There is no doubt the Night Stalker was a little chilling and gritty. However, this version didn't flesh out the monster, and it left the overall movie feeling a little lifeless.
This film didn't properly open up the Nightstalker who seemed to have an interesting, and disturbing backstory. We could have watched his abuse and phycological torment during childhood and how he turned into the monster who committed these vile acts.
There were several instances throughout the film where we are seeing through the eyes of the Nightstalker driving towards his next victim. But the cinematography makes it feel like you are having an epileptic seizure. The constantly flashing lights, and sudden scene changes between drug addiction, a demon, and various imagery of the city, drags on for far, far too long, and made these type of sequences more annoying, rather than effective.
Brett Roberts as Richard Ramirez looks eerily similar to the real-life serial killer. Meanwhile, Danny Trejo continues to give us entertainment as a fun police sidekick
The acting from Roselyn Sanchez (Who has an uncanny resemblance to Nicole Scherzinger) was the best part of the film hands down. She was a strong, Independent presence, however, I did feel there was a small inkling of political correctness slipped into the overall theme by Director Chris Fisher.
Cocaine plays a large part in the film, as it affects police officers, and the murderer himself. And I couldn't help but think this was also meant to paint a larger picture in the film if it wasn't so choppy.
At the end of the day, this is a writer's nightmare. It felt rushed, lethargic, and didn't capture the true essence of terror that was the Nightstalker.
3/10.
