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Title: Dahmer (2002) |
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Comments for Dahmer
- Posted on 2007-11-03
"I didn't want them to leave"
From 1978 until 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer lived a life that became the focal point of worldwide media interest Amongst the most well-documented portions of this were the acts of creating lobotomized sexual slaves, of keeping trophies of victims in various states of decomposition all around his home, and of having the mysterious "blue barrel" that was used for disposal in his home. Some of the lesser-known facts were that he worked in a Chocolate shop, that he had been arrested before because he had sexual contact with a minor, and that his family life was something that had been strained. When reading about him in the book his father's book wrote, (A Father's Story by Lionel Dahmer), you could see some of the ingredients that went from "deviant sexual impulses" and "aberrant drug use" and spiraled into something that nightmarishly consumed 7 people before the police finally intervened.
This is the story of some of that and of his younger years combined, with extreme liberties taken.
One of the things that made this movie different than a lot of other movie was the fact that it didn't focus on blood and gore as much as it did on the characterization of Dahmer. Jeffrey Renner does a great job doing that portrayal, keeping the awkward charm attributed to Dahmer and yet still giving Dahmer a methodical approach that seems cold and disjointed. The movie starts in the middle of Dahmer's killing spree and doesn't really offering conjecture as to why he does everything he does. It does offer the viewers little glimpses into Dahmer's life in a round-about way, however, putting together a portrait of what Dahmer was like. It begins with Dahmer manning the chocolate production line, and from follows Dahmer as he starts looking for people that suit his needs. The first he finds is one of his most well-known, the 14year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone, and goes into how he lured the boy into his home and how the police had intervened but had done nothing in the end. That seemed to be something typical with Dahmer and related something about him and his victims; he was white and was good at choosing words and his victims were minorities and were oftentimes ignored. Along the way the movie also backtracks in the film and shows us the first murder Dahmer participates in, a hitchhiker names Steven Hicks, and shows us how the words "I didn't want him to leave" came into play there. It also explores his homosexuality, the way he drugged people to make them compliant, and the way his brutality escalated.
Remembering that this movie is a work of fiction, this movie could be interesting to a number of people depending on what you want to watch. Since it is about a serial killer the topic is well-known, and if the thought of a Dahmer movie appeals to you then it appeals to you. I personally thought it was well done, again taking liberties, but that is to be expected.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2007-09-14
So many unanswered questions....
Yes, this film doesn't answer the question why? But it's very well acted-esp. by Jeremy Renner. I had hang-ups with this guy as well, very afraid to see the film. I was glad most of the violence was implied. One scene I found interesting was where one of his victims tried to show him some compassion, and he tries to strangle him. A strange thought went thru my mind: if he'd have given anyone the chance, could he have been shown love, or was he too far gone? Every friend I ask this say it was too late, all he cared about was the control. I've seen alot of serial killer movies-I'm fascinated by Dahmer though because his upbringing wasn't exactly out of the ordinary-broken family/home, delved into alcoholism, but his dad tried to reach out to him, and he closed himself off. With as smart and as good-looking as he was, I do have a hard time understanding why he was so ignored. I give this film three stars because it is very well acted, but doesn't answer alot of questions. Rent it before buying it. Buying it first maybe a waste of money for some.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2007-07-19
to all the people saying this movie was horrible...
if you buy this movie and expect an actor portraying jeffrey doing every murder hes done, chopping up bodies and eating them, than this is not the movie for you. this movie is more like an psychological insight of dahmer. what he was and why he did what he did(what sparked him to kill). you're gonna see 4 major psychological event in his life. his first murder, detailed insight of the only guy who happened to escape, a flashback why he was the way he was, and one of his plotted attempted murders. thats it. its not going to be a gruesome detailed description of every murder he's done. if you're looking for that than i rather you buy a documentary of jeffrey dahmer rather this dramaticized movie of his life. knowing the director insight of the synapsis of this movie, i think this movie is superb.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2007-02-13
not a typical serial killer movie...
I was actually disappointed in *Dahmer*. I guess I was expecting the life and crimes of Dahmer. I remembered, as a teenager, how it was such a big deal when Dahmer was arrested. So, I was looking forward to a gruesome account of how he had came to be. He was charged on 17 counts of murder. However, he was actually convicted on 15 of them, totally some 937 years in prison.
Instead, like one reviewer put it, this was like "pre-Dahmer" and it certainly felt that way. Plus, not everything in this film was accurate as there was a disclaimer saying so. So, if you're not familiar on Dahmer and his crimes, then you won't know which is true and which isn't.
*Dahmer* paints this serial killer as a lonesome gay chocolate factory worker in Milwaukee. However, Dahmer likes his men to be totally submissive. In order for them to be submissive, he'll have them drugged and then killed.
The problem is that we don't really see how or where he murders them, except 2 of them. We see, in flashbacks, how he seduced his (first?) victim. Then, we see how he seduced Khamtay. Khamtay was the only person who gave suspense in this entire film. You see, Khamtay escaped from Dahmer's apartment and begged for help. However, when the police arrived so did Dahmer, from work. After some smooth talking, the police gave Khamtay back to Dahmer to his death. Last, we see the drama between Dahmer and Rodney. In real life, Rodney is supposed to be Tracy, who was the second and last victim to escape from Dahmer.
However, we do not see that here. Instead, we see that Rodney is interested in Dahmer. Dahmer is interested but conflicted. Every time that Dahmer wanted to kill Rodney, he stopped.
So, we do not really see the real portrayal of Dahmer in this film. Instead, we see flashbacks of his teen years and young adulthood where Dahmer struggled against the authority of his religious father. I guess that is supposed to explain why Dahmer came to be as this serial killer. We see his run-in's with the police but gets away with it every time. We see how he drugged men at the local gay bar and in his apartment. And that's just about it.
Honestly, it was a waste of time. You're better off watching *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* just to get an idea of what Dahmer might've been like.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2006-02-26
Dahmer.......
As a owner of such films such as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, Gacy and interviews of many natorious serial killers, I must say that Jeff Dahmer is definetly the most DISTURBED serial killer to date. This movie is not a true serial killer flick. It focuses on Jeffery's lifestyle and doesn't truly explain to us the reason this man turned into a ruthless killer. Jeremy Renner does a good job portraying Dahmer in this film. You look at Dahmer and would never suspect that while working in a chocolate factory by day, he was a murderer by night. Dahmer was a loner who would pray on young men, usually dark skinned. We see Dahmer pick up a young man while shopping. Dahmer offers to buy this young man a pair of shoes with an ulterior motive. Dahmer would lure these young men to his apartment by offering then $50 or $100 dollars to pose for pictures for him. Unaware of what lied ahead, these young men would agree and once in the privacy of Dahmer's apartment, he would usually give them a drink which was heavily drugged ultimately rendering his victims helpless. We see him perform a labotomy on one victim. We also see scenes with his father. Dahmer at that time was living with his grandmother and stole a manniquen from a local store which was found by his father and grandmother in his closet. Dahmer's explanation was that it was just fun to have stolen it but we know that the manequin was used by Dahmer so he could sleep with it and fondle it. We see him go to bars where he would drug young men by buying them drinks and slipping in his deadly cocktail drug and take these young men to a back room of the bar to have sex with them while they were knocked out. This is not a bloody, gory film. At one point, we do see Dahmer hack up the body of a young man he has killed. Dahmer would have to get himself intoxicated in order to dismember the bodies. He then puts the body in garbage bags and was on his way to a local dump to dispose of the body when he was pulled over by a policeman who saw him swerving in the road. Dahmer was able to talk his way out of it saying that he was just adjusting his rearview mirror. The policeman saw the garbage bags in the back of Dahmer's vehicle and inquired about them but smooth Dahmer explained that he couldn't sleep and was on his way to the local dump to dispose of trash. The policeman did not search the bags and let Dahmer go. Dahmer was finally caught when one would be victim escaped from Dahmer's apartment and went to local authorities. From that point on the police went to Dahmer's apartment and found a crime scene like no other. There were body parts, a huge drum with 3 torsos in it, and remains of other victims. The smell was awful...and Dahmer was arrested and convicted of killing 17 young men and was sentenced to 957 years in jail. Dahmer does not deny anything and admits to the killings and admits to even eating some of his victims, making him a cannibal. The town of Milwaukee could now breath a sigh of relief. As we all know, 2 years after being in jail for serving a "life" sentence, Dahmer was killed in a bathroom by another inmate. He was beat in the head and pronounced dead upon arrival at the local hospital. This movie is worth renting because you do see the different sides of Jeff Dahmer, a man who could not stop himself from killing.
Score: 3