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In 2002, the Washington, DC area was rocked by a series of sniper shootings. Alexandre Moors examines the events leading up to the killings, focusing on the unorthodox relationship between John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo in Blue Caprice, an unfortunately lifeless, plodding film that somehow manages to turn a riveting situation into a dull character study that fails even on that level.

Our story begins in the Caribbean, where John Allen Muhammad (Isaiah Washington) is vacationing with his three kids. Well, vacationing is a strong word, as apparently he's absconded with them from their mother, but more importantly this is where he runs into the young, lonely Lee Boyd Malvo (Tequan Richmond), who's just passing time after his mother's ditched him. Muhammad strikes up a paternal friendship with the boy and winds up bringing him to the United States, passing him off as his son.

The duo, now sans the children, wind up in Muhammad's old stomping grounds of Washington state, where they stay with John's old friend Ray (Tim Blake Nelson) and his wife Jamie (Joey Lauren Adams). While in Washington, Muhammad teaches his charge about life; specifically, how much it stinks and how killing a few people might be a good idea to square things with the world.

We follow Muhammad and Malvo essentially through the eyes of the boy. We learn he's a good shot with a handgun or a rifle (a natural, according to Ray, who knows nothing of Muhammad's plans). We see that Muhammad is the strong male influence on Malvo that the latter has probably never had. We learn that the kid, although quiet, has a cold, violent streak within him.

One reason the movie didn't work for me is that it seems to be perpetually building to some grand crescendo. Since this is based on a true story - with many facts accurate, according to my memory - the endgame is knowable. But for as much time is spent on the relationship between Malvo and Muhammad, it's a superficial treatment. What really makes either tick? We don't truly know. Even though Muhammad spouts off frequently about bringing down the system and how his ex-wife is evil, we don't really see how that resentment leaps into full-blown psychosis. In other words, what the heck really motivates him to kill innocent people? Moors doesn't even seem to speculate.

When all is said and done, we don't really know any more about the deadly duo than we do when we first encounter them in the film. There's hardly any character development, and that's true of the secondary characters as well. To use the old axiom, there's no there there. There's nothing. Even the moments that should have one jumping out of one's seat - such as when Malvo pulls the trigger - are telegraphed so obviously that they lose most of their emotional impact.

This movie may be better received outside of the DC area. Most of the audience at this screening were in the area during the shootings, and the sentiment seemed to be one of apathy, sort of the opposite of what a tragedy like this should evoke. People who were not directly affected by the shootings may be more amenable to the short shrift given to the story development and glacial pacing.

Ominous and tense throughout, "Blue Caprice" is a slow burn that builds to an unsettling boil, leaving you with a known outcome that's hard to digest. Director Alexandre Moors crafts a deceptively eerie depiction of Lee Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, and to its credit, the movie never pretends to have the answer. Moors stunning debut captures a horrific and confining tone of the tragic three weeks in October of 2002, when ten people were assassinated in a random series of attacks spanning across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. "Blue Caprice" features two fantastic performances from Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond portraying the Beltway Snipers, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo.

The movie begins on the Caribbean Island of Antigua, where life is not easy for a young Lee Malvo (Tequan Richmond), who is left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him once again. Muhammad spots Lee who appears as if he is drowning, rescues him, and becomes an adoptive father figure. Moors uses Lee Malvo as the audience's entry point into Muhammad's world, and John's back story comes only in pieces. However, it doesn't take much to surmise that Muhammad is trouble.

Flash forward a few months, and Muhammad has successfully smuggled Malvo into the United States, returning to Washington, where they stay with John's old friend Ray (Tim Blake Nelson), and his wife Jamie (Joey Lauren Adams). When Ray introduces Malvo to his gun collection to blow off steam, both men recognize the raw talent Lee possesses. Muhammad then begins to mold Malvo into a mindless assassin, eliminating any shred morality that may still lie within. This bond between the two progressively develops into a powerful, warped father-son style relationship. As the blind loyalty grows, we learn of John's grandiose scheme to create widespread mayhem and terror, starting with random killings following no discernible pattern.

Moors directorial approach is consistent throughout, using restraint and creating distance from the actual assassination scenes. For example, he presents the reactions of Malvo shooting his weapon, rather than what is happening at the other end of the gun. A victim is only seen briefly as their body falls to the ground, while the Caprice slowly glides away.

Moors creates a disturbing portrait of two ruthless men in free fall, and Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond both do outstanding work here. Washington has the extraordinarily difficult task of methodically revealing John's inner rage, resentments, and hatred that simmers just beneath his calm exterior. He's both ferociously charismatic as well as deeply unsettling. Even more so impressive is the performance of Tequan Richmond, who must convey emotions, or lack thereof, in a character who rarely speaks of feelings at all. It's the sense of not knowing that makes his marvelous performance so chilling. The film owes a lot to its excellent cast, as well as the cinematography, and a sharp, minimalistic screenplay by R.F.I. Porto.

What makes the film so exceptional is that it doesn't attempt to recreate, and instead reconstructs the story from the inside out. This was a distorted, horrific mission carried out through manipulation and the escalation of evil. "Blue Caprice" generates an innermost sense of riding in the backseat with these two, only to leave you with introspection and muddled thoughts that linger long after the viewing.

A well shot, moodily scored and impressively acted indie from last year, Blue Caprice is also a frustratingly cold film that in the end misses the mark in such a way that you just can't help but wish you were more affected by a story that is all different types of sad and horrific in equal measure.

Alexandre Moors film looks to delve into the events leading up to the tragic 2002 Beltway Sniper shootings around the USA that led to the deaths of 10 innocent civilians at the hands of John Muhammad and Lee Malvo. It must be noted that these events Moors displays in the film are largely dramatizations as facts concerning the two men remain sadly blurred. With the blurring of these facts and fictions the films growth as a narrative does suffer as what we are presented with is a strangely generic telling of a true story that is anything but. While moments in the film are at times extremely shocking and confronting they're merely short bursts of memorable material that quickly dissipates back to slow moving and uninvolving instances – these moments of quality are made increasingly more annoying due to the films many other affective sums not adding up to a satisfying whole.

Seasoned actor Isaiah Washington has rarely, if ever, been better than he is here in a role that must of required quite a lot of mental and emotional stress on his behalf. The character of John is a role that features much pent up rage and at times evil that Washington cleverly plays to and is backed up by a very assured performance from young actor Tequan Richmond as his surrogate son Lee. Lee is a boy whose lot in life has left him scarily low choices to make and Richmond does a fine job at displaying this sad boy and also excels at the moments where a boy becomes more than that and becomes a monster. Sarah Neufeld and Colin Stetson's affective score must also be commended here as a haunting accompanying piece to a growing terror.

A well-made movie yet undeniably cold and at times to distant for its own good Blue Caprice is an interesting look into an horrific situation that you get the feeling will one day be turned into a much bigger and affecting big screen treatment.

3 combat handbooks out of 5

The film begins where our two beltway killers meet and slowly become one in their hate and lust for murder. It is entirely speculative in its dialogue and development. The one thing I liked is that it was not acted like some Charlie Manson crazed mass killer. Nevertheless, the characters never really reach a believable characterization of the type of anti social personality disorder that makes it possible to behave in such a way. I would suppose that it would be hard for such a young writer to lose himself in such a mind as that.

The editing of this film is laughable and there really is no rhythm to the cutting, it jumps around which makes me think that the director was not experienced enough to get enough coverage. There is a lot of running through the forests, proclamations about why people are no good, but none of which have any impact or gives the feeling of menace. In fact, menace is lacking in every part of this film.

Any thought that there would be a payoff for the time spent watching this movie is lost with a uninteresting and boring final scene that could have been cut from the film without any consequence. I say skip this one...

In 2002, the Washington DC area was paralyzed by sniper shootings. John Allen Muhammad (Isaiah Washington) was in a relationship with Lee Boyd Malvo (Tequan Richmond)'s mother and became his father figure. John brings Lee with him to America and indoctrinates him. John is bitter at the being declared unfit to be a father. He is angry and paranoid. He convinces Lee to murder and turns the blue Chevy Caprice into a killing machine. He discovers his wife and children hiding in Maryland, but it's about more than them by then.

It's a slow meditative movie. It spends most of its time with the quiet young Lee under the unceasing domination of John. It spends little time with the DC killings. It's not altogether successful. There is no tension and it provides no great insights into either personality. It's the first full-length feature for Alexandre Moors and he shows a competence with the camera. However the movie is too slow and too quiet. I'm not sure he achieves anything more than an artsy film about two of the most enigmatic mass murderers.

"It could be anybody. Anybody could have done it and if it could be anybody then we're invisible." Lee (Richmond) is a young boy who is lost in the world with no real direction or family. John (Washington) finds him and begins to talk to him about the problems in his world. After describing the wrongs that have been done to him Lee decides to help by killing an innocent woman. After "getting away with it" John decides to up the stakes in order to cause chaos. The two begin their random killing spree. We know these two as the 2002 Washington D.C. Beltway snipers. This is a good movie but very disturbing. Not disturbing in a horror movie way but in a more realistic way. We see how easy Lee was manipulated by John and how neither of them seemed to show any remorse for their actions. The most disturbing thing to me about this though is that the killings seemed absolutely senseless. Targets were picked based solely on if they could be seen through the hole in the trunk. This is a hard movie to watch because of the subject matter but if you can handle it it is worth seeing. Overall, disturbing character study that doesn't do anything to glorify or make you feel sorry for the murderers, which is a good thing. I give it a B+

Those who demand easy answers in movies and clear cut motives from its characters will likely find Blue Caprice an unfulfilling and distant character study, one which centers on the Beltway Sniper attacks that left Washington paralyzed for three weeks in 2002. The brilliance of director Alexandre Moors feature debut, in addition to quietly powerful performances from its two main leads, is that it offers no definite answers as to why this massacre transpired. True to life, speculation as to motive ranges from plans to divert attention from the planned murder of one of the assailant's ex wife, revenge against the U.S. government, terrorist ties and general anarchy. Discovering what ultimately drives these monsters is unimportant in the context of this film, but rather it's the troubling and empty journey these men take down the path of evil that is so compelling.

Taking on the notorious gunmen John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo are Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond and both deliver nuanced and disturbing performances but with varying approaches. We witness a differing speed at which these two finally become the savages which made global headlines – these are individuals with which we both see deeply into but at the same time know nothing about. The way these actors and director are able to make enigmas out of its antagonists without resorting to painting them as faceless monsters is an extraordinary feat.

Channelling Idris Elba in the best ways, Washington does Oscar level work as a broken man whose anger and disillusionment manifests in the worst possible way. Between his work on Grey's Anatomy and supporting work in some higher profile fare, he has never really been given the chance to stretch his dramatic legs and he shows how capable he can be when given the spotlight. He plays off young Tequan Richmond with aplomb, with the promising North Carolina native truly coming into his character in the final act after long sequences of shyness and inwardly directed sadness. Among the most disquieting scenes comes when John teaches Lee how to drive, an act between father and son that is considered to be one of the most important bonding experiences of growing up. In knowing what is to come, it takes on a whole new (and ultimately very disturbing) meaning.

Aside from inherently being a taut and troubling scenario the way the tension and narrative drive is brought to the forefront is also noteworthy especially when the outcome is so widely known. When we first meet with Malvo (and to a lesser extent Muhammad) we see them as damaged but salvageable individuals – those given an unfair stab at life but who could display redemptive qualities if given the chance. As we see Malvo fall further and further under the manipulative spell of his surrogate father, and who in turn finds fuel in his adoptive son, it's hard to watch not simply because of their actions but where we know this is all headed. In wanting so much for these lost souls to find an honest meaning in life and see them both missing and avoiding them, the dread and tension ratchets up organically and with an impact you won't soon shake.

Moors also makes the sound decision never to distort or falsely heighten the actual acts of the shootings. Seeing a man in the throws of death in a pool of blood at the base of a gas pump is powerful enough without seeing these two perpetrate every single act. So to does the choice to not magnify the scope of the crimes with fictionalized getaways or close calls in their titular vehicle. The barrel of a gun sticking out of a trunk and an off screen shot does more than enough in the ugly world we're introduced to in Blue Caprice. There are certainly moments of graphic violence interspersed throughout but they're handled in a brief and ugly manner that serves to showcase the emptiness of it all.

Based on the subject matter and the recent horrific gun based acts that have rocked America as of late, Blue Caprice will no doubt bring up the hot button topic of gun control, with some likely looking at the film as a call for help and others as pro liberal pandering meant to take a past tragedy and use it as propaganda. In both instances they would be not only wrong but missing the point of this drama, or rather the pointlessness of these men's actions. Could this act have been avoided with tighter gun laws? Likely. But Blue Caprice has no such pretensions and simply paints a disturbing portrait of men on the edge of reality.

Both as a showcase for the skill of the filmmakers and actors and an examination of the flourishing emotional void this duo carries with them every day, Blue Caprice succeeds and does so in manner that will leave you exhausted and troubled. In having so much to hate on screen there is so much to love about this confident inaugural feature, one which worrisomely shows that the loss of one's humanity can begin with a single act.

I cannot fault the first rate acting of the three main characters. The father John Allen Muhammad (then aged 42) played by Isaiah Washington, separated from his children, who was sour on life and straddled with a restraining order against him from being anywhere near his ex-wife, the young lad from Antigua Lee Boyd Malvo (then 17) played by Tequan Richmond that John brings back to the U.S. to commit his murderous spree, and John's friend and fellow gun owner Ray, played by Tim Blake Nelson. This is a true story and although all of North America's televisions audiences were glued to their TV's 24 hour news station between October 02, 2002 until that fateful morning on October 24, 2002, when John and Lee were discovered sleeping in their blue Caprice car at 3:15 a.m. in the morning, and then the world breathed a sigh of relief.

Surprisingly the film did not focus on this 22 day period of random shootings and the fear it spread across the United States. Instead the first hour or so of the film was dedicated to providing us the audience with insight on how John Allen Muhammad recruited his young naive accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo who had no father figure in his life and was basically abandoned by his mother with no food or money to fend for himself back in Antigua. It seemed too easy for the adult John Allen Muhammad to manipulate the much younger and love starved Lee Boyd Malvo to accept the role of sniper and murderer.

I would like to bring to your attention a comparison of how in 2005, the legal system went very hard on this young naive black man aged 17 sentencing him to six consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Now compare this harsh sentence to the pathetic light sentence that occurred in 2013, of ten years probation and no jail time for a then 17 year old white caucasian Ethan Anthony Couch from Texas who while driving impaired killed four (4) innocent bystanders who were assisting a stranded motorist on the side of the road that this drunk and under the influence of drugs ran over and killed. Two passenger's in Couch's truck that he was driving also suffered bodily injury, one with complete paralysis. His parents were millionaires and their costly legal team defended this despicable killer with a defence that their (very rich) client suffered from a term called "affluenza". After fleeing the country illegally to Mexico and witnessed drinking and partying Ethan Anthony Couch was brought back to Texas and served a two year prison sentence.

I am not disputing that both of these young men are responsible for the deaths they caused but without knowing which if these criminals was white or black skinned I am quite sure we could all ascertain by their imposed sentences which was the poor black youth and which was the rich white youth.

As for Blue Caprice the acting by Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond and Tim Blake Nelson was superb. The background story of how John Allen Muhammad manipulated and intimidated the much younger parent less Lee Boyd Malvo was understood and I would have preferred the film would have captured more of the documented details of how these two criminals plotted, some times executed and other times abandoned their plan of another random execution all in an effort to somehow cover up that John Allen Muhammad's real intention was to kill his ex-wife and throw the police forces off that this was his sole purpose in the first place. The resulting damage attributed to these two killers was the 10 non fatal injuries and 17 deaths attributed to what is now known as the Beltway killers.

There are Parts of this Indie Movie that are Extremely Well Done. There is the Cinematography that is Stunning at Times, the Performances are All Very Good, and there is an Ominous, Chilling, Creepiness that Permeates the Picture.

But the Montage is Awful. The Overall Feeling that the Viewer is left with is Frustrating and Unsatisfying. it Seems that the Filmmakers Opted for Restraint and Offered a Cold and Overly Calculated Movie and it tries so Hard to be Unconventional and Non-Hollywood that They Forgot that this is a Movie.

It is Pieced Together with a Shaggy Assemblance of Disjointed Drama that Scene for Scene is OK but a Film is a Combination of Scenes that are Put Together to Create Seamless Storytelling and this Fails Monumentally on that Level, Especially in the Final Act.

The Pieces in this Misassembled Mess are on their own Remarkable and it is Obvious that there is Talent in this Creation, but all of that is Wasted as the Finished Film just leaves too much to be Desired and as Enlightened Entertainment or Even a Character Study the Completed Film Falls Apart and that is Inexcusable.

Overall, it Cannot be Recommended as a Film that is Worthy of its Subject Matter or as a Film as Completed. Because the Movie just can't Escape the Feeling that it is Incomplete and Ill Fitting.

This movie doesn't add anything, but it comes as a real bore! what they were thinking!, I have never thought much of Isaiah Washington as an actor, I could care less about his participation on every movie I have seen him before, and watching Tequan Richmond is like watching green paint dry, don't ask, but I think green paint is the most pathetic paint to watch while drying.

This movie is a really missed opportunity, the question is if the writer and producers Just said " Hey lets do an insipid, bland, characterless, and unmoving piece of nothing, "uninspired" on the beltway Sniper" the movie is not even all over the place, because has nothing to offer, it's a shameless situation that blue caprice get a 6.0 rating when "D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear" is just 5.8

Yesterday, I re - watched Bus 174 (2002) (documentary) and then "Last Stop 174 (2008)", I mention this just in case Alexandre Moors, R.F.I. Porto and everyone involved with blue caprice wants to see how a real movie based in actual events is made!

Inspired by the events but the authors don't really know how the killers were thinking. It is still the important part. My take is that psychopathy is common in the US. That is why shooters are also common, relatively speaking.

"Blue Caprice" was out of cinematic fuel from the beginning. This indie movie is based on the Sniper incident that rocked the Beltway in Virginia & Washington in 2002. Speaking of Washington, Isaiah Washington's performance as John, the angry father figure sniper, was off target; and Tequan Richmond did not add much firepower either as Lee, the lost teen who gives himself entirely to John, and becomes John's surrogate son. Director Alexandre Moors focused on the father- son relationship of John & Lee, but I wanted more from Moors on the insight of the Beltway sniper killings and how it affected the fabric of society. "Blue Caprice" was not a true blue picture! Sorry Madonna! * Failure

Arguably Isaiah Washington's best work. Thought provoking and on point. Everyone touched by violence should see this film to see how murderers are made. This film is not meant to be sympathetic to the killers but rather to start a dialog on how killers are made and what we can do to help people understand. It also highlights the issue of mental illness in our society and how we don't do enough, especially for our vets to address this problem. The director and cinematography should be applauded for this effort. Some of the best camera work I've seen in years coupled with an excellent script and vision by the director. For those who are looking for a sympathetic view for the victims, this is not that film. Yes, we should never forget the victims of these horrific crimes, but that's not what this film is about. It's about reaching those people who don't understand that sometimes killers are products of their circumstances and/or environment. A must see.

This DC Sniper movie was so disappointing. I have no issues with slow moving films at all. Unfortunately this movie was not at all engaging and lacked emotion. It actually borders on boring. I know this was a fictionalised version of the real event. But even that was poorly done.

If you want to see a really really good DC sniper movie, watch D. C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear. Now that was a movie that kept you thinking long after it had ended. This movie, however, is a forgettable one.

I'm extremely baffled how Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie 85%. I normally have faith in Rotten Tomatoes' ratings; but I I feel they got this rating for this movie wrong.

perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother.........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother.........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother

Great soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, and decent acting. film unfolds nicely, telling a grim but stimulating story of trauma and violence without being too aggressive / direct.