Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills

Yes, during the early 90s I was obsessed about the Menendez brothers. I wanted to see what was going to happen to them. So I watched Court TV and everything else that was about the brothers. NBC portrayed the brothers as careful people who loved their parents, but was just put on the edge. The movie shows the lives of the brother and how their father Jose, (Edward James Olmos) treated them to "try to make them better people". The brother's mother Kitty (Beverly D'Angelo) tormented them until that couldn't take anymore. Both the brothers, Erik (Travis Fine) and Lyle (Damien Chapa) loved their parents, but thought that they did the right thing. According to the movie they did the "perfect murder", but the problem is they were caught. The movie goes sort of accurately with the events that happened with the real Menendez brothers. I loved this version better than Fox's and it would be very good as a Reference on this subject.

Two people died and two people went to jail. That's all we really know. Were the brothers sexually violated? Maybe. Did they think their lives were jeopardy? Maybe. Those were definitely extreme actions to take. They'll spend the rest of their lives in jail. It's a very sad story and I think the film was able to capture a bit of the realism of what happened. Money, abuse, miscommunication, weakness, fear, nightmares, etc. contributed to the deaths of two people and two other people in jail. It could have been avoided but mistakes were made.Now people are dead and in jail and for what? What was accomplished? If these guys were trying to get a way with crime, they bungled every aspect of the murder. But the parents failed in their upbringing and brought about this nightmare.

Really, really good in detail. But lacks in parts, they should have carefully researched the material more, because some of the facts got screwed up. If you saw 'Honor Thy Father and Mother: The Menendez Killings', its much better in accurate detail. This one, gives you more of an insight on who these people really were. A definite for anyone interested in the case.

And Edward James Olmos, excellent actor that he is, becomes Jose Menendez in this film. Damian Chapa and Travis Fine are also appropriate for the roles of Lyle, and Eric Menendez.

At this point, most are of course familiar with the entire trial, publicity, and players involved. It will be interesting to see how their lives turn out, if they are ever released from prison.

The reality of whether (and how badly) Lyle and Eric were abused is left in question; while it certainly seems feasible, why did they choose murder as the solution?. Apparently, one convinced the other that this was the only way out. In psychology, the phenomenon of "folie a deus" is a case where two conspire to commit murder, more readily than if one person were alone in the scenario.

We are exposed to the lifestyle, the demands of Beverly Hills. Jose Menedez was apparently never satisfied, with women, his children, or his accumulated wealth. Beverly DÁngelo is realistic as Kitty Menedez, she is treated as a disposable decoration, a mere object her husband moves around to suit his career goals.

It has been noted by psychiatrists that in today's era of narcissism, family members are merely: ..."chesspieces, moved at will by the narcissist, to promote his image of success and grandiosity"... Apparently Jose Menendez was a narcissist of the first order. Unfortunately, many people's lives were destroyed and ruined, his offspring never had a chance, and while murder is certainly not to be condoned, one must ask why such cases are so prevalent in American society. 9/10.