Sniper - 23 ore di terrore a Washington D.C.

The shocking case of the so-called "Beltway sniper" is dramatized in such a manner that you never really feel too connected to any of the main characters, but you do get a sense of the urgency for the investigators and the indescribable horror it must have been for the people in the area.

In the case of 'Charles Moose' (Charles S. Dutton) I wish we could have gotten more under the skin of this very complex and fascinating chief of police. In real life, I remember watching him deliver all those press-conferences when it all happened, and how he gave an impression of being a very dedicated law-officer who truly lived up to the line "to protect and serve". Naturally I therefore hoped this film would give a better understanding of what makes this man tick, but it didn't really. This is no fault on Charles S. Dutton, a very fine actor, but more on the writers.

On the other hand, the fact that we never get to know what makes the main characters act as they do, makes the portrayal of the two snipers even scarier. It's like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", the movie ends without us knowing what triggered all the bird attacks, and the fact that we don't get the answers we so desperately seek, add to the horror. Especially when the crimes in question are so horrific as they are here. Here we have two human-beings who really act like the world was their personal playground and the taking of human lives nothing worse than the actions in a video game. We will probably never get any real answer from the "lead" sniper John Allen Muhammad, as he was sentenced to death earlier this year, and considering the horror he bestowed upon America, it is not likely he will spend time on death row long enough to help give us an answer to the mystery.

This movie dramatizes these perverse killings and it's grand-scale investigation in a straight-forward-manner that works, mostly thanks to the fact that this case is so dramatic to begin with that the film-makers really couldn't mess it up in the first place. As a matter of fact it is so harrowing that the movie itself leaves the viewer more disturbed than "entertained".

Nice world we live in, huh?

This film came on DVD, and was a good opportunity to see what the general nature of these vicious crimes was. At that time I was quite busy, and didn't get to follow it on the headlines. I found it well directed, very nice camera work. The sound score, although cliche at times, aided in the suspense. I loved Charles S. Dutton, his best acting so far I think.

Most crimes are committed on the basis that the criminal thinks he/she/they won't get caught - thus the severity of punishment is a moot point. However the message is clear here : You can do a crime maybe even 20 times, but the 21st time you WILL GET CAUGHT. Hopefully this might serve as a (unfortunately money making) deterrant. That's the best I can hope for.

How sick has the media become these days? If the USA network were actually serious about making a movie to ACCURATLY tell the story of the sniper shootings, and not to make higher ratings I wouldn't have a problem. But its quite clear to every mind in the United States and abroad, that the purpose of this movie is to make lots of money over a terrible event that is too close to be immoralized in a movie. USA cannot tell an accurate account of the events when these events are not even over. The two suspects have not even went to trial and this movie has been made. WHY?!

I encourage people to not watch this movie. USA dosen't care if you don't like it. If you watch it you are supporting it. So don't watch it. It is a story that needs time to become history.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

A re-enactment of the comparatively recent real life District Capital shootings,that held the communities of Virginia and Maryland in a state of terrified frenzy for four weeks towards the end of 2002.As all the chaos envelops around him,Police Chief Charles Moose (Charles S Dutton) does his best to restore normality as much as possible and to get to the bottom of who is behind the killings.

As one or two other reviewers have stated and as I did mention at the beginning of my plot summary,this was a rather recent event and the producers of this film very quickly slapped it together.A little too quickly slapped together,perhaps,I think I'll agree and perhaps it would have been wiser for said producers to have let the dust settle a little first (well,at least let the TRIAL happen!) before going ahead and making it.To be honest,the very fact that a film based on such a major event is a TV movie,and as such,with the budget and production values of a TV movie in the first place shows how hasty to jump the gun they were.If greater patience had been shown,this should have been a major Hollywood production,with better sets and a bigger name cast behind it.

As it is,though,with it's cheap looking production and almost entirely unknown cast,D.C. Sniper:23 Days of Fear has attained an eerie,tense feel to it,with it's use of location and use of imagery and symbolism,as well as fairly moving performances from all it's central cast members.The creeping and unfamiliar sense of fear and disbelief is very well captured,with the aid of a well composed soundtrack and a tight,well written script that seems to have gone to meticulous detail to capture the true essence of what went on.

Such sensitive subject matter was always going to court controversy and yes,I think I'll agree the movie does give off the overall impression of being rushed and cheap.But it's certainly a very enthralling and moving account that will have you hooked to the end.****

Good performances, direction and interesting camerawork struggle with an indifferent script that lends little insight to this just-the-fact-ma'am handling of the DC Sniper. Dutton is little short of superb, but he can't do much with the material. The fisheye lenswork and overly crisp definition are, at first interesting, but after a while simply emphasis the emptiness of the story, and the musix is annoying from the start.