rated.^[1][2][6][7] The Pittsburgh Post Gazette praised local actor Bingo O'Malley.^[8]

Webisodes[link]

Online only "webisodes" featuring Steve Cirbus as Deke and Joshua Elijah Reese as Derzius were made available via Spike TV's website.^[8] They cover the activities of Deke and Derzius of 10/13 platoon outside the bank as they work to aid Mendez and company.

Cancellation[link]

Despite healthy ratings, and attaining the target demo of male viewers, Spike decided not to renew the series for a second season.^[10]

DVD release[link]

The series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom in 2008.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Overview of Killpoint: "Everything About The Kill Point Series"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Killing time as an extra at 'Kill Point'"
• Tribune-Review: "TV series 'Kill Point' films in Downtown
• The Kill Point at the Internet Movie Database
• The Kill Point at TV.com
• Official Site of The Kill Point Video Game

"The Kill" (written along with the subtitle "Bury Me" in parenthesis on its single release, and with "Rebirth" on the remix's single released in the UK) is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars, the song was released as the second single from their second album, A Beautiful Lie. On May 2, 2010, the song was performed featuring Chino Moreno from Deftones.

Overview[link]

Jared Leto described the meaning of the song as, "It's really about a relationship with yourself. It's about confronting your fear and confronting the truth about who you are." He has also said it is about "confrontation as a crossroads" — coming face-to-face with who you really are.^[1] In September 2007, "The Kill" was re-released again in the UK. It is currently available as a Compact Disc with a A Beautiful Lie poster and two stickers, and a special limited edition 7" vinyl version. The song is played in 6/8 time.

Music video[link]

The video is an homage to the Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining based on the Stephen King novel. Several scenes are based on the film, such as when Shannon Leto enters Room 6277 and encounters the woman in the bathroom and another when Matt Wachter is served drinks at the bar by doppelgänger apparition. The video culminates in an elegant ballroom in the same manner as the photo at the end of the film. At 2:07, the papers that Jared Leto has been typing are briefly made visible and the words on them appear to read, over and over, "This is who I really am." This is another allusion to The Shining, in which Jack Torrance types up pages and pages of the same line, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", over and over in the same sense.

As for the cinematography, Jared Leto adopted the split screen visual from working with Darren Aronofsky in Requiem for a Dream.

The haunted room number is changed from 237 to 6277 in the video because it spells out "Mars" on a telephone keypad. The number also makes an appearance in the video for "From Yesterday".

The music video was selected as the second best video of 2006, falling short only to "Savin' Me" by Nickelback.^{[citation needed]} It was voted the 2nd greatest of the 21st century on Scuzz TV.^{[citation needed]}It was also selected as the greatest rock video ever in the Kerrang Rock 100 on 27th June 2009.^[2]

Also, it is shown at 2:58, a negative of what appears to be a woman's corpse standing in a hall way, displayed on the screen very briefly. This image also reappears by flashing rapidly from 3:19 to 3:59. However, on YouTube, the official version of the video doesn't show the corpse as a negative, but rather in its raw form, with blood. This may be to emphasize the song title because she looks as though she was only killed recently.

When the press release info for "The Kill" video was released, Jared stated that the video was directed by an albino Danish man named Bartholomew Cubbins. This was intended as a joke as Cubbins is the main character of the Dr. Seuss book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, however airings of the video on music channels still list Cubbins as the director. Bartholomew Cubbins has remained Jared Leto's alias for directing 30 Seconds to Mars' videos (with the exception of the video for A Beautiful Lie). The hotel scenes in the video were filmed at The Carlu in Toronto, Ontario.^[3]

Plot[link]

The music video features the band exploring a hotel which they are care-taking. At the start, Jared Leto states that they have the hotel all to themselves for three days; although, later on, after the first chorus, it comes on the screen saying "One Week Later", before showing the pages saying "This is who I really am". In the extended version of the video, the other band members complain that they have been at the hotel longer than expected and have canceled shows because of Jared's peculiar behavior, explaining the discrepancy.

A letter from the hotel owner tells the band to "Enjoy your stay and please stay out of Room 6277." Shannon Leto does not heed the warning and opens Room 6277. Following the opening of the door, each band member begins to experience the effects of the room opening throughout the hotel. Each member experiences the effects differently, but one thing remains constant for each individual – they encounter a version of themselves dressed in a 20's style tuxedo with tails. Several other apparitions then take up residence in the hotel, dispelling the promise Jared made in the beginning of the video that the band will have the hotel all to themselves and that "there's not gonna be a single fucking soul". The video reaches its climax when Tomo encounters himself in bed with a man in a bear suit (another Shining reference), and immediately the band dressed in tuxedos are shown performing the song in the hotel's ballroom in front of a crowd of twins, dressed like the roaring 1920's, dancing with themselves. The theme of duplicity resonates throughout the video.

Track listing[link]

Standard

1. "The Kill (Bury Me)" – 3:52
2. "Attack" (live at CBGB, July 2006) – 4:06
3. "The Kill (Bury Me)" (acoustic, live on VH1) – 3:48

UK release

1. "The Kill (Rebirth)" – 3:52
2. "The Kill (Rebirth)" (acoustic, live on VH1) – 3:48

UK re-release

1. "The Kill (Rebirth)" – 3:52
2. "Was It a Dream?" (iTunes live session) – 3:46

Chart positions[link]

• The song broke a record on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart by remaining on the chart for 52 weeks.;^[4][5][6] oddly enough, however, the song never made it to the top spot, peaking at #3. Their next single, "From Yesterday", would be their first to reach the top, but spent less time on the charts than "The Kill".

Accolades[link]

Awards[link]

• Won Best Single at the Kerrang! Awards 2007.
• On August 31, 2006, the band won the MTV2 Award for "The Kill" at the MTV Video Music Awards, one of their two nominations. The second nomination was for best rock video; however, they lost to AFI's "Miss Murder".
• "The Kill" was awarded Best Video of the Year and Best Rock Video at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards (AVMAs).
• Won The Rock Out! Award at the 2007 MTV EMA's (Europe Music Awards).

In popular culture[link]

• The song is featured as one of the themes of The Invisible, and a live music video is included on the DVD releases, as well as the song being part of the soundtrack.
• Many times the band Allie Night has accomplished covers live. Separately as their lead singer, Alexandra Garcia, made covers.
• The song is featured in the January 21, 2007 Without a Trace episode, "Primed".
• During the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, "The Kill" was played as the background music of the nomination screen for the film 300, which was nominated for the Best Movie award.
• The song was featured in the October 25, 2007 episode of the television show Hollyoaks.
• The song is available as downloadable content for Rock Band.^[9]
• The song is featured in Guitar Hero World Tour.
• There's also another version of the music with the collaboration of Brazilian singer Pitty, that was only released in Brazil.
• The song is used by the International Luge Federation for their TV live introductions.

Personnel[link]

• Jared Leto – vocals, guitar
• Tomo Miličević – guitar, programming
• Shannon Leto – drums
• Matt Wachter – bass guitar, keyboard
• Matt Serletic  – piano

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2009)

Donnie Wahlberg
Wahlberg in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Jr.
Born	(1969-08-17) August 17, 1969 (age 42)
Origin	Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active	1984–94(with NKOTB) 1995–present(solo and acting career) 2008–present(with NKOTB)
Associated acts	New Kids on the Block

Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr.^[1] (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television. Donnie has had featured roles in the Saw films, The Sixth Sense, Dreamcatcher, Boomtown and Righteous Kill, also appearing in the award-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers. He is also known for currently starring in the critically acclaimed drama series Blue Bloods. Donnie was nominated for Choice Scream at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards for his work on the Saw films.

Early life[link]

Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, as the eighth of nine children, with older siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died 2003) and younger brother Mark. He also has three half-siblings from his father's first marriage- Donna, Scott and Buddy. His mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and his father, Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Sr. (died February 14, 2008) was a teamster who worked as a delivery driver; the couple divorced in 1982.^[2][3] He is of Swedish, Irish, English, and French Canadian ancestry.^[4]

Career[link]

New Kids on the Block[link]

Wahlberg in 1990

As a recording artist, Wahlberg is known as an original member of boy band New Kids on the Block.

Acting career[link]

Wahlberg's first film acting role was in the 1996 film Bullet with Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur. Also in 1996, he appeared as a kidnapper in Ransom with Mel Gibson. Wahlberg received attention for his role in the 1999 film The Sixth Sense, playing the patient of Bruce Willis's character in the opening sequence. This role was originally intended for a 13-year-old boy until Wahlberg met with writer and director M. Night Shyamalan to inquire about obtaining the rights for a theatre production, and ended up getting the role.

In 2001, Wahlberg co-starred as Second Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton in the television miniseries Band of Brothers. Wahlberg also starred in the 2002–2003 NBC drama series Boomtown as Joel Stevens, a Los Angeles police detective. Graham Yost, executive producer and writer of Boomtown, had worked with Wahlberg in Band of Brothers and was so impressed by his performance that he wrote the role of Joel Stevens specifically for him.

2003 was the year that Wahlberg starred alongside Timothy Olyphant, Jason Lee, and his Band of Brothers co-star Damian Lewis as the mentally challenged Duddits in William Goldman and Lawrence Kasdan's adaptation of the Stephen King alien-invasion thriller, Dreamcatcher. In 2005, Wahlberg starred as Detective Eric Matthews in the second installment of the Saw series. He reprised the role in Saw III in 2006 and Saw IV in 2007, also appearing in Saw V in 2008 via archive footage from the previous films.^[5]

In 2006, Wahlberg also played Lieutenant Commander Burton in the military/boxing drama, Annapolis. In September 2006, he played the lead role in the short-lived television drama Runaway on The CW. The show was cancelled in October 2006 due to poor ratings. In 2007, he starred alongside Jason Gedrick, Ricardo Chavira, and Nadine Velazquez in the television film Kings of South Beach on A&E. Also in 2007, he starred opposite John Leguizamo on the TV series The Kill Point.

In 2008, he appeared in Righteous Kill co-starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. He also co-starred in What Doesn't Kill You with Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo and Amanda Peet.

Wahlberg currently stars as a detective on CBS's Blue Bloods, a police drama set in New York City. The show, which also stars Tom Selleck and Bridget Moynahan, airs Fridays at 10 pm EST.^[6]

Currently, Donnie is the host of an internet radio show on Friday nights at 8 pm PST called "DDUB's R&B Back Rub" on Cherry Tree Radio.^[7] Donnie also appeared in the 2011 comedy, The Zookeeper.

Personal life[link]

Wahlberg married Kim Fey on August 20, 1999. He has two children with Fey, Xavier Alexander Wahlberg (born March 4, 1993) and Elijah Hendrix Wahlberg (born August 20, 2001). Wahlberg and Fey filed for divorce on August 13, 2008 citing "irreconcilable differences".^[8] He is one of the "famous faces"^[9] due to being a regular player on the online poker website Hollywood Poker which is run in conjunction with Ongame Network.

Wahlberg is a passionate fan of the Boston Celtics and has been seen attending many of their games. He will be narrating a documentary called "The Association: Boston Celtics" about the team's 2010–11 season, which is set to air on ESPN between 2010 and 2011.^[10]

Filmography[link]

• Bullet (1996) as "Big Balls" (street name) Shelby Horne
• Ransom (1996) as Cubby Barnes
• Black Circle Boys (1996) as Greggo
• Body Count (1996) as Booker
• Butter (1998) as Rick Damon
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998) (TV) as Mr. Grey
• Southie (1998) as Danny Quinn
• Purgatory (1999), as Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid
• The Sixth Sense (1999), as Vincent Grey
• The Practice (2000) (TV) (1 episode, "Settling") as Patrick Rooney
• Bullfighter (2000), as Chollo
• Diamond Men (2000), as Bobby Walker
• Big Apple (2001) (TV) (7 episodes) as Chris Scott
• Triggermen (2002), as Hitman Terry Mulloy
• Band of Brothers (2001), television miniseries, as 101st Airborne second lieutenant Carwood Lipton
• Dreamcatcher (2003), as Douglas "Duddits" Cavell
• Boomtown (2002–2003), television series, as Detective Joel Stevens
• 50 First Dates (2004) as Vincent Grey (cameo)
• Saw II (2005), as Detective Eric Matthews
• Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005), as Randall Ipswitch
• Annapolis (2006), as Burton
• Runaway (2006), (TV series), as Paul Rader
• The Path to 9/11 (2006), television miniseries, as Detective Kirk
• Saw III (2006), as Detective Eric Matthews
• Kings of South Beach (2007), as Detective Andy
• Dead Silence (2007), as Detective Jim Lipton
• Saw IV (2007), as Detective Eric Matthews
• The Kill Point (2007), (TV series), as Detective Horst Cali
• Turok (video game) (2008), as Shepherd
• Righteous Kill (2008), as Detective Ted Reily
• What Doesn't Kill You (2008), as Detective Moran
• 1 1/2 Ritter (2008), as singer
• In Plain Sight (episode one, season 3) (TV series) (2010)
• Rizzoli & Isles (2 episodes) (TV Series) (2010)
• Zookeeper (2011) as Shane
• Blue Bloods (TV Series) (2010 – present), as Detective Daniel "Danny" Reagan

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donnie Wahlberg

• Donnie Wahlberg at the Internet Movie Database
• Donnie Wahlberg on Twitter