Asesinato en Greenwich

this is a TV movie based on the murder of Martha Moxley in Greenwich in the mid 1970's.based how much on truth it's hard to tell.this much is certain.it is based on the book written by Mark Fuhrman.anyway,the movie depicts the crime in flashbacks and its aftermath,including the arrest of a suspect,some 25 years after,who was never considered a suspect at the time.in the movie,Fuhram of course is largely responsible for the arrest and closure of the case for Martha's surviving family,in particular her mother.the narrative of the film is by the ghost of Martha Moxley,talking in the first person.this is a very effective device in this movie.to me,it adds more impact to the movie,and puts a human face on the murder victim(if only an actress playing the part)Maggie grace plays Martha,and i was really impressed with her.there is no way for certain to know Mark Fuhrman's motive in investigating the crime.it could have been out of a sense of justice and maybe he really cared.or maybe he just saw dollar signs from a future bestselling book.either way,it makes for an interesting movie.it's well acted and fairly fast paced.i don't think there was a lot of extra,unnecessary stuff in the movie,just what was needed to tell the story.one could argue that they left out things that would have shed a bit more light on the proceedings,and one would be right.also,one may argue that the ending was abrupt and again one would be right.but,as i said,for me,i think they told the story with at least most of the essentials.anything else would have likely required a miniseries.as an aside,there is a miniseries entitled "A Season in Purgatory" which came out 6 years ealier(1996)which this movie has some parallels to,even if only faint.however,if you like this movie,"Then you may be interested in "A Season in Purgatory". it is my belief that "a Season in Purgatory" is in fact a fictionalized account of the same crime.anyway,for me,Murder in Greenwich" is an 8/10

Martha Moxley, the fifteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy Connecticut woman, was found clubbed to death near her home in October of 1975. The case received national attention because one of Moxley's neighbors was the Skakel family, related to Ethel Kennedy. Indeed, Martha was a friend of two of the Skakel boys: Tommy and Michael. For over twenty years Moxley's murder went unsolved.

Enter Mark Fuhrman, the infamous L.A. cop who figured heavily in the O.J. Simpson trial. In the late 1990s, Fuhrman set out to investigate this unsolved murder, for the purpose of writing a book, considered by some to be a troubling motive. The result of Fuhrman's efforts, in addition to the publication of his book, was the indictment and conviction of a suspect in the Moxley case, some 25 years after the killing.

With flashbacks to 1975, "Murder In Greenwich" tells the story of this well-known case, from the POV of Fuhrman. The plot is clear, concise, and easy to follow. Martha Moxley's "ghost" (Maggie Grace) narrates part of the story, a plot device I happened not to care for. The film implies both a cover-up and botched police work in the original 1975 investigation. A big part of Fuhrman's efforts centers on re-establishing the time of death. Fuhrman, himself, comes across in the film as irritating, arrogant, and an opportunist.

The most interesting thing about this film is that the story is real. It is not fictional. Real-life incidents usually, though not always, make for engaging viewing. The film has excellent color cinematography, and the production values are high. Acting is quite good, especially the performance of Liddy Holloway, as Martha's mother.

I make no judgments one way or the other about Fuhrman's personal reasons for his work on this case. The movie itself I found to be well-made, except for scenes showing palm trees in Connecticut. The story was interesting, easy to follow, and had an outcome I had previously been unaware of.

Having seen this without knowing all the hoopla surrounding the lead character, indeed without even knowing that it was based on real-life events, I must say I am impressed. "Murder in Greenwich" is an above average production for a made-for-TV movie - the acting is uniformly great, Christopher Meloni in particular putting in a stand-out performance and the teen actors excel in what are difficult roles. The idea of the dead girl narrating the movie is a stroke of genius which elevates the movie from merely good to excellent. The script is exemplary for what is essentially movie-of-the-week fodder and the cinematography is beautiful.

If you like detective and police shows and you like suspenseful movies, then you will love this movie!! This movie is great! Christopher Meloni has amazing acting skills. You may think you know who the killer is in the beginning, but you don't. This movie is about the true story of the murder of Martha Moxley. Watch the movie!!

Murder in Greenwich (2002)

A movie that tries too hard and isn't all that well made, but got some attention because of it's very high profile story, based on true events in Greenwich, Connecticut. Not recommended, especially given all the other movies in this genre that are much better. Kennedy family obsessors might enjoy it for how it depicts various known people.

The most famous character of all is the ex-police officer who blows into town to solve a two decade old unsolved crime: Mark Fuhrman. I'm guessing anyone under forty won't know this guy--he was a cop who was in the middle of the O.J. Simpson trial and later was convicted a perjury. This is years later and Fuhrman is a relentless, and tactless, private investigator who is basically hated by everyone, even, at times, himself (he seems weirdly unhappy as played by Christopher Meloni).

So, that's the whole package. Because it's actually a straight forward cold case kind of situation, the movie tries to mix it up a bit with flashbacks and with a corny voice-over by the victim, who faces the camera. The cinematography is competent--and in fact the basic "look" of the movie is one of its moderate strengths--but the editing is awkward at times. Certainly the story itself gets unwieldy fast, with a lot of characters and a seeming presumption that the view might know who many of these people are beforehand.

Not me. But I hung in there and saw the shenanigans of these very rich people as they squirrel their thoughts and testimonies and the detective bulldozes his way into the old and creaky facts. Eventually someone is nailed--though there is debate (to this day) about whether the right person went to jail. It's not all that enjoyable watching this movie, there is not a single sympathetic character (including the victim, who is just blonde and bland), and it's a spasmodic experience for the viewer.