Film critic Sean Burns watched Richard Fleischer's 1968 'Boston Strangler' and Matt Ruskin's 2023 take on the crime as a double feature.
Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin and Chris Cooper as Jack MacLaine in 20th Century Studios'"Boston Strangler."
It's quaint to read such concerns today when true crime has become a blockbuster industry and grisly deaths are mere fodder for the content churn. From countless podcasts to multipart streaming docuseries to all your mom’s favorite murder shows, our unsettling national obsession with real-life killing seems to be reaching a queasy fever pitch. Granted, mass murder as mass entertainment is nothing new.
The 1968 picture emerged from a Hollywood in transition, rocked by newly permissive cultural mores while trying to win back a youth audience lured away by more sophisticated foreign films and the anarchic transgressions of “Bonnie and Clyde.
Dated as the depictions of mental illness and other aspects of Fleischer’s film may be, I think it’ll still age better than Ruskin’s 2023 revision, which is one of the most shamelessly pandering pictures I’ve seen in some time. Keira Knightley stars Loretta McLaughlin, the Boston Record American reporter who broke the Strangler story in 1962. Not so much a character as a collection of can-do cliches, she’s a plucky housewife aching to prove her mettle and get off the society desk.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon Talk 'Boston Strangler', Female Allyship, and the True Crime Genre'I felt strongly about not depicting violence in a way that was gratuitous. Much of the violence happens off screen,' says director Matt Ruskin.
Read more »
Boston Strangler Review: Keira Knightley & Carrie Coon Carry Effective Crime DramaBostonStrangler Review: Keira Knightley & Carrie Coon Carry Effective Crime Drama
Read more »
Director Matt Ruskin Interview: Boston StranglerWe speak with BostonStrangler director Matt Ruskin about Keira Knightley's casting and his decision to approach the true crime thriller from a reporter's perspective:
Read more »
Boston Strangler review: Keira Knightley tracks an infamous killerDespite the talents of Knightley, Carrie Coon, and Chris Cooper, Hulu's true crime film adaptation never cracks the case.
Read more »
'Boston Strangler' Review: More a Hollow Imitation Than a Feature FilmWhile Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon make for a strong duo, the BostonStrangler is a hollow imitation of better films that have come before it. Our review:
Read more »
Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon Were Banned From Doing Boston AccentsThe director of Boston Strangler put his stars on a gag order.
Read more »