Blue Caprice

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.