The Grim Sleeper

THE GRIM SLEEPER (TV movie 2012) 6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:18 min

BASIC PLOT: Christine Pelisek (Dreama Walker) is just a fact checker for LA Weekly, but she knows she's capable of more. She spends her free time digging for stories, because her editor, Debra Gerngross (Susan Ruttan) has promised she'll give Christine a chance to write, if she brings in something good.

Christine has a friend, Jasper Morales (Brendan Fletcher), who works as a coroner. He often gives her tips about stories, but this time, he's keeping quiet. Christine can tell by his odd behavior, this is the story she's been looking for. She prods Jasper into telling her the lowdown. Apparently, the police are checking for DNA matches on women who have been dumped over several years, in a very specific area of LA.

Christine is shocked to learn these women share similar characteristics. They are all poor, black, and have been forgotten and dehumanized by the police, the very people who were supposed to be advocating for them.

Christine interviews the victim's families, something the police never bothered to do. She uncovers information they never bothered to follow up on, and in the process, makes herself a target.

She finally gets the story she's been waiting for, but it's no longer just a story to her. Christine's come to know these missing and murdered women through their families, and loved ones. She's determined to get these women justice, using their stories as a way to put pressure on the police, the DA and the city council.

The only surviving victim, Margette Lincoln, (Macy Gray) remembers things the killer did the night of her attack. Will the police finally put the pieces together, and stop one of the worst serial killer's Los Angeles has ever seen?

WHAT WORKS: *MACY GRAY - FULL STOP. She is excellent as, Margette Lincoln, a courageous survivor of this cowardly man. Macy Gray gives a powerhouse performance; her addition to the cast was a fabulous decision.

*MUSIC IS WELL PLACED The music chosen for this movie is excellent. Macy Gray's rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' is fabulous, and a perfect way to end the movie.

*PACING IS GOOD There's never a point where I was bored, or anxious, or thinking of picking up my phone. The script keeps things going at just the right pace, revealing the next relevant clue, at just the right time.

*CASTING IS EXCELLENT Choosing Dreama Walker to play Christine Pelisek was a wise decision. She's a tiny little thing, but still comes off as unstoppable. Michael O'Neill is great as Detective Simms, the cop with hard lessons to learn. Ernie Hudson does his usual great job as Detective Claymar, as does the rest of the cast. Great job by the casting agent Jackie Lind.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *DETECTIVE SIMMS GRABS CHRISTINE PELISEK, AND MANHANDLES HER He wouldn't dare add fuel to the fire by grabbing and pushing a reporter, certainly not the reporter who broke, and was still covering the story.

*ODDLY SHOT There are some wobbly cameras, shots that are too close for no reason, weird angles etc. It's definitely not the best shot movie in the world, and several times throughout, it kicked me out of the movie, because of the bizarre shooting style. It's not a deal breaker, but it is distracting.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:

*DON'T LISTEN TO THE HATERS! This movie gives an emotional voice to the victims. It is NOT exploitative in any way! These were real people, who were considered less than human by the police. This movie puts the police on blast, without being hateful about it. It also showcases what a determined woman can do when she puts her mind to something. If you enjoy made-for-tv true crime stories, you'll like this. If you enjoy emotional, based on real life tear jerkers, you'll like this. Give it a chance, it has some shining moments.

CLOSING NOTES: *THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

This film had so much potential. It has many very good actors and the plot itself was better than in many other serial killer films, but there are a lot of cringe worthy scenes where it takes you out of the story and gets you focused thinking on the film making, is it the bad script, was there not enough time to get in more scenes, directors inexperience, all of those things? The story deserved better. It is still definitely worth the watch. There is a certain lightness, that especially reporter Pelisek brings in, that is rare in a film with a dark subject as this and made it feel very different, but it does not take away the seriousness of the other scenes, it was very well balanced. Somehow reminds me of tv-series like ncis for example, combination of slight humour between co-workers while solving a grim murder case.

I'm a big fan of mysteries and true crime, but I had no idea this movie would be so good! Really blew me away with the way it showed the impacted families throughout, the awakening of the investigating officer to how much each life mattered. I found myself feeling all the things the reporter felt - frustrated, heartbroken, hopeful. The acting in this movie was stellar from everyone. The scene at the end when the detective is raking the killer over the coals in the interrogation room was really emotional, I felt my heart in my throat as I fought tears. This movie really hammers the truth home that every life is valuable, every person matters. The fact that many of these women were prostitutes did not diminish their value has human beings or negate the fact that they had people who loved them. They mattered. And they deserved for their killer to be brought to justice. Really, really good movie.

It's not that bad! It's a lifetime movie after all, you can't really expect a blockbuster theater quality movie. I think the story is pretty interesting. Basically a journalist breaks the case because the police aren't doing their job. I don't think the acting is that terrible either. It keeps your attention, and unless the end is truly awful(I have about 15 minutes left)I think it deserves more than the 2 stars the previous reviewer gave it. I even learned something-I had never heard of "familial DNA" before I saw this movie. Anyway I think it's not a total waste of 2 hours to watch this movie, especially if you are a fan of the true crime genre.