Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Murder is the new black. The fascination with real life mayhem and madmen in modern media is stronger than ever! With countless podcasts dedicated solely to the subject of slaughter and the rise of made for Netflix docu-dramas, it seems the whole world is obsessed with homicide!
The latest true crime biography to get a Hollywood face lift is the trail and crimes of Ted Bundy, told from the perspective of his ex girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall. Based on Kendalls
own memoir "The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy." and directed by Joe Berlinger, the documentarian behind "Paradise lost" (detailing the case west Memphis three), this glossy feature film focuses mainly on Bundys trail and deception in his personal life rather than his crimes, so anyone wanting the gritty blood and guts or graphic recreations of the crimes will be disappointed.
Set in the 70's and with post teen heart-throb hunk Zac Efron playing the housewives choice of serial killers, the whole movie is a good looking experience. From the period sets and clothing to cinematography the entire 100 minutes is sleek and stylish. Efrons portrayal of Bundy is pretty damn good, He shows a lot of restraint in contrast to his High school musical role that made him a name with schoolgirls everywhere and manages to capture the seething stoicism and the manic emotions perfect for role of Bundy.
With a great supporting cast, including John Malkovitch owning it as Bundys presiding judge in the climatic court room scene and Haley Joel Osment being another noticeable, albeit little face (Seriously, the little boy from the sixth sense grew up but his face didn't), there isn't much to complain about when it comes to the acting.
There is a downside with some scenes feeling overly long and stilted and really makes the pacing seem sporadic, with 5 minutes of high drama followed by what feels like filler.
All in all, and also speaking as a true crime fan girl, this really is worth a watch and the book is on now my amazon wish list. It's a personal insight to the people effected by Ted Bundy and the double life he managed to lead by deceiving those closest to him.
This is in cinemas or on sky movies now in the U.K or on American Netflix..
Have any of you guys seen it? What did you think? What's your feelings on Hollywood portrayal of real life events?
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