Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2015 There are TV true crime movies that can be intriguing like Ted Bundy, the Deliberate Stranger, or John Wayne Gacy, to catch a Killer.

However, I once owned this TV movie of Manhunt: search for the Night Stalker and it is very dull, it is trying too hard to be a "Chiller-Thriller" and trying its best to exude feeling of suspense, but it fails to do that because of hammy performances and lack of reality in the script.

The black-clad Killer in the movie made so much noise, and used too much flashlights in the dark, you would think people would wake up when he enters in their residence, when in real life, the Killer is suppose to be militant and work in darkness, hence the moniker; "Night Stalker".

The script was terribly careless, for example, one of Gil Carrillo's Daughters was called Rene, but 43 minutes into the movie, Gil's Wife, Pearl called the same girl "Mica"- this erratum could have been corrected. The worst part is the rest of the dialogue, which is not convincing to match the real life characters, their personal experiences and personality backgrounds from this movie, it fails to represent their personalities altogether.

Richard Jordan, who plays a "seasoned" Detective, Frank Salerno always "feels things" in this case, he tells Sheriff Grimm as he proves one Serial Killer is operating the crimes "This is one Guy doing this - I can feel it" and to his Partner, Gil, "I have a funny feeling about tonight - he is going out again" and when they pursue Ramirez prior to ID him in the Newspapers, Jordan says " I can feel it Gill it is all over".

Also Frank goes on about how "great" things are, there is a scene Gill solemnly says "oh no! He switched guns on us! He used a .25 instead of a .22" Salerno replies "that's Great, Phil (the Forensic Scientist) can give us a positive make on the 25, if we get him with this Gun, he is nailed!" and another ridiculous scene is when a cop goes "Hey Frank, we found the shoe, it is a special shoe made by Avia and there are thirteen thousand and fifty-six distributed", and Salerno's response is "that is Great Washington!! It is going to be that much easier for you to trace every bit of sale today" and Washington laughs "How do I know you are going to say that!!" - this was suppose to be an amusing line, but there is no ring of truth to it. Why did Washington NOT mention there is ONLY one pair of avia 440 modal that is size 11 and a half twelve, which is the same one at the scenes from the series of murders and just 'one' man is wearing this 'rare' shoe?

The Movie Writers did miss out conspicuous details of not illustrating Diane Feinstein's elocution slip up of mentioning the rare Avia shoes of a "particular size" that made the Killer change his footwear. So there was loose research to these "true-crime" accounts of what actually happened, and lack of realism in the script.

The writers probably never put their heads together to think about the "real" lives of these Detectives, because when Richard was caught and put into custody, Jordan turns to Gill and says "we will be living with this for a long time!" For an experienced Detective who also worked on the Hillside Strangler case, mentions an unrealistic line - I am sure other Viewers will find this line quite false.

All the Actors were given unrealistic lines, the acting was bad too. The visage of the killer was dramatically revealed near the end. Richard Ramirez should be portrayed by a talented actor, but NOT Gregory Norman Cruz, he was equally bad, and does not resemble Ramirez! Greg had a single bug-eyed sneer, distinctly wicked expression, The Real Richard was Handsome as a Movie Star, possessing a dangerously seductive streak and the combination of looking Angelic with a mysterious air- Guys and Girls flock to him. It was too politically correct for my taste.

If I had to have a personal opinion, Jsu Garcia formally known as Nick Corri of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wildcats fame would suit to Play Ramirez better.

It is a predictable movie with bad enactment, terrible humour, and bad music score with a song that is a rip off of Night Prowler by AC/DC, Bruce Seth Green should instead produce the feel of Los Angeles in 1985, like show statistics of Guns and burglar alarms sold by the hour, or vast amount of people being alarmed when staying up at night and being jumpy to every a nuance of sound thinking the Stalker is there, because the minds plays tricks on the people, and the brutal heat did not help much that summer; the paranoia was insurmountable, the scary aura of the city at that time was absent in this film, it is not a convincing thriller.

Anyway! I read Philip Carlo's book and that is miles better, and showed the truth about real-life events and situations. Read the book instead.

This was way above what I had expected for a TV movie of this subject, and much more accurate and true to the material also. I recall that period when the "night stalker" was committing crimes, as I lived in Los Angeles and was house-sitting for some friends. It was a heat wave as portrayed in the film, and I always had the windows wide open at night. Then eventually, some of my lady friends who noticed became almost hysterical with anxiety that I might become a victim. Before that moment, I didn't really consider this killer with much interest, but then realized what effect he had on most of the city, especially the women and those with families. Well, the film portrays this exactly correctly, as it portrays the principle persons involved in a true manner, including the killer himself. It is also great to see then Frisco mayor Dianne Feinstein get taken down a peg for her stupid remarks that released confidential police information to the public. That really happened, but she still got to be a senator eventually.

I know the story is simplified, but of course it had to be to make a 95 minute movie.

I'm no expert on the case, but it looks like they got the gist right, and more than that. It was just boiled down.

The East LA takedown of Richard Ramirez was very very close to accurate. To my understanding, Ramirez actually ran across the freeway. Here, he takes a bus. That's an understandable compromise for a TV budget.

The lead actors (A Martinez and the late Richard Jordan) never quite made A list, but that has a lot to do with luck. Their performances are great.

The actual focus on the lives of the detectives, well that's soap, but not terribly soapy.

Overall, a necessarily simplified, but basically an accurate depiction of this history.

From a purely movie/directing standpoint, the takedown of the Stalker was gripping and well done.

This is a very well done made for tv movie. It's the true story about one of the most notorious serial killers ever! The acting in this film is top notch. I am so glad that this movie was made for tv and not for the big screen. It's shocking & disturbing but it's a story that had to be told, and it was done with the utmost respect to the victims families. My prayers go out to them all...

MANHUNT: SEARCH FOR THE NIGHT STALKER

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Mono

The search for serial killer Richard Ramirez, who committed a string of horrific rapes and murders in Los Angeles between June 1984 and August the following year.

It looks a little dated now, but Bruce Seth Green's detailed examination of the facts surrounding the Night Stalker murders - filtered here through the viewpoint of the two detectives (Richard Jordan and A Martinez) who supervised the case - still packs a solid emotional punch. Green's no-nonsense approach to the material results in a couple of voyeuristic crime reconstructions which may strike some as unnecessary (Ramirez had only just been convicted when the movie first aired), but these grotesque details go a long way toward establishing the randomness and savagery of this man's gruesome rampage. Joseph Gunn's wide-ranging script covers all relevant bases, including the desperate attempts by city officials to prevent sensational media coverage driving the killer underground, and the personal toll exacted on law enforcement officers involved in pursuit of the maniac. The climactic sequence - depicting the bizarre events surrounding Ramirez' eventual capture - is ripe with irony, and well-staged by actors and filmmakers alike.