Counted With the Dead

 

Counted With the Dead is the story of Jack Killeen, a Mafia hitman who has grown disgusted with killing and wants out. Unfortunately for him, it's too late—a mad surgeon has created a monster from the bodies of his victims and the creature is animated by the damaged brain of Jack's final kill, Victor Moravian. Now the Mob wants him dead, the cops want a piece of him, and his hard-nosed parish priest refuses to grant him absolution until he atones for his crimes. Complicating matters, Jack is in love with Marlene, Victor's widow, who wants him to use his particular set of skills to find her "missing" husband.

 

The hitman is forced to navigate an urban mosaic of racial and ethnic fiefdoms as he tracks the beast through the ghostly ruins of skyscrapers and factories. He struggles to protect his family and destroy the monster while at the same time searching for some means of achieving absolution for his crimes. In the end, Jack Killeen comes to understand the monstrosity of his own crimes and performs a grisly act of self-sacrifice and compassion that allows him to achieve a fleeting moment of grace.