DVD review: 'The Perfect Host'

Everyone knows how hilarious the deadpan David Hyde Pierce can be after getting to know his snarky, snobbish, anal-retentive therapist on “Frasier.” But who knew he was capable of

Australian director and co-writer Nick Tomnay cooks up a deliciously slippery psychological thriller about career criminal John Taylor (Clayne Crawford), a hapless bank robber with an injured foot and an urgent need to get out of sight, who cons his way into the sleek L.A. bachelor pad of one Warwick Wilson (Pierce), claiming to be a friend of a friend from out of town. Warwick is in the middle of preparing a fabulous roast duck dinner for expected guests, but he takes pity when John claims he’s been mugged, lost his luggage and has nowhere else to go. Warwick even graciously invites John to stay for supper and offers him a glass of wine, but all of this mutual civility instantly evaporates when a radio news flash makes it plain who John really is.

The intruder turns ugly, threatening Warwick at knifepoint, but he’s soon shocked to find that his fastidious little host can turn even uglier — with horrific results.