On C List of Movie Reviews
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The Case of the
Hillside Stranglers (1989)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
3/15, 6/22
3/15:
The Hillside Stranglers case is among top five in the annals of serial killers.
There are fascinating elements about it that fall in line with the dominant-submissive relationship theory. Additionally, as
demonstrated in the telefilm, there's the pursuit of getting high again after a kill. Some reviewers have complained about
the detective getting in the way too much, but I find this angle interesting because of the toll on his family life despite
the need to catch the serial killers which makes the detective a true hero.
However, Richard Crenna is okay as Bob Grogan, but my respect for him did increase over time. Billy Zane is
perfect, and I love his trance-like happy-go-lucky persona. But it's Dennis Farina who's both mesmerizing
and chilling. He's smooth, manipulative, and charming rolled into one; it's a great performance out of him. The scene
with his character and J.D. at the Auto Upholstery Shop is good and scary.
Billy Zane and Dennis Farina have done a good job of portraying the real-life serial killers by capturing
their true personalities, so I'm impressed. Even more is the details of the case which are more or less consistent with what
actually happened. The hypnosis stuff is neat to watch with the psychologist explaining how he had come to the conclusion
of Kenneth Bianchi failing the test.
All in all, The Case of the Hillside Stranglers may come off as an uneven picture, but it's the performances that
ultimately won me over.
6/22:
The biggest trouble with The Case of the Hillside Stranglers is Richard Crenna.
He's one of the most mediocre actors I've ever seen. Whenever the focus is on him, it's been blah, putting a damper on
the momentum. Hence, the saving graces are Dennis Farina and Billy Zane. The former can cut through ice with his menacing
stare while the latter is good at being dopey.
Of course, The Case of the Hillside Stranglers is a telefilm which means they aren't going to reveal much of
the gruesome details. But at least, it's better than Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker which was about Richard Ramirez.
Both were subjects of the most notorious serial killers in Los Angeles history. A link between these two is Frank Salerno,
the chief investigator from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department who worked with Bob Grogan for the first case and then
applied what he learned for the second case.
All in all, The Case of the Hillside Stranglers would've gone a long way by spending more time on the killers
than the detectives.