AN OFFICER AND A MURDERER (TV movie 2012)
WARNING: VIOLENT REAL WORLD DEPICTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
He's out there...Pretending to be human
7 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:45min
BASIC PLOT:
A fictionalized account of the crimes and capture of Canadian Air Force Colonel Russell Williams (
Gary Cole).
The film starts with Williams burglarizing homes, stealing underwear and other personal items, and through his behavior, attempting to demoralize the female population of his small Canadian town.
He escalates to sexual assault, and eventually commits two murders, while trying to frame a neighbor for the crimes.
The film also chronicles the hard work of Detective Jennifer Dobson (
Laura Harris) and Detective Nick Gallagher (
Rossif Sutherland), whose resolute determination, and dogged investigation, eventually brings down a predator, who had been shielding himself in his nation's military uniform.
WHAT WORKS:
*GARY COLE. FULL STOP.
Gary Cole's embodiment of this character is outstanding! He is both full of rage, and detached. His portrayal of Colonel Russell Williams is par excellence!
*THE WRITING IS ABOVE AVERAGE, especially for a made-for-tv movie.
Keith Ross Leckie does a fine job with suspense, pacing, and with presenting a fact based story that is graphic, without being exploitative.
*THE ACTRESSES WHO PORTRAY THE WOMEN SURVIVORS GIVE JUST ENOUGH They all do a good job (especially
Kristina Pesic &
Emma Campbell) with a difficult subject matter, and it never crosses into torture porn. It is real enough to be disturbing, without being salacious.
*LAURA HARRIS IS EXCELLENT AS DETECTIVE JENNIFER DOBSON, THE SMALL TOWN DETECTIVE WHO IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS HER BIG CITY PARTNER Her boss, Captain Novack (
Catherine Disher) thinks Detective Gallagher has more experience, and wants to listen to him. But in these situations, you should always listen to the women (the survivors), and the women detectives. They will pick up on things the men simply cannot. Detective Dobson (
Laura Harris) proves this again and again, as her instincts lead to the correct killer.
*ROSSIF SUTHERLAND DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB PLAYING DETECTIVE NICK GALLAGHER, A MAN WHO DOESN'T TRUST HIS INTUITION, AND THEREFORE DOESN'T LISTEN TO THE SURVIVORS Men in general have a hard time even knowing what to say to victims of sexual assault, much less how to relate to, or understand where they're coming from. Part of this is victim blaming (I can pretend the victim did something wrong, something my wife, sister, mother wouldn't do, so my world "feels" safe.) Part of it is the complete misunderstanding (and refusal to try) by men, of what it's actually like to be a woman. When the police find the videos of the survivor Nick didn't believe, he can't even watch, while his female colleagues are scouring the video for clues. All women understand male violence, but all men do not. It's an unfortunate fact, and
Rossif Sutherland does a good job representing this male flaw, common in the police.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*NOT SURE ABOUT THE REAL CASE... But in the movie, two cops don't believe one the survivors of sexual assault (Linda Godmere, the young mother). But the perpetrator left her in someone else's underwear. That could be easily verified by checking with the other victims who had their underwear stolen, and would substantiate her story.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*I would absolutely recommend this movie to fans of: true crime,
Gary Cole, made-for-tv movies, or fans of cautionary tales for women. It's well done on a small budget, and I highly recommend it.
(I also recommend
Cosy Cove Killings (2015) as a companion piece to this movie. It's the personal account of the neighbor with the redheaded daughter, Russell was so obsessed with in the movie. It's an interesting real look inside the terror this man caused in one neighborhood.)
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.
