On N List of Movie Reviews
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Nightstalker (2002)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
4/08
4/08:
During the mid 80's, there was a serial killer named Richard Ramirez who terrorized the citizens of Los Angeles
and San Francisco and held both cities in state of fear for a long time.
The media dubbed him the "Night Stalker." His elusiveness lasted for a year, culminating in his capture by the local
residents who ran after Richard when they saw him walking past them. It was a highly publicized case, leading to one of
the most sensational trials in California history, that saw Richard Ramirez sentenced to death in San Quentin.
I picked up a DVD copy of Nightstalker because of Danny Trejo. Honestly, I didn't realize it was about Richard Ramirez
himself despite knowing the story since the 80's. While watching the film, I've been peeved by the inaccuracies. Even worse
is the schlocky editing job. It tends to go back and forth between chaos and sedation. A bottle of Ritalin will
help in getting the movie to calm down.
At the outset, I was introduced to two police officers who are played by Danny Trejo and Roselyn Sanchez. Right away, I
disliked her character because of the way she handled a complaint. And then she's promoted to the rank of detective, getting the
first dibs on the Night Stalker case. Really? Why pick a rookie, especially somebody who has zero knowledge of anything? It was
actually Frank Salerno and Gil Carrillo who were in charge of the case.
Taking a gander at the sketch, it resembles the real Richard Ramirez instead of the actor who plays him. Also,
when the characters described the serial killer as "thin," the actor turns out to be built and well-fed. Danny Trejo, the
supposedly star of the show, is downright terrible. What is it with the Powder dude playing the devil?
Can I have a moment of uh...sanity here?
All in all, having fucked everything up in Nightstalker, Chris Fisher should be permanently stripped of his director's
license.