Blue Caprice

Amazing indie gem, but far less exciting than the two other mass murderers story movies : ELEPHANT or POLYTECHNIQUE. No, this film is more than interesting but so slow, so slow, you always wonder where does it drive to. The other movies, the most famous in terms of mass murder schemes, are definitely more powerful, more terrific and terrifying too. However, this little independant feature is still interesting to watch. Only a few things are shown, nothing spectacular, shocking is shown here. I think this movie will forever remain under the radars of many viewers. But I don't regret to have seen it.

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

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.

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.