Documentary Movie Reviews

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Night Stalker:
The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 9/21

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9/21: Knowing all about the case of Richard Ramirez for decades, I thought I might want to check out Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer on Netflix if there had been anything new.

In conclusion, I would say, "Not much." There's no new information from sentencing to the end of his life. It's like a book had been written in 1989 and that's it for the filmmakers to work with. At least, I get to see the lead detectives for the case, and the explanation of how Richard Ramirez was apprehended is the clearest I've seen.

Given the nature and seriousness of the crimes, the stylized editing is inappropriate. So is the inclusion of news reporters of the time. The fillers are stupid and pointless. There's the repeated shot of a dropped bloody hammer. What's it supposed to signify? Also, there are clips of detectives driving around. It's like watching an Errol Morris documentary.

Admitting to a few major mistakes that were made during the case, the detectives should've had the most say in how the documentary should be presented nationally out of respect for the victims and their families. Instead of "the suspect broke into the house, he beat them, he shot them, he sexually assaulted them, etc.," I want to know exactly how he did it, why they were unaware of him in the house, and why there was no witness almost every single time.

One thing that bothered me is the detectives had a rock-solid lead in regard to the dentist Richard Ramirez was seeing. They set up a couple of Asian cops in the office to wait for him. Then, the surveillance got called off after a week or so because it was "too expensive"?!? That's their answer after months of nothing? Unbelievable. Of course, it's why the people finally caught him, not the cops. The part about a detective beating the name out of one guy in San Francisco is news to me, and I'm not sure if that's true.

Well, this is ineptitude at work. No wonder why the LAPD fucked up the O.J. Simpson case royally. Even the detectives couldn't get access to the stolen Toyota for weeks that was driven by the Night Stalker himself which eventually turned up a dentist's business card. Then, we got the mother of all fuckups: Dianne Feinstein divulging confidential info to the public that only the cops and the killer could know. When is the corrupt war profiteer bitch going to die? (2023 Author Note: She finally did; good riddance.)

All in all, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer may be fascinating and revelatory here and there, but Netflix is a poor choice to present it in a responsible manner; hence, I advise you to read Philip Carlo's The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez.