Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
2/4
Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment, John Malkovich
Rated R for Disturbing/Violent Content, Some Sexuality, Nudity and Language
A movie can only work when it has a clear focus. Complications and color are fine, even encouraged. But a consistent narrative drive is essential. There must be something guiding the audience from beginning to end. Take "Heat," for example. Michael Mann's film followed a wide array of characters and their lives, but they were all tied to the central plotline of the thief trying to make a big score and the cop determined to bring him down.
"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" does not have this quality. In fact, it's hard to imagine what director Joe Berlinger is trying to say about his subjects: serial killer Ted Bundy and the woman who is inextricably linked to him. It seems to change with every scene. We don't know how we're supposed to feel about these characters, and as a result we feel jerked around. Nothing is consistent in this movie, and it kills a lot of the dramatic tension.
For Liz Kendall (Collins), her romantic prospects are grim. She's a single mom working as a secretary. She thinks her luck changes when she meets a handsome charmer named Ted (Efron) while out getting drinks with a friend. She falls head over heels for him, but then he's charged with kidnapping and assaulting a woman. Initially she stands by him, but then the charges keep mounting. Unfortunately for Liz, Ted is a skilled manipulator and she finds it difficult to escape his grasp.
Director Joe Berlinger should have decided on Liz or Ted's perspective and then stuck with it. Instead he tells both of their stories, which leaves each one shortchanged. Liz and Ted are sketchily developed, and the majority of their scenes occur with little set-up or context. It's hard to remain invested in a movie when you're constantly wondering what is happening and why. The narrative moves forward in fits and starts, and is rarely smooth.
For years, Zac Efron has been trying to escape his tween heartthrob image. He signaled this change when he starred in "Me & Orson Welles," Richard Linklater's film about the theater, and eventually he moved on to movies like "Parkland" and "The Paperboy." These days, he's the king of raunchy comedies, having appeared in the likes of "Neighbors" and its wretched sequel, "Dirty Grandpa" and "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates." But like Daniel Radcliffe, he's unafraid of challenging himself or doing something daring. Playing Ted Bundy is certainly gutsy, and while Efron shows range and charisma, the limitations of the screenplay and the poor direction hamper his efforts. He's compelling, but rarely chilling. I won't go so far as to call him a great actor, but he deserves better than being the sounding board for Seth Rogen's homophobia and misogyny (if Rogen comes to him with anything resembling "Neighbors 3," he should run away like his life depended on it).
Likewise, Lily Collins started out as a tween starlet in movies like "Mirror Mirror" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" (for her sake, I'm going to pretend like "Abduction" doesn't exist, since no one saw it, and those that did have mercifully forgotten about it...for good reason, I might add). But here she shows that she has the chops to go deeper. Liz is a wreck who uses alcohol to deal with the bizarre guilt she feels, and her conflicting feelings about Ted. She loves the man she thought she was and fears the man she realizes he is. Collins doesn't strike a wrong note.
Joe Berlinger is a director with an inconsistent track record. He, along with Bruce Sinofsky, were behind the celebrated documentaries "Brother's Keeper" and the "Paradise Lost" trilogy about the West Memphis Three. But he was also behind the much-maligned sequel to "The Blair Witch Project." Perhaps that's a genre he should stick with, since the majority of the film's problems are with his approach. He cuts the film as much as Michael Bay, which considering the material, is totally inappropriate. The film is told mostly in flashback, cuts between Liz and Ted and uses historical footage to supplement each. It's too busy. Scenes are often shot and edited in such a way that robs them of their payoff, the music selection doesn't always fit, and so on.
This is a movie that was made by a few people with a lot of guts and passion. I just wish it paid off more.
Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment, John Malkovich
Rated R for Disturbing/Violent Content, Some Sexuality, Nudity and Language
A movie can only work when it has a clear focus. Complications and color are fine, even encouraged. But a consistent narrative drive is essential. There must be something guiding the audience from beginning to end. Take "Heat," for example. Michael Mann's film followed a wide array of characters and their lives, but they were all tied to the central plotline of the thief trying to make a big score and the cop determined to bring him down.
"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" does not have this quality. In fact, it's hard to imagine what director Joe Berlinger is trying to say about his subjects: serial killer Ted Bundy and the woman who is inextricably linked to him. It seems to change with every scene. We don't know how we're supposed to feel about these characters, and as a result we feel jerked around. Nothing is consistent in this movie, and it kills a lot of the dramatic tension.
For Liz Kendall (Collins), her romantic prospects are grim. She's a single mom working as a secretary. She thinks her luck changes when she meets a handsome charmer named Ted (Efron) while out getting drinks with a friend. She falls head over heels for him, but then he's charged with kidnapping and assaulting a woman. Initially she stands by him, but then the charges keep mounting. Unfortunately for Liz, Ted is a skilled manipulator and she finds it difficult to escape his grasp.
Director Joe Berlinger should have decided on Liz or Ted's perspective and then stuck with it. Instead he tells both of their stories, which leaves each one shortchanged. Liz and Ted are sketchily developed, and the majority of their scenes occur with little set-up or context. It's hard to remain invested in a movie when you're constantly wondering what is happening and why. The narrative moves forward in fits and starts, and is rarely smooth.
For years, Zac Efron has been trying to escape his tween heartthrob image. He signaled this change when he starred in "Me & Orson Welles," Richard Linklater's film about the theater, and eventually he moved on to movies like "Parkland" and "The Paperboy." These days, he's the king of raunchy comedies, having appeared in the likes of "Neighbors" and its wretched sequel, "Dirty Grandpa" and "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates." But like Daniel Radcliffe, he's unafraid of challenging himself or doing something daring. Playing Ted Bundy is certainly gutsy, and while Efron shows range and charisma, the limitations of the screenplay and the poor direction hamper his efforts. He's compelling, but rarely chilling. I won't go so far as to call him a great actor, but he deserves better than being the sounding board for Seth Rogen's homophobia and misogyny (if Rogen comes to him with anything resembling "Neighbors 3," he should run away like his life depended on it).
Likewise, Lily Collins started out as a tween starlet in movies like "Mirror Mirror" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" (for her sake, I'm going to pretend like "Abduction" doesn't exist, since no one saw it, and those that did have mercifully forgotten about it...for good reason, I might add). But here she shows that she has the chops to go deeper. Liz is a wreck who uses alcohol to deal with the bizarre guilt she feels, and her conflicting feelings about Ted. She loves the man she thought she was and fears the man she realizes he is. Collins doesn't strike a wrong note.
Joe Berlinger is a director with an inconsistent track record. He, along with Bruce Sinofsky, were behind the celebrated documentaries "Brother's Keeper" and the "Paradise Lost" trilogy about the West Memphis Three. But he was also behind the much-maligned sequel to "The Blair Witch Project." Perhaps that's a genre he should stick with, since the majority of the film's problems are with his approach. He cuts the film as much as Michael Bay, which considering the material, is totally inappropriate. The film is told mostly in flashback, cuts between Liz and Ted and uses historical footage to supplement each. It's too busy. Scenes are often shot and edited in such a way that robs them of their payoff, the music selection doesn't always fit, and so on.
This is a movie that was made by a few people with a lot of guts and passion. I just wish it paid off more.
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