For the Record: What Is the Truth?
Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke
I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative. However, due to COVID concerns I’m mostly addressing streaming options with limited visits to theaters even though I’ll have to sacrifice seeing such wonders as Cocaine Bear (Elizabeth, Banks).
Boston Strangler (Matt Ruskin) rated R 112 min.
Here’s the trailer:
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What Happens: Boston Strangler's “Inspired by a true story” (so I’m not indicating any Plot Spoilers here because all crucial aspects are already in the public record); we begin in 1965 in Ann Arbor, MI where a neighbor hears noises that turn out to be a woman killed in her nearby apartment. Then we shift back to 1962 in Boston, MA where 3 older women have been raped and murdered, killed by strangulation; Boston Record American reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) thinks there’s a serial killer on the loose as all 3 had stockings tied around their necks in a bow so she wants to investigate but meets resistance from editor Jack MacLaine (Chris Cooper). He relents when a 4th woman is killed in the same manner, assigns Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) to work with McLaughlin due to her previous experience only on the Lifestyle desk where a story can consist of testing out a new toaster, while Cole’s been working undercover on various exposés; McLaughlin’s initial article draws wrath on MacLaine, though, from the Boston Police Commissioner. These newspaper women face sexist attitudes from their managing colleagues (who added their photos to the articles to draw attention to these pretty women, even as such publicity endangered their well-being) and the police who feel the stories are indicating law enforcement incompetence, even though these cops aren’t sharing details with other cities when the reporters are contacted by the New York City police where similar murders have occurred, one by Paul Dempsey (Christian Mallen). Loretta even gets creepy phone calls at home, yet husband James (Morgan Spector) generally supports her efforts. Albert DeSalvo’s (David Dastmaichian) taken into custody as he’s already been convicted of numerous robberies and sexual assaults, but when a neighbor of one of the Strangler victims, who got a quick look at the killer, comes to a lineup she instead picks out George Nassar (Greg Vrotsos).
In 1964, DeSalvo confessed to all 13 Strangler murders in the Boston area (although the pattern’s broken with some younger victims, 1 African-American whereas the others were White), but as there’s no evidence to connect him to these crimes he simply goes back to prison for his life sentence for the other offenses. In 1965 McLaughlin learns of 6 murders in Ann Arbor that match what she’s been covering, with likely (arrested) suspect being Daniel Marsh (Ryan Winkles), but he gives no cooperation to her or the cops. In 1973 DeSalvo calls McLaughlin from prison, asks her to come hear his story the next day; however, that night he’s stabbed to death by another inmate. Following a tip, she meets instead with Harrison (John Lee Ames), who tells her DeSalvo, Marsh, and Nassar were in the same ward at Bridgewater State Hospital where they encouraged DeSalvo’s confession so Nassar could collect reward money. When she interviews Nassar he admits he wanted the cash but denies any coaching of DeSalvo, chastises her for creating a media sensation about the Boston Strangler (she came up with the name), implies there’s more than 1 murderer. (That’s how it’s presented in the film, but this new obituary says Nassar died, unreported, in 2018, always believing DeSalvo’s confession, claiming he [Nassar] had nothing to do with the murders, said he’d have killed DeSalvo if he’d known about the crimes at the time.) Ultimately, McLaughlin and Cole run a story that Dempsey killed the first 6 Boston women, then moved on to NYC while copycat killers continued the slaughter in Boston and Ann Arbor, with DeSalvo confessing so Nassar could get the $10,000-per-victim-reward, DeSalvo would get famed attorney F. Lee Bailey (Luke Kirby) as his lawyer while also securing a million-$-book-deal to help his family; whether that’s the end of this story is not clear, because no firm evidence exists to verify this theory nor any other one.
So What? This docudrama continues within the varied-tradition of actual newspaper reporters working diligently to solve different true crimes, including All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976; won Oscars for Best Sound, Art Direction, Adapted Screenplay [William Goldman], Supporting Actor [Jason Robards]—admittedly, political crimes in this case by President Richard Nixon and his cronies rather than physical assaults against other people [except for the emotional trauma it caused to some in the process])—Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007; a bit more emphasis on police work here than the journalists’ contributions attempting to find a self-promoting-murderer in the San Francisco area), Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015; sexual abuse by clergy in the Boston archdiocese; won Oscars for Best Picture, Original Screenplay [Josh Singer, McCarthy]; review in our November 19, 2015 posting), She Said (Maria Schrader, 2022; about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse of female actors; review in our January 12, 2023 posting). In all of these cases, certain elements of the historical record have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes on screen, although you can find more-fully-factual-accounts of each of these situations, including the Boston Strangler murders which still haven’t been conclusively solved, although DeSalvo’s now been strongly connected to the 1964 killing of Mary Sullivan; however, if you want a concise account of the Strangler story this video (10:46; ads interrupt at 2:34, 7:21, 9:21) would be helpful as it adds some further information to what’s contained in Boston Strangler—including how in the early 2000s Sullivan’s sister and DeSalvo’s brother got the case reopened, convinced Albert wasn’t the killer, until DNA from his exhumed body matched evidence from Mary’s murder, plus you can go to this site for a few more specific details. (Also, don’t confuse this current film with one called The Boston Strangler [Richard Fleischer, 1968], starring Tony Curtis as DeSalvo [in the photo just above], which seemingly takes many factual liberties, doesn’t get into the reporters’ pursuit of the killer at all, as best I try for recall).
Specifically, with Boston Strangler much of what we see is based on fact (as with the photo just above), although some timelines have been altered in minor manners, along with disagreement from various others as to whether DeSalvo did all of the killing or not; further, the character name of David Marsh (not the name of the real guy he references) is added, in that another possible suspect does exist but his identity has never been revealed by the authorities. While none of that detracts from the impact of this film for me, I did wonder at first why this story’s resurfacing roughly 50 years from when the murders took place, but then the Zodiac events occur mostly from 1969 to 1978 (gets to 1983 eventually) so there’s about a 25-year-gap there as well, with the critical response notably positive (Rotten Tomatoes 90% positive reviews, Metacritic 78% average score), much more so than with Boston Strangler. Possibly the motivating factor here is to give proper credit to these women who painstakingly covered every aspect of the crimes that they could, lauding them for the difficult—even dangerous—work they contributed to determining what actually happened in Boston, New York, and Michigan all those decades ago. Their quest is presented very effectively with solid acting by all involved (this is one circumstance where I'm satisfied with Knightley instead of wishing for close-lookalike-Natalie Portman), enhanced by the consistent creation of a tense, mysterious atmosphere.
Bottom Line Final Comments: Well, what did I miss in my avoidance of theaters last weekend: John Wick: Chapter 4's (Chad Stahelski) killing spree; poorly-reviewed superhero sequels (Shazam! Fury of the Gods [David F. Sandberg], Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania [Peyton Reed]), and, of course, Cocaine Bear (Elizabeth Banks)—but the latter’s also now available on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, etc. for a $19.99 rental, so I’ll need a further excuse to avoid it (maybe that I have absolutely no interest in watching it, unless it’s free and I’m beyond bored). The only thing out there I haven’t already seen but would like to is A Good Person (Zack Braff; starring Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman), although it seems the OCCU wouldn’t encourage such with RT 53%, MC 49%, so I guess I was better off after all with Boston Strangler as it scored 67% positive RT reviews, a 58% MC average score, which, I admit, is still not a rousing level of support, but at least it’s headed in the right direction, especially because I enjoyed it thoroughly (much better than these critics’ collectives), encourage you to do the same as long as you’re a Hulu subscriber (it’s free if you are), as this is your only option for viewing Boston Strangler. True, the ending’s a bit ambiguous—except to note McLaughin continued her journalism career becoming a noted medical reporter for The Boston Globe while Cole also stayed in the profession for over 30 years so it is reasonable that we’re finally getting wider knowledge about their contributions to this horrid-homicidal-situation which captured the public attention so very actively back in the mid-20th century.
TIME’s Stephanie Zacharek agrees: “Boston Strangler isn’t an account of a case whose resolution remains inconclusive to this day; it’s the story of women getting the job done even when the men around them think of them only as ‘skirts.’ […] Because of certain complications surrounding DeSalvo’s confession, we still don’t know the truth of these 13 murders. But Boston Strangler operates on the assumption that admitting what we don’t know is always better than buying a lie.” Yet, I can’t ignore Ty Burr, former film critic for The Boston Globe: “The movie’s ‘Zodiac’ running on fewer cylinders, with many pointed things to say about the difficulties faced by working women in the early 1960s but a lugubrious narrative structure that sprawls and wanders and eventually sputters out. And dark! I was a kid in during the Strangler’s reign of terror, and I can attest: We had lightbulbs that went higher than 25 watts. Decent accents, though, and Chris Cooper’s here, which is never not a good thing.” Take your choice as you see fit about following up on it (you can get Hulu for a 30-day-free-trial or pay just $8 monthly so this film’s accessible), but at least take a listen to my usual review-capper of a Musical Metaphor, this time The Rolling Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” (on their 1969 Let It Bleed album) at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=G-bBhgMtPsc (a live 1971 London performance), seemingly inspired by DeSalvo, recounting one of his killings: “He’ll leave his footprints up and down your hall […] I’ll stick my knife right down your throat, baby / And it hurts!” In its own way the song’s as gruesome as what went on way back then, done by DeSalvo or whoever found killing women to be some sort of a sick pleasure
SHORT TAKES
Reggie (Alex Stapleton) rated PG-13 104 min.
This is a documentary about famed sports star Reggie Jackson who had a 20-year-career in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees during which time he was often a hitting-machine, especially in the post-season earning him the title of “Mr. October,” although the film focuses equally on racism he encountered in this time.
Here’s the trailer:
No spoilers in my comments on this excellent documentary, Reggie, about exceptional baseball superstar (elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993), Reggie Jackson, because all of the details about his life can be found in many sources, such as this extensive biography, while the film’s ultimate focus on the racism Jackson and other Black Major Leaguers had to endure during their careers is also a disgustingly-well-known-fact, so there’s nothing to keep quiet about here regarding this doc’s contents, although I do encourage you to see it to hear directly from one of the premiere athletes of the 20th century how his success on the field was often ignored because of the color of his skin, just as his outsized-personality at times led to discord with some teammates (especially due to negative remarks attributed to Jackson [true or not, unclear] about fan-favorite New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson) and egomaniacal-Yankees-manager Billy Martin, yet those personnel-problems never kept Jackson from saying what he thought, insisting on higher salaries (which he sometimes got) in payment for his frequent success on the field, including crucial game-winning home runs, other hits, All-Star Game appearances, MVP titles, etc. This is not a full biography in that it presents little about his early life (born in 1946 near Philadelphia, parents divorced when he was 4 so he was brought up by his tailor/former-Negro League-second basemen Dad). Mostly it focuses on the years 1967-1978 with lots of details and footage from the time about his minor-league miseries in racist Birmingham, AL, his continually-growing-triumphs with the Kansas City Athletics (who moved to Oakland, CA in 1968), leading to World Series championships with the A’s in 1972-’74, then his trade to the Baltimore Orioles in 1976 (due to miserly-owner Charlie Finley not willing to pay him what he determined he felt he was worth*), then free agency to the New York Yankees in 1977 with 2 more World Series championships that year and ’78 (he retired after 1987 back in Oakland where I saw him briefly on the field a couple of times as the season ended); he’s now a special advisor to Houston Astros owner Jim Crane (where he acquired a 6th World Series ring after their win in 2022).
*OK, it's now time for full disclosure about my interest in Mr. Jackson being more than just cinematic curiosity: My wife, Nina Kindblad, had just graduated from high school in Oakland, CA in 1968 so she and one of her older sisters took a trip to Disneyland where they stayed across from the park at the Jolly Roger motel. When the A’s traveled to Anaheim to play the Angels, cheapskate Finley also booked them into this budget destination rather than the kind of hotel Major Leaguers were usually accustomed to, so by chance Nina met many of the A’s including Reggie who continued to be friends with her for the next few years (including free tickets to some home games). Sadly, there’s no Jolly Roger footage here in this doc, but I got to get a personal enhancement of the film's content anyway.
But in addition to this focused-aspect of his biography, there’s frequent emphasis on the burdens of racism on Black players in baseball, which seems to also manifest itself in the lack of Black managers, executives, and owners—seemingly the MLB honchos negated Reggie’s attempts to purchase first the A’s, then the L.A. Dodgers years ago. Conversations on this topic between Jackson and home-run-maestro Hank Aaron are especially poignant (other notable appearances are by former A’s Joe Rudi, Rollie Fingers, Dave Stewart, Dave Duncan, Vida Blue [even Finley in old footage], former/current Yanks Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge [Munson, former owner George Steinbrenner III in archival imagery]), with lots of current commentary from Reggie, who tells us “I’m gonna speak the truth!” according to “How I see it,” including “Sometimes I feel like a hood ornament.” Reggie's on Amazon Prime Video, with the CCAL barely aware of it as the marvelous RT rating of 100% positive’s based on just 8 reviews so far, while the MC site has nothing yet (check back later?), so I’ll just join what encouragements exist to watch it while leaving you with the not-the-same-as-usual-approach to my Musical Metaphor, Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” (on his 1969 album of the same name) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz5E2njwNCg, though it has nothing directly to do with the film but Nina tells me it was one of Reggie’s favorite songs (assuming that fascination has held up since over a half-century ago; also, I know this opening instrumental here sounds more like Marvin Gaye’s "What's Going On" [from his 1971 album of the same name], but I think “Mr. October” would be supportive of that tune too, just like I know Nina is; it all fits well for both, I hope); so, Reggie, if you’re out there somewhere and happen to stumble across this review let me know if there’s something else you’d prefer—and you can say “Hi” to Nina while you’re at it. The porch light’s always on; we’ll be glad to have you drop by, even electronically.
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