L'Étrangleur de Boston

It's an interesting movie with a frightening story, where by the title it may seem that the whole movie will be about Boston Strangler, but in reality, the main focus is on character of Keira Knightley who gave an excellent performance. Many people didn't like the "too dark" style of the film, but as for me, it gave the movie "feelings of fear and cold".

There are some moments that I didn't particularly like: little attention was paid to the relationship between the main character Loretta with her husband, and overall the frames with the family were inserted very chaotically. Also, the ending came out too crumble and confusing. But if you like movies such as Zodiac, Se7en, Prisoners, you should know these movies are certainly better :) But most likely you won't regret the time spent watching Boston Strangler.

First of all, I should say that this type of suspense and unsolved crime stories are always enjoyable, but this is not a good film, just an average and not boring one.

The acting is not bad, but the actors didn't shine due to the issues that I will complain about shortly.

Some aspects of the film fall far short of the 2023 standards. I think the most average thing about the movie was its rush. While watching the film, I felt like the person filming had a rush, as events were happening one after another, but it didn't give the viewer enough time to digest them. Therefore, I felt like I didn't care about the family issues emotionally, which was a big flaw. Such a deep subject did not need to be presented in such a rushed manner.

Although the events are interesting, trying to be a copy of Zodiac was also a bad detail. Instead of working on a more different and satisfying screenplay, the movie tackled the same story but at an accelerated pace.

When telling a true story, I think deeper dialogues should be used, but in the film, the dialogues flowed at Formula 1 speed, which was also unpleasant.

It was a very average film, but this does not mean that it is not entertaining. The film ended suddenly, and I can't say that I was ever bored. It felt average due to its straightforward storytelling and lack of depth. It can be watched as a good evening film in free time, but it's not much more than that.

A number of reviewers, especially those who claim to be 'true crime buffs' dismiss this fim as boring, average, slow and not really true crime. They are wrong on every count. I can only presume they were expecting some graphic, violent retelling of the Boston Strangler crimes and they completely missed the point. This is an intelligent and gripping account of first rate journalism, police incompetence and the likely truth behind these shocking murders. The sexism shown to Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole was very real and not something drummed up to satisfy a 2020s audience as some claim and despite that, these two women did more to unearth the truth about the Boston Strangler killings than the police. The performances by Kiera Knightley and Carrie Coon are subtle and believable, indeed the whole cast is good. It shows that one doesn't need relentless action and over the top histrionics to tell a good story. This is the realistic side of true crime: hard work, dogged determination and the courage to face the horrific nature of these crimes and keep searching for the truth. I suspect that what some of these, presumably male viewers, did not like is that it is the two women and their remarkable work that is the focus of this film and not simply the Strangler. Personally I think it is good to see another side of the story and one that is not so well known.

Boston Strangler, based on real killings in the early '60s, comes off as a film that's trying hard to remain rivetingly mysterious as opposed to a Zodiac or a Se7en. It has a first act that instantly hooks your investigative interests, and as the cases begin to pile up, there are many leads the film puts forward. Cinematographer Ben Kutchins attributes as a dark, softened glow to the frames, not too distant from the visual style of a David Fincher thriller. But the plot developments in the subsequent acts don't mesh well. You're given many names and faces, and you're expected to look at each one with a specific level of suspicion. Towards the end, I lost interest, just like one of those cops (played by Alessandro Nivola) who worked on one of the cases. It doesn't take much on Keira Knightley's part to slip into the role of Loretta, and I also liked how Matt Ruskin's writing discussed the casual sexism of that era. But that's all there is!

This isn't so much a story about the notorious murderer, but more one of two investigative journalists who meticulously followed the case and tried to establish the truth behind these gruesome crimes. Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) was largely responsible for taking the initiative to her editor (Chris Cooper) but that published, convincing, analysis drew considerable disdain from the police and she was swiftly booted off the story. Undeterred, she persisted and ultimately with the more experienced Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) is reinstated and allowed to develop her theory that - well, maybe there isn't just one strangler! To be fair, I am not particularly well versed in the history of this, but I did find this a very dry and procedural drama that reminded me a little of "Official Secrets" (2019). Again, this saw Knightley in a smilier sort of role, and again delivering it very much as if it were straight off the page. There is little evidence of passion here. The tenacity and perseverance of these two women - at times putting the safety of themselves and their families on the line - isn't really captured here. It's wordy, at times a little too earnest and though it looks good it's just all a bit sterile. This is a fascinating story that looks at serial killings, copycat killings and strong investigative journalism all in the face of a rather linear (and sexist) approach taken by the authorities. It ought to be scintillating and intriguing - but this is certainly not.