Give us your opinion on Boston Strangler [Disney+] – Review in FilmTotaal

Director: Matt Ruskin| Script: Matt Ruskin | Cast: Keira Knightly (Loretta Mclaughlin), Carrie Coon (Jean Cole), Chris Cooper (Jack Maclaine), Alessandro Nivola (Detective Conley), David Dastmalchian (Albert DeSalvo), ea | Time to play: 112 minutes | Year: 2023

The ‘Boston Strangler’ kills women and leaves them all the same, strangled and with a noose around their necks. Loretta McLaughlin sees the connection between the first three victims and wants to write an article about this case at all costs. However, as a woman, according to her boss, she is uniquely suited to writing for the style section of the Boston Record American. When she picks up the item in her own time, the ball starts rolling. Due to her lack of homicide experience, Loretta is forced to work with Jean Cole and the two of them dive deep into the case.

This true story of a journalistic search is written by Keira Knightley. boston strangler it’s about as strong as you’d expect when your name is associated with a project. Solid, but at the same time not exceptional by any means. Knightley and Carrie Coon play their roles convincingly, the premise is catchy enough, and the direction is good. The color palette is a bit dark to evoke additional tension. With all these elements, it feels particularly like a weak imitation of strong thrillers like Zodiac.

Occasionally the script shows potential. Unfortunately, these more unique angles aren’t elaborate enough. The script is embellished with the struggle of women in the sixties in a masculine world like journalism, but at the same time it relatively quickly ignores that aspect. The effect that the murders have on the women of Boston is also addressed in several short scenes: it is the women who read the newspapers and ‘enjoy’ the real crime, just as today it is mainly the women who listen to the podcasts. about true crimes. , aspect of the movies, etc. Not much is done with it either.

although boston strangler It comes with a series of twists, its tension arc is moderate. Some of the clues are very clear and strongly indicate the direction in which Loretta ultimately ends up. It doesn’t bother too much though, because Loretta is never portrayed as a cool journalist. She is persistent, but not without flaws, which is particularly evident in the way her relationship with Jean is portrayed.

The chemistry between the two journalists is at the center of everything. boston strangler. Jean is more experienced and teaches Loretta the tricks of the trade. Although Loretta sometimes tries to push her away and acts a bit childish, it’s nice to see how these two women in a man’s world help each other instead of fighting. Likeable main characters in combination with a nice serial killer plot make it boston strangler a good movie, but one that doesn’t rise above the genre.

boston strangler can be seen in Disney+.