Lizzie Borden Took an Ax

I'm just going to get this off my chest right away.

What was with that abhorrent soundtrack? This would've been a much better movie if it weren't for that awful music. Seriously. Rock & Roll? Stuff that sounds like grunge metal? In a movie that's set in the late 1800s? That makes *awesome* sense! Not.

If you can get past the soundtrack and give it a chance, it's a decent movie. I didn't really care for Christina Ricci, she just didn't seem that believable to me, but Billy Campbell was pretty good; though I've seen him in better things.

I just can't get over that soundtrack though. Yuck. It made an OK movie nearly unwatchable. My advice: Don't waste your time on this one.

I think this movie could have been a truly good film. Unfortunately, the mixture of this period film with rock and roll music and synthesizer music makes this almost unbearable. The acting is good and the scenery is well done. Costumes are perfect for the period. Christina Ricci plays the part well as she does with most of the roles she takes on. I also like Clea Duvall as Emma. She does a great job opposite Ricci. I only wish that Nick Gomez would have hired someone to do the music that would have put the scenes with music that fit the period. I think some piano, violin, and other strings would have been much more suitable to this film. Occasionally there is some nice creepy music over some scenes, but in the transitions between scenes we are forced to hear Sons Of Jezebel's song "Whoo Boy". It just doesn't fit. Overall this movie was a let down.

Was looking forward to watching this but a let down. As the others reviewers added, music was awful. Should have been no music or period music. Blaring Sons of Anarchy-type songs did not fit in with an 1892 murder case! And was so poorly edited as to block out characters speaking...! Ricci performance was decent. Rest of movie a disappointment. Would have liked more development on Bridget the Irish maid and Emma. Possibly more angles from neighbors, town-folk. The movie to watch on the case was Legend of Lizzie Borden with Elizabeth Montgomery. What a surprise from her Bewitched days! Her portrayal was edgy and spot on.

Lifetime TV movie about the murder trial of Lizzie Borden. I think we're all pretty familiar with the case so I won't go over that part. Basically, Lifetime takes the Lizzie Borden story and adds sex appeal and rock music. It's pretty silly at times but entertaining enough. Christina Ricci's performance borders on campy which probably helps the movie more than harms it. Having seen and read quite a bit over the years about this case I know they played fast & loose with the facts, as just about any movie does with historical events. Although I could be wrong and Lizzie did, in fact, show off her cleavage and go to raves. Maybe historians just don't want us to know the ugly truth. If this were a theatrical release I would rate it lower. But since it's made for television, it's actually above par. If you can find it you should definitely check out the 1970s TV movie with Elizabeth Montgomery called The Legend of Lizzie Borden. It's much better and you can enjoy it on a serious level without the giggle factor this version produces.

The true story of Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci), a young woman tried and acquitted in the 1892 murders of her father and stepmother.

My rating on this film is a bit lower than it possibly should be. Honestly, the only reason it is not better than it is stems from the limitations of being a made-for-TV movie. The budget is limited and other matters may be truncated or simplified. But you have to give them credit, because despite the limits everyone gave 100% and we even get decent gore.

Most interesting, at least to me, is how the writer tried to stick to the historical record. Maybe not perfect (what is?), but where the film could have been sensational, it instead follows the more or less true story of the murders and trial. The "whacks" are not 40, and even the death locations match the known photographs.