{"id":26205,"date":"2023-03-16T01:58:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T08:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26205"},"modified":"2023-03-16T01:58:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T08:58:55","slug":"boston-strangler-is-well-acted-but-not-quite-as-gripping-as-hoped-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26205","title":{"rendered":"BOSTON STRANGLER is Well-Acted, But Not Quite as Gripping as Hoped For"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Running Time: 113 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This film from 20th<\/sup> Century Studios is\npremiering March 17th<\/sup> exclusively on Hulu.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1960s, the Greater Boston area was terrorized\nby a killer who randomly targeted and strangled women. A 1968 feature film\nchronicled the figure and was released just a year after a suspect was\nsuccessfully prosecuted for the crimes. In the years that have passed, more\ntheories have arisen about the murders. Boston Strangler<\/em> is \u201cinspired by\u201d\nthe exploits of the reporters who first broke the story and tries to present a\nnew take on the events. The movie is handsomely mounted and well-acted, but is\nneither as chilling or gripping as hoped for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) is a journalist\nfrustrated with her position writing for the Lifestyle section of a local\npaper. After learning about murder in her neighborhood, she investigates\nfurther and sees connections between victims. Loretta pesters her editor Jack\nMaclaine (Chris Cooper) to write a story. He eventually relents and she breaks\nthe story on the Boston Strangler. After blowback from the police department,\nfellow journalist and established crime scribe Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) is\nassigned to co-write features on the slayings. The pair become fast friends and\nLoretta learns a great deal about investigative journalism. Her lead\u2019s\nobsession with work and articles critical of the police lead to conflicts with\nher husband James (Morgan Spector) and officials working the case like\nDetective Copley (Alessandro Nivola).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film avoids explicitly depicting the gruesome murders,\ninstead focusing on sound and a brief image or two of the crime. Initially,\nit\u2019s an effective tactic, particularly when a neighbor hears a disturbing\nfracas in a next-door apartment. But, as the pattern of slayings and randomness\nis established, one simply sees a new character open a door and say a mere line\nor two before their deaths. Repetition and predictability set in, lessening the\ntension. And while this reviewer hates to make comparisons with\nsimilarly-themed movies, there are a couple of moments that seem modeled after\nbits from Zodiac<\/em>, the 2007 David Fincher thriller. One scene involving\nLoretta interviewing a potential suspect plays out so similarly to the above\ntitle that it\u2019s distracting and removes any sense of anxiety from the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As for the central plotline about the journalists, early\nsequences detail Loretta\u2019s struggle to be taken seriously by her employers and\nofficers at the crime scene. It\u2019s a new detail that is intriguing to see.\nAnother interesting aspect is the brusque protagonist\u2019s relationship with her\nhusband. He slowly turns from surprisingly supportive to antagonistic as the\nlead focuses on work and leaves her spouse and children adrift. Curiously\nenough, the more seasoned writer Jean Cole comes across as more engaging. While\nthe pair have similar life issues, Jean\u2019s sharp wit and moments of her calming\nLoretta and showing her the ropes are enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a central suspect arises, the movie also tries to\ndifferentiate itself from the previous cinematic adaptation. It seems that in\nthe years since the actual events, there have been numerous alternative\nassertions about what occurred and this film fully promotes the more\nexaggerated but unconfirmed ideas as fact. The story ultimately details Loretta\nuncovering what is almost a conspiracy theory. It has been so long since the\nkillings, no one can use DNA technology to prove that all 13 were the work of\none individual (one surviving DNA sample did, however, recently confirm the man\nsuccessfully tried was responsible for one of the deaths). However, the film\nattempts to concoct a more elaborate scheme and add a sense of mystery that\nseems forced.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As mentioned, Boston Strangler<\/em> has some good moments\nwhen it focuses on the personal lives of the leads and how they made their mark\nin a department filled almost exclusively with men. A few of the early slayings\nare also chillingly depicted. But the movie starts to struggle when borrowing\nbits from other, stronger true crime titles and the final resolution feels\nconcocted to connect all events into a single unified theme. It\u2019s a decent\nmovie, but one that feels flat in spots and can\u2019t overcome an unsatisfying\npay-off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time: 113 minutes This film from 20th Century Studios is premiering March 17th exclusively on Hulu. In the early 1960s, the Greater Boston area was terrorized by a killer who randomly targeted and strangled women. A 1968 feature film chronicled the figure and was released just a year after a suspect was successfully prosecuted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[213,3347,3348,3349,3350,3936,4295,9474,9857,9908,11075,11549,14523,19188,22825,23321],"class_list":["post-26205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-213","tag-boston-strangler","tag-boston-strangler-film-review","tag-boston-strangler-movie-review","tag-boston-strangler-review","tag-carrie-coon","tag-chris-cooper","tag-hulu","tag-inspired-by","tag-investigative","tag-journalism","tag-keira-knightley","tag-mystery","tag-strangler","tag-thriller","tag-true-story"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26205\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}