The Investigation

This is the investigation leading to the capture of serial killer Clifford Olson in 1981 (forty years ago!).

It demonstrates how the investigation was botched by bureaucratic bungling, by the red tape of jurisdictional disputes, by the common excuse of insufficient manpower and the like. It also demonstrates that it is never one superhero detective who does all the work and then captures the suspect. It took a large group of people to get Olson - and if they would have paid more attention they could have got him much sooner - with less innocent lives being lost.

Overall good and suspenseful Don't look to this for insights on Olson - its much more about the investigation.

This Canadian TVM is based on a real life case where the mounties couldn`t get their man due to foul ups and red tape and this led to a child rapist and murderer to carry on with his obscene crimes . This is a TVM with a lot of potential but the script and performances aren`t as well developed as they should have been . Despite these flaws the one major problem that did jump out of the screen and grab me by the throat was the direction by Anne Wheeler which is totally inconsistent . Sometimes you feel you`re watching a fly on the wall documentary , sometimes you feel you`re watching a stage play , but worst of all sometimes you feel you`re watching a MTV trailer.

Like I said this had potential but everyone in general and the director in particular had to go and ruin it

I found this movie very interesting, but not very well written, I was scratching my head many times and mouthing "what" as each unexplainable action of the Canadian police took place, or opportunities were ignored!

As an American, I didn't understand the hierarchy of the police departments, as information was passed from one authority to another. I, also, didn't understand why they were transferring personnel because their time spent in that area had expired, even if they were in the middle of an investigation. And, does Canada REALLY have so little money to support their police? All of these things were happening while people were being killed!

The movie is an indictment of the Canadian police establishments. And, if it is an accurate, I worry for the Canadian people!

I hope someone will rewrite a movie about this crime spree, because it has the potential to be a great movie.

Clifford Robert Olson is probably Canad's most notorious serial killer. He preyed on children (both boys and girls) in the lower mainland of British Columbia in the early 1980's - raping them before killing them. Ultimately he was found guilty of 11 killings after striking a deal with Crown prosecutors to lead them to the bodies in exchange for a payment of $100000 to his wife. As the title implies, this made for TV Canadian movie isn't interested in Olson's crimes as much as it looks at the police work involved in finding him. The case was chaotic. Crown prosecutors had been repeatedly unwilling to proceed against Olson for earlier crimes because of a lack of solid evidence, making the police nervous about arresting him too early. The case was also was a mass of conflicting jurisdictions. Either the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing, or the different jurisdictions were jealously guarding their own turf. Olson was a suspect on the radar of several officers and RCMP detachments, but with only a couple of exceptions (who couldn't get themselves listened to) no one seemed to treat him as the most serious suspect, the end result being that he was left to commit murders even while he was actively being considered as a possible suspect. The various departments and agencies were also dealing with being short staffed. There was also disbelief expressed at the fact that he was being pointed to as being responsible for raping both girls and boys, and there was confusion just from the fact that serial killer investigations in Canada are fairly rare things. The end result of it all is that had Olson been arrested sooner some killings might have been prevented - a point made by Officer Kettles (Lochlyn Munro) at the movie's end.

The portrayal of Olson was well done. Although he was portrayed picking up several teenagers, we never really got a good look at him until the movie's end, making him seem more unsettling; an object of fear and mystery. The other performances were decent enough

It's not an exciting movie. It doesn't portray any of Olson's actual crimes. It focuses exclusively on how the police handled the case. To say the least, it was not the RCMP's finest hour, although in the end I guess you'd have to say that they did, indeed, get their man. (6/10)

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

Throughout 1981,in Fraser Valley,British Columbia,a man went on the loose luring vulnerable young people into his car,making false promises of getting them jobs in a construction site,plying them with alcohol and drugs,then abusing and killing them.This film follows the investigation into the killings starting with a tip-off from small town cop Kettles (Lochlyn Monroe) onto a state-wide investigation by Agent Forsythe (Nicholas Lea) that lead to the capture and conviction of the killer and the bungling incompetence and red-tape that marred it throughout.

The Investigation certainly makes for an interesting real-life story,but that's just how it feels:real life.It certainly doesn't succeed much in the way of fun.

As for the film's actual quality in itself,it benefits chiefly from a nice soundtrack (which,when you consider the many other ways it could have succeeded,isn't much to say!)The central protagonist (the killer) is an interesting character,but there's a disappointing lack of depth invested in him,although it is neat how his face is always covered up until the end.On the other fronts,Munro has a whiny lead presence that's a little annoying and he doesn't let rip and come out of his shell until right at the very end.Lea is a bit more dynamic and commanding,so it's disappointing that he doesn't come into the proceedings until a bit later on in the film.

The film's very obviously a video production.Some might say it's home's more at Channel 5 than BBC 1,but,there you go...

It isn't a film to veg out in front of,it's one of those ones where you have to use your brain and pay close attention to everything that is being said and inferred.It's a true film,very real,very human,but,unfortunately,that doesn't always make it very much fun.***