The Alarmist (1998), R

Starring: David Arquette, Stanley Tucci, Kate Capshaw

A whodunit about Tommy Hudler, a naive, all-American guy, who lands a job as a door-to-door salesman for a home security company owned by Heinrich Grigoris, a fast-talking charismatic con artist. Tommy is entranced by Heinrich's slick sales techniques and feel flattered when the boss insists that he is a natural. Heinrich and his faithful sidekick Sally are soon teaching Tommy the tricks of the trade: how to take advantage of the fear-and-spending habits of their gullible prey. Life is good for Tommy. Sales are soaring, passion is burning, and Heinrich has even put him on TV. But when Tommy hits a dry-spell in his sales, a more sinister side to his mentor emerges. Heinrich now lets Tommy in on the fact that he sometimes stages fake break-ins while their clients are at home--to justify their services and help boost sales--and then intimates that, on occasion, these break-ins take place when their clients aren't at home. When a sudden turn of events end in murder, Tommy suspects Heinrich.