Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior

Not a cinephile, nor have any opinions about Michael Bay one way or another (which seems to be affecting some people's opinions...one way or another) I feel for another reviewer's experience with sexual assault. But as a survivor myself, I have no qualms with how this perpetrator was handled. Don't let someone who is more triggered by the actions of the police against a perpetrator of women and children dissuade you from watching a show about the people in law enforcement doing everything they can to bring said perpetrator to justice as well as peace and closure to their families. And if said reviewer considers this sexual assault, then maybe it needs to be redefined. Oh no! They sat next to him and put their arm around him and poked at his undies. He didn't like it and said stop. Gee. I wonder what his victims said to him. I didn't feel triggered, I felt vindicated. This ISN'T an impoverished kid with no family or education in the wrong place at the wrong time getting his ass kicked by rogue officers forcing him into a coerced confession. If I were to say more, than it'd be spoilers

As an 80's baby and the child of a true crime enthusiast, I've seen it and read it all way before what is probably acceptable today. Roots, In Cold Blood and Stephen King (books and movies) before middle school, probably not cool by today's standards. Hey Road House taught me real life. I'll always have a thing for Wade Garrett. Maybe I'll just always have faith in a good man whose done the wrong thing for the right reasons

Never heard of this "person" before in all my true crime watching (call me an amateur!) Whether it's novelty or just that the show wasn't super annoying and repetitive like so many documentary/crime shows. Coming up...from before the break...I ******* remember! It was 30 seconds ago!

But I really liked this documentary. I've always loved a good antihero. Even if it's a cold hard criminal himself who lives by a code where kids and women are off limits. He and the police admit to having bad thoughts of revenge and justice. But yet they all do the right thing.

Forensic Files covered Hadden Clark's case in under 30 minutes and still managed to share more info than this whole documentary season. The story is interesting but it could've been told in a single episode or short film. The documentary jumps between victims without clear structure and doesn't explain the evidence or forensics behind the convictions. It focuses too much on the killer's psychology and not enough on the crimes themselves. There are no interviews with Navy personnel to back up Clark's claims of killing while enlisted-even though one episode mentions him throwing someone off a ship. That should've been easy to verify. It also lacks the investigative depth of a show like The Jinx.

This should not have been a seven episode series. So many episodes showed a lot of the same clips and interviews and, frankly, was very annoying, confusing and a waste of time. The topic itself and interviews were interesting but by the time you watched the same ten minutes in several episodes it becomes boring. It wasn't just one clip or interview they repeated over and over, it was many. At first I thought I put on the same episode, but then they would finally move towards new information. Then the same thing would happen in the following episode.

If this was condensed to a two or three hour program I would give it at least nine stars. I give it one star for editing and continuity so I give the program five stars.

Michael Bay's new serial killer show falls short in nearly every aspect. Despite high production values and flashy visuals, it struggles with a lackluster plot and one-dimensional characters. The story's pacing is uneven, with too many cliché twists that fail to generate genuine suspense. The dialogue is often clunky and expository, undermining any attempt at depth or realism. While Bay's signature style might appeal to his typical substance-less fans of high-octane action, it feels out of place in the more nuanced world of psychological thrillers. Overall, the show is a disappointing blend of style over substance, leaving much to be desired for those expecting a gripping and thoughtful crime drama.

If you are looking for a documentary with respect for the victims, that's not it. Don't know how much Michael Bay was actually involved in this but this is not a movie about alien robots, its a doc about real victims and it was not treated like one. Montage and music on steroids, lame reenactments. As if the presentation of the crimes of a serial killer aren't engaging enough, the pacing of this series ( I can't call it a documentary again with peace of mind) is clearly made for people who can't focus on the screen for more than 5 seconds unless its got explosions and stuff. Shame on everyone involved, exploitation of murdered children is an all time low.