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Lonely Hearts (2006)

A steady, interesting, colorful crime movie packed with both great old tropes from the film noir days and lots of familiar tricks. Amazingly, it's based on a true story from post-war America that goes way way way beyond the slimmed up version here.

The result is good, yes, but never mesmerizing, never a complete surprise, and never up to the potential of the either the source material or the talented cast. The very dependence of well known formulas for a kind of classic look and feel is what holds it back, because we know those formulas so well. The one aspect to the movie that is forcibly modern is the one that feels so forced it's almost pandering to a contemporary audience--lots of open swearing and sexual references in a manner not really "right" for a 1951 America.

Several lead actors are terrific. Salma Hayek, once she arrives, is an edgy bad girl, a woman with little moral code and a comfort level with blood and manipulation that makes an old school femme fatale look like schoolroom stuff. Her bad boy companion, Jared Leto, at first comes off as a Robert Downey Jr. wannabe, but he gradually hardens up his edges and by the end is pretty believable as a cocksure murderous idiot. The two cops, John Travolta and James Gandolfini, are a great pair, the one restrained and more in tune with the criminals, the other the sidekick with a good heart. (They might be modeled after, say, Glenn Ford and William Bendix, as two 1951 actors who could have pulled off the same roles with more conviction.)

The filming, the editing, the pace, the sets, the old cars, the interior and exterior location shoots, all of the nuts and bolts are in place here for a good movie. (Of these, the photography is the most routine, partly because of how it's directed, as in the last scene when the cops swarm the house--it could have been really exciting.) But overall it's the script--the script, not the story--that holds it all back. The parallel plots of the two criminals in their love affair crime spree and the cops on their trail is clear and fine, but unrevealing. The events happen, and we sort of know how it will end. And it does (not to give away anything!). If you want the true facts, go to the really long but readable account at trutv.com and type in the Lonely Hearts.

As a quick and hopefully helpful movie comparison, you can look at recent films like "Road to Perdition" or "Shutter Island" and see how a period piece film can brim with originality and better filming. A movie comes closer to this kind of familiar quality, based on older classic Hollywood models, is "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp, though that one had some really beautiful moments in the photography. And what about that title? It is derived from the male killer's original tactic for getting money, which is given a comic treatment at the beginning of the movie--he writes to lonely women, gets them to fall in love with him, and steals their assets.

A final revealing note: the director is the grandson of the cop who led the original investigation into the crimes. That means he's really well placed emotionally, but as a director he's really incomplete. It's amazing, in fact, that he got the budget and talent he did with such a short track record. Opportunity squandered? Partially. Give it a chance.

"Lonely Hearts" tells us the real story of the "Lonely Hearts KIllers", the couple Martha Beck and Raymond Martinez (played by Salma Hayek and Jared Leto) and the police investigation conducted by an obstinate detective (John Travolta) recently traumatized with the unexplainable suicide of his wife. The couple's "name" came from the scam they practiced against lonely women who wanted to engage in a relationship with a man through adds on newspaper's personal columns.

Looks like 2006 was the year to rediscover the film noir. This came out on the same year as Brian De Palma's "Black Dahlia" but attracted less attention. With justice, that was a better film. "Lonely Hearts" presents a good story that pays some small reflection on people who were looking for something good, tried of everything to have a relationship but failed at that, being tricked into the unknown, letting themselves get fooled by looks and charm, and it's also a story about serial killers who take advantage of such situation to simply steal money and take away lives. It sounds very contemporary the small appeal the movie has, just think bigger how this plot would be treated today with the internet and new ways to meet people. We would have what we're get used to see in the news.

Being "accomplices" of the couple in their spree of killing is interesting, wild, an exquisite relationship they have with each other (ironically, Raymond always make the con alone and he was about to try on Martha, who noticed it and started to help him); the background story for Travolta's character sometimes work, other times doesn't involve us at all, the investigation when made right works fine with some thrilling scenes. But the majority of scenes here is constantly showing the lack of cooperation between the detectives played by James Gandolfini (and his annoying voice-over) and Scott Caan. Why we're forced to watch them fight and play like kids all the time, what's the point?

The acting deserves some credit, specially for Leto playing a character that rare young actors would like to play, sacrificing his good looks to appear less beautiful to the camera with a hair piece to hide his slightly baldness. He's a weak fella, someone who at first only wanted to get money from his victims to later be seduced by this woman who'll boss around him to make anything for her, including the murders of the worst kind. Hayek is a little over-the-top but she knows how to leave a good impression anyhow. Laura Dern is very good in the ungrateful role of the female detective who takes interest on poor Travolta, always trying to be more than just an affair.

For the most part, characters and the movie sink little by little into a dark corner, too much predictable but somehow it manages to not disappoint. Compared with "Black Dahlia" since both are film noir updates of the 21st century it fails for not being more clever, more intriguing. Clearly, De Palma had to imagine many unbelievable devices to present the story but at least it was great. Here, even if the story is very close to the truth, and the fact of the director being related to the main character doesn't count much. To quote Kubrick: "It is real but it's not interesting". 6/10

Todd Robinson's 'Lonely Hearts' is a dramatization of the harrowing atrocities committed by the infamous Lonely Hearts lovers. The sepia tone, setting and props do give the look of the 40s but the language feels more contemporary.The film tells too parallel stories: that of the two brutal murderers and that of Elmer Robinson who is trying to cope with the loss of his wife.

The latter is boring mostly due to Travolta's poor performance (he looks uninterested almost during the entire running time) and the slow pace. The scenes at the police station fail to engage. Gandolfini is stuck with a cliché while Scott Caan's character is very irritating. Laura Dern is criminally wasted The story of the two murderers is way too fictionalized (or is Hollywoodized a better word?) and way underdeveloped but it grabs the viewer's attention. Jared Leto is exceptional as Ray Fernandez. Salma Hayek is arguably miscast, physically, as she is the total opposite of the real Martha Beck, but if you're willing to let that go then her acting is terrific. Her version of Beck is alluring, manipulative, obsessive and cold blooded and she conveys all those characteristics quite naturally.

Pretty much all the characters are poorly developed. There is no background information on the killers (true accounts depict that Ray's drastic personality change may have been a result of brain injury).

Overall, 'Lonely Hearts' feels very much like an ordinary thriller. Even with a stellar cast it fails to stand out.

two detectives, 'buster'Elmer C. Robinson (travolta) and Charles Hildebrandt (gandolfini) hunt two killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez played by salma hayek and jared leto.

basically the story is of two policemen chasing after two killers who, by posing as a single man and sister, enlist in finding their victims through the lonely hearts columns within newspapers and magazines.

on the acting side we'll start with the policemen first, travolta as essentially the lead cop in this movie is a somewhat torn man in his duty as a cop and in the loss of his wife, travolta soon finds a new lease,to speak of, by trying to capture the two killers, he is helped in this matter by gandolfini as his straight thinking,talking friend, but though the acting between the two is of an OK standing (gandolfini coming off stronger) the pairing doesn't come off as one would hope and it is slightly stale, more so within their dialog together.

the hunted pair,hayek and leto, have a better chemistry, despite what many have seen of hayek in this film, being wooden and poorly acted out, i'd give her a little more credit than the naysayers, mainly because the person she is portraying is of that type of person, soulless and wholeheartedly callous. her dominance shows through in her interpretation of a jealous and highly possessive person. but the real star who shines in this movie is leto, from his smile right down to the unsteadiness of his actions, movements,gestures are perfect and really shows us what his is capable of, could well be we are witnessing him in his prime, his ending is very well shot (credit to the director there, Todd Robinson).

a long and somewhat violent film, yet it leaves enough subject for conversation and reply value. in terms of what director robinson has achieve,well thats not much, mainly a wasted cast on a somewhat unfair choice in director (The director's grandfather was Elmer C. Robinson, the cop who investigated the Lonely Hearts murders). but still a film to watch.

This is an excellent film. Filmed in a classic "Film Noir" style, it is both dark and engaging. The script is well written and expertly crafted. The pace is fluid and the characters are well developed.

The score is appropriate and effective. It helps create tension and mood without becoming oppressive as many scores do.

The cinematography is absolutely terrific and creates a dark and intimate view.

All these elements combine to create an excellent environment for what is a truly inspiring cast. It would be difficult to overstate the quality performances of the entire cast. John Travolta was completely convincing as he always is but I think he may have surprised even his most supportive fans. He nailed the part hands down. In one scene he suspects a dead body is possibly hidden in a box and the mood he creates as he approaches and investigates the box is riveting.

But the true star of this movie was without doubt Salma Hayek. She was mesmerizing as Martha Beck, a true masterpiece. She played evil so well it was spooky. Most people who watch this movie are going to really enjoy how carefully she seduces the viewer into her despotic plans. This is certainly one of her finest portrayals and shows she has considerable acting depth. A nasty "femme fatale" may not be a huge stretch for her but she really did a terrific job.

"Lonely Hearts" is not a family movie. There is plenty of blood, boobs and bad language. The movie deals with very heavy themes like suicide and child murder. And to make matters worse for young ones the story is true. Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez were real monsters and the movie shows more than enough to make that clear to anyone including kids.

I am a big fan of true crime and this film is really great. For me at least, it was one of the best I've seen in a long time. If you are an adult I recommend this film. Dramatized True Crime at it finest!

When a film features a cast with names like John Travolta, Laura Dern, Salma Hayek, & James Gandolfini you would expect it to be excellent wouldn't you? Unfortunately, this is not the case with Todd Robinson's, 'Lonely Hearts'. While it is decent, it's a shame to see so much potential wasted.

'Lonely Hearts' depicts the story of Martha Beck, played by Salma Hayek, and Raymond Fernandez, played by Jared Leto. The duo are more commonly known as the Lonely Hearts Killers. They travel across the country scheming widows and spinsters out of their money. Once the two have their grasp on the unsuspecting women's fortune, they murder them and proceed onto the next target. As the duo start to become a bit sloppy on their route, detectives Robinson and Hildebrandt, played by Travolta and Gandolfini, begin to get closer to capturing them. As time passes it appears their killing spree just may be over.

The cast named here is really good, at least on paper. I don't know what happened, but something went wrong here. There is absolutely no chemistry between Travolta and Dern. It's almost like they hate each other. Nicole Kidman would have been much more fitting choice to play the role of Rene. Her candidness could have added just the right element needed to make the on screen relationship work. The best acting exhibited here though is by the beautiful Salma Hayek. She is flawless as she exudes complete acrimoniousness and madness in her role as Martha Beck. It'll be no surprise to me if this time next year we hear her name among the buzz for an Oscar nod for best supporting actress.

In addition to the mismatch of Travolta and Dern, director and writer Robinson further screws up what could have been with a partly repulsive script. Most of Ganfolfini's narratives are stagnant and repetitive. Of course, not much can be expected from Robinson taking into consideration his poor track record. Neither of his first two films, both documentaries, were successful.

Never fear, all is not lost. Where Robinson fails in his screenplay, he makes up for it with his lovely directing. I would even go as far to say it's right on par with Alfonso Cuaron's amazing achievement, 'Children of Men'. So even despite it having a few weak points, I still recommend seeing 'Lonely Hearts' upon it's release to theaters this March.

"You know what they say about cops and donuts" quips Salma Hayek's character Martha Beck to James Gandolfini in the movie Lonely Hearts, "they're only good when they have a hole in them." This, coupled with Gandolfini's retort "funny, they say the same thing about women", captures the essence of the Chandler-esquire dialog that peppers this true crime homage to film noir.

The movie tells the story of Raymond Fernandez (Jared Leto) and Martha Beck who carved out their own chapter in the annals of crime history during the 1940s as the Lonely Hearts Killers. Together, Fernandez and Beck ran a con game using personal ads to seek out wealthy widows and single women with money. Fernandez would engage in correspondence with the women, eventually meeting them and gaining their trust as well as access to their money. Beck, would accompany him posing has his sister, helping Fernandez gain the trust of their victims, whom the two murdered after they'd drained their bank accounts. At the time of their capture, the body count they'd racked up was estimated at between 12 and 20.

Directed by Todd Robinson, the grandson of detective Elmer Robinson (played by John Travolta), the story alternates between that of Fernandez and Beck, and pursuing detectives Robinson and Hildebrandt (Gandolfini), with Gandolfini handling the connecting voice-over narration in traditional film noire patter.

Although some details are condensed for narrative purposes, the story largely sticks to the facts of the couple's actual murder spree, the only glaring discrepancy being the casting of Hayek as Beck, who in reality was a rotund, unattractive, battleaxe of a woman who maintained Fernandez's loyalty by granting his every sexual wish. The producers can be forgiven for opting to cast Hayek instead of a more credible Rosie O'Donnell type, however, as Hayek brings more than mere eye-candy to her role. She plays a sadistic, manipulative, cold-blooded murderer to the hilt, and practically serves as the driving engine for the film's story.

With a crackerjack cast of Travolta, Gandolfini, Hayek, Leto and Laura Dern (as Robinson's love interest) all bringing their A-game, coupled with a smartly written screenplay, snappy dialog, good pacing, excellent cinematography and direction, the only oddity about this film is that it was relegated to limited theatrical release, largely playing a few festivals before being relegated to DVD. Unlike the case it is based on, this is one crime that probably will remain unsolved.

amazing story board and script. The characters are well represented and Jared Leto shows again what an amazing actor he is. Is a kind of a bittersweet history but everyone can enjoy it. John Travolta reborn in this movie.

i really expect to see more of Jared Leto this year after this amazing acting in his roll in the movie Lonely Hearts.

great direction and production.

the locations are totally accorded with the respective mark of the story.

is a hard story seeing with a softer eye from the direction and the complement of every actor

it really worth to see it

Within two minutes of starting this movie it became clear that it was very well put together. Excellent cinematography and costume design.

I'm not sure exactly what it was that disappointed me so much. It could have been the lack of drama. I didn't feel like the plot escaladed to a climax. I understand that this is based on a true story, but it certainly could have been done in a more dramatic way; especially during certain parts of the chase.

The acting was excellent on all parts. In agreement with everyone else, Salma Hayek was a stand-out. However, I feel that Jared Leto (who plays Ray Fernandez) was miss-cast. I think that's the part that prevented me from enjoying this movie the most. I was excited to see this because I am a HUGE Jared Leto fan, and I've always loved the films he's been in, and he's always become one with his character (e.g. his role as Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream). Although his acting was excellent as always, I just couldn't buy it. As I watched his character evolve I felt more and more conflicted between the good-hearted vulnerability I felt from him (perhaps as a result of watching countless interviews of him), and the bad-hearted almost monster-like character he was meant to be portraying. I just couldn't buy him as a sleaze-bag . In Chapter 27 he portrayed a psychotic man so well you forgot it was Jared right from the get-go, so I know it wasn't his acting that got in the way.

On top of that, I felt that Leto and Hayek didn't make a good on-screen couple. He seemed small in comparison to her. This was a couple that worked together to lure in rich folks; I wanted them to seduce me. Instead I was repelled by them, even in the scenes where they are "sucking in" new prey. I felt that they looked, and even acted, awkward together.

In summary, heightened drama and a more befitting Ray Fernandez would have made this an excellent film.

at first sigh, a real good film. cast, script, atmosphere - all is more than OK. only problem - the impression to walk in desert. the story is not new but the performance can transforms it in a nice show. or perfect occasion to remember scenes of same type. Jared Leto does a credible seducer and each level of action is correct. but something remains strange or far from expectations.this is the secret of all. and the fundamental sin. maybe, it is its originally mark. or way to remember only an old recipes of thriller. but is it enough ? not exactly. the search to preserve accuracy of real facts can be the source of ash taste. an interesting film. after its end, almost good.

Which is not the fault of the cast. James Gandolfini and S. Caan do have really great moments together (although you would like to see more of them ... especially Gandolfini). Jared Leto and Salma Hayek are great too. The only one I wasn't entirely convinced with was J. Travolta!

A stronger lead would have helped enormously, because you don't get to spend so much time with the characters. Subplots do spice up the story, but they're mostly not entirely convincing too. That leaves you with the main plot, which does feel like a crime noir, but it's not as good as it could be. I can't explain that, without going into details and spoiling some of the stuff, so I will leave it at that!

LONELY HEARTS tries very hard to evoke the feeling of the 1950s and the troubled police officer whose wife's suicide haunts him until he finds revenge in the investigation of a pair of lonely hearts scam artists. But what happens for the most part is a story that looks, sounds and fells like a 1950s crime movie - 3 parts celluloid transfer, 1 part story.

John Travolta and James Gandolfini play buddy homicide detectives who overcome the ennui of their job when they begin to investigate the multiple murders of 'lonely women' who fall prey to snappy con artist men. The pair they are chasing are Ray Fernandez (Jared Leto) and his partner in crime Martha Beck (Salma Hayek), a diabolical couple who find their victims through the personal ads and then fleece then murder them victims in heinous ways. Todd Robinson wrote and directed the film based on his grandfather's experience - Elmer C. Robinson (Travolta) - and it is this bit of personal touch that makes the sluggish story work. The capable supporting cast includes such solid actors as Laura Dern and Scott Cain with fine cameos by Alice Krige and Dagmara Dominczyk, playing victims.

Hayek and Leto muster a chemistry on the screen that, while strange in type, allows the viewer to understand the motivation of the crimes. It is a solid cast and a good story: it just seems more derivative of old movies than a film with original thought. Grady Harp

With this star-studded cast, it's hard to believe that this movie went straight to video. Or did it just fly through the theater so fast that I missed it? I'm not sure, but either way, it deserved better. This is a decent period piece crime drama, in the Bonnie and Clyde vein, by writer/director Todd Robinson, who has a couple Emmy winning documentaries, under his belt, so tackling a true story as a drama seems to make sense. The whole cast gives strong performances and the story is not bad, though it seems to plod along at times.

Lonely Hearts is a true story, set in the late 1940s. Jared Leto is Ray Fernandez, a slick conman pulling his marks from the lonely heart section of the newspaper, romancing them and then taking off with all of their cash. According to the film, his scumbag pattern only turns deadly after he meets Martha Beck (Salma Hayek), who begins to work with him, posing as his sister. Her jealousy, however, leads to her killing the women that Ray is romancing. Travolta's character, Elmer Robinson, becomes obsessed with busting Fernandez after one of his marks commits suicide, and he and his partner, Charles Hildebrandt (Gandolfini) are already on the robbing Romeo's tail when he hooks up with Beck.

This one reminded me of LA Confidential crossed with The Black Dahlia, though it was better than the latter and not as good as the former. I often don't enjoy period pieces like this, but I found this one fairly engaging. The cop characters are kind of bland, but the murderous couple was very interesting and I was never sure what would happen next between them. A decent renter for fans of the genre.

This work was first posted on realmoviereview.com

I'm losing faith in this forum and some of the people that vote here... How can you possibly rate this film as a 1 or 2 or 3? Each to their own I suppose and for whatever reasoning or motives... For myself, I found this movie to be excellent. It held my interest from start to finish - and the finish was satisfying. Gandolfini and Travolta were excellent as you would and should expect. Salma Hayek gave what I think should be an award winning performance. Jared Leto was also superb... I can't say I've noticed him in anything of note before this. It was also nice to see Laura Dern again - I've been hot for her since watching Rambling Rose : ) All I can say is watch this movie and decide for yourself. I definitely recommend it.

Hard to find anything to dislike about this thriller based on a true story, and hard not to like the actors and the way this was put together, but it felt a little like the talent deserved a more challenging script - or maybe the fact it was based on a true story meant it lacked the dramatic understructure that a work of fiction would have provided. John Travolta is a fine actor, able to create a part unselfconsciously and make it wholly believable; Salma Hayek was maybe miscast but carried it well and the supporting actors did well.

It is certainly worth watching - I just wished it had been allowed to be a bit bigger given the ensemble and their talents.

In the late 40s, Raymond Fernandez (Jared Leto) is a hustler who cons rich women. He meets damaged Martha Beck (Salma Hayek). They become the notorious "Lonely Hearts Killers" who rob lonely widows using personal ads and then kill them. Robinson (John Travolta) and Hildebrandt (James Gandolfini) are homicide detectives. The killers eventually confess to twelve murders in total.

The cast is first rate. There is enough production value. However, writer/director Todd Robinson fails to generate any intensity for me. I think the most compelling characters are Fernandez and Beck. I would have like them to lead. Travolta and Gandolfini are great actors but I'm not fascinated by their characters. Following both sets of characters simply divides the attention of the audience.

Another story about serial killers, this time the killers are a couple, they hunted for "lonely hearts" - lonely women hunger for love by publishing ads in the newspaper, no matter young or older. They disguised as brother and sister, then the male killer got involved with the victims and squeezed every penny of them, eventually murdered them. Another storyline in this film is a policeman who investigated these cases but he had his dark past, three years later, his wife committed suicide without leaving any explanation. This accident bothered and ruined his whole life, including his work and his personal life. When he was looking after the couples, he also start to learn how to face the new life.

First of all, I am so sick of John Travolta's big face, even though his acting is not that bad, I just cannot stand him, which leaves me a very bad impression. I know he's a famous Hollywood star, but, how he can do that to himself? His image is not suitable for acting anymore, horrible to see him now. So I decide that I will never watch "The Wild Hogs" and "Hairspray".

This film is not as ambitious as "The Black Dahlia", at least the story is quite clear and might be a little bit long and boring in the middle, but the only savior is definitely Salma Hayek. To me, it's her best acting time, (btw, I haven't seen "Forida"), a dangerous, heartless killer who was deeply in love with her partner, and the jealousy drove her mad, and also led their way to the death penalty. Jared Leto is good, but James Gandolfini and Laura Dern are wasted.

I heard the serial murders are true events in USA, and women always intend to be blindly in love and turn themselves victims in the end. I just want to say nowadays, romantic love is not everything, we are mature enough to handle the relationships and sensibilities, no more lonely hearts anymore. Life is always like a gold-mine, waiting everyone to dig and find, fun is everywhere.