The Hunt For The BTK Killer (2005/Telefilm)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Telefilm: B
Two
things people complain about. One is bad
TV, the other serial killer movies. TV
has no excuse for how many bad series and especially TV movies they have made
since the 1980s. As for serial killers,
the subject like any other is never tired if the story is there. Considering that, The Hunt For The BTK Killer (2005) is a pleasant surprise.
This
smart telefilm stars Robert Forester as the detective anxious to pick up the
ultimate cold case of the mysterious and brutal BTK Killer when he resurfaces
as violent as ever. Gregg Henry is very
good and consistent as Dennis Rader, the all-American family man who turns out
to be BTK. Wichita, Kansas has been
disturbingly quiet since 1988 and 14 years later, BTK starts a new wave of
killings. The Tom Towler/Donald Martin
teleplay (based on Robert Beattie’s book) is a throwback to the integrity of
the journalistically sound telefilms of the 1970s and the supporting cast
(including Maury (Nero Wolfe)
Chaykin and Michael Fox) only furthers that feel.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1image was shot in HD and is somewhat stylized,
but not bad. It tries to look more like
a drama than a serial killer film and that works in its great favor. It also avoids looking like a police
procedural, which also helps. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix has no major surrounds and is dialogue-heavy in nature. There are no extras, but be sure to catch
this. David Fincher’s Zodiac will only increase interest in
it and why miss out?
- Nicholas Sheffo
