In 2002, risking accusations of glorifying a serial killer in order to make
cash on an obviously gratuitous
movie,
Matthew Bright decided to go ahead and chronicle the period of Ted Bundy's life that led directly to his arrest.
The good news is that Ted Bundy has already been
immortalised due to extensive documentation and media coverage, and this movie could do no more harm than pose the question, "why?"
We are then posed the question, "
Why the hell make a movie about Ted Bundy?" Well, there's surely a good reason that the movie was released, yet all the filmmakers seemed to try and portray was how things were perceived through the killers eyes; if that doesn't sound like glorification, I don't know what does.
Really, giving any kind of explanation behind the thoughts of a serial killer is a great thing. However, attempting to attract some kind of sympathy for a renowned serial killer is questionable: this is quite evident in the scene in which Ted lies on his girlfriend's lap and tells her about the
helplessness he feels. Are we supposed to feel sorry for this character, or are we to
fear his presence and accept this as a part of his insanity? The juxtaposition of a loving, caring gesture against the brutal murders depicted elsewhere in the film certainly conveys the absolute monstrosity that Bundy possessed, yet it does little to promote the filmmakers as little more than
sympathisers.
In all, the film was very well shot. The acting was most notably led of course by
Michael Reilly Burke who played Ted Bundy, who stood out among many other excellent performances by supporting actors and actresses. The only real problem with the movie is not the questionable nature of the violence depicted, but the question of for what purpose the violence is portrayed besides
bloodlust? Unclear expression alongside such
suggestive material is a nightmare; one that brings this movie to its knees in total defeat of purpose.
Cast and Roles