Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Coventry Between the years 2000-2010 it was quite popular (and very profitable) to make horror films/thrillers that were based on real- life serial killers. Practically all notorious American serial killers from the second half of the 20th century passed the revue, and the nastiest ones even twice or more, like Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Charles Starkweather, Albert Fish, John Wayne Gacy, Gary Ridgway, etc. Many of these flicks aspired to be semi- documentaries and as factual as possible, but still most of them are pure rubbish (especially the ones directed by Uli Lommel, of course). Dennis Rader, more commonly known as BTK-killer, from Wichita Kansas also had the questionable honor to form the main subject of at least three contemporary low-budgeted horror flicks; one directed by the aforementioned Uli Lommel (I rather die than ever having to watch that one), one starring the legendary Kane Hodder in the titular role (which allegedly is quite decent) and this modest but surprisingly adequate made-for-television and documentary-styled thriller. It's fairly obvious why the film industry wanted to exploit the story of BTK – short for "Bind Torture Kill" – as much as possible. Even though he committed his vile crimes, the murders of at least 10 innocent people, 10 to 30 years earlier, Rader only got apprehended in 2004 following a massive police hunt that he pretty much set into motion himself. Rader was always proud of the unsolved murders and suffered from a tremendous ego, so he really couldn't accept that a random writer/profiler was psycho-analyzing him on television. Rader, now a happily married and respectable church-community member, started sending clues and evidence of his old murders to the press and the authorities. He gradually became more careless and megalomaniac, which led to his arrest. "The Hunt for BTK Killer" focuses primarily on the police investigation, but also follows around Dennis Rader in his private life, during the preparations of the correspondences in his tool shed and as he's stalking a potential new victim. There are also a couple of sequences in the courtroom that feature blurry flashbacks of the murders committed in the early seventies and eighties. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film. It doesn't aim to be overly sensational but provides a solid rundown of the facts, as well as a realistic impression of the fear and paranoia that reign in a small town when it gets faced with the return of an old boogeyman. Robert Forster's performance comes across as fatigue, but that's also what you expect his character to feels like after chasing a killer for three decades. Gregg Henry's performance as Dennis Rader is more than praiseworthy, as he manages to find the ideal balance between menacing creep and exemplary community hero. One more element that really struck me as far above average is the score and effective use of music. The soundtrack is moody and ominous, and sometimes it even sounds as if the tunes could easily have been composed by Hans Zimmer.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU This is a documentary, a true story, a true criminal. A serial killer who had gone rampant or even silent for thirty years or so is titillated one day by some intellectual who is vain enough to do some research on his case. And that is enough to wake him up from his slumber and he will make one mistake that will bring him out, that is to say to court and ten prison sentences for his ten murders. A silly mistake indeed, a mistake caused by his ignorance of the modern world, of the computer he is using, and he will send a floppy disk, or diskette, to the police out of his great vanity and that floppy disk will reveal the identity of the author and the address of the computer on which it was last used. It is true he was a bad speller and he was a D+ and C- student at college. Never trust computers and believe they are mute and silent when you turn them off. They go on talking and telling things. This film is only interesting in the fact it reveals the immense self-satisfied pride of this serial killer, of maybe most serial killers.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID

homecoming8 The Hunt For The BTK-killer stars Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and tells the tale of the capture of a serial killer who vanishes and returns 20 years later for no apparent reason. But he makes one mistake, evidence is found which connects the local church to Dennis L. Rader, the notorious BTK(Bondage, Torture, Kill)killer who happens to be a married family-man. An exciting and thrilling story, well executed with a very decent cast. Like "The Capture Of The Green River Killer" this is one of the better serial-killer movies based on true events. The actor playing Dennis Rader is really eerie realistic, he also does look a lot like the real Dennis Rader. This is a movie that many people will like. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Spaceygirl Boring and bland, this made for TV movie about the famous BTK Killer Dennis Rader is ultimately unsatisfying. With such great material to work with, one would think this would make a great movie, with a real-life serial killer that took thirty years to be caught. The script is stilted, the dialogue bland and the cinematography....well, it looks like its been filmed with a hand-held cam-corder. Makes one feel quite ill! In more skillful hands it could have been so much better. Robert Forster and Maury Chaykin gamely plod along, doing what they can with scant material. TV's Michael Michele provides a bit of glamour for what is essentially an ugly little movie.Not very inspiring!