DAHMER
PLOT-A dramatization looking into the mind of Jeffrey Dahmer, a real-life cannibalistic serial killer.
VIOLENCE-Not much gore. A severed head is shown wrapped in plastic, an arm is sawed off of a dead body (we don't see the saw cutting the flesh though), and one character cuts a hole into another's chest in order to feel around in the guts (again, no blood shown).
SEX/NUDITY-Sex is implied but not graphically shown. There is no nudity.
WHY I WATCHED IT-Let's be honest here, in one way or another we are all curious about what makes people do this shit. The Dahmer case is particularly interesting to me because I'm old enough to remember when it happened. I recall watching the news and seeing police officers cart out the large blue drums that contained the chopped-up bodies of Dahmer's victims. I remember seeing his trial on the news. And most vividly, I remember the morning they reported that Dahmer was beaten and killed in prison. Come on, we all know it's interesting. Plus, I recently watched the TED BUNDY and the ED GEIN movies, so I figured what the hell. I'm on a roll anyways.
WHY I DIDN'T LIKE IT-First, let me make it clear that DAHMER is a well-made film. The direction, cinematography, and acting are all especially good. Given that this is clearly a low-budget film, they still made it an overall classy affair. It looked and felt like an "A" movie. The guy who played Dahmer was perfect. He looked just like him, and did a great job playing the character. Amazing. However, the movie itself was not what I hoped for. Instead of going the usual route of telling the story of Dahmer's life, they instead chose to focus on why he committed the crimes and what kind of person he was. Unlike Matthew Bright's exceptional film TED BUNDY, DAHMER spends the whole movie humanizing its subject, perhaps even trying to make him sympathetic. I understand this approach, but it's not what someone who rents this movie is gonna want to see. Personally, I wasn't looking for an exploitational picture. I just wanted the story, plain and simple. Sure, I could watch A&E BIOGRAPHY or read a true crime book for the cold hard facts on the case, but that isn't necessarily better. After all, doing so always creeps me out. As dumb as it may sound, watching a dramatic re-creation of real events is easier to digest. Makes it seem less real, and thus easier to handle. The real thing creeps me the fuck out. But I was hoping to see how Dahmer got caught, his trial, and especialy more about what happened to him in jail. I was disappointed. DAHMER is basically "a night in the life of Jeffrey Dahmer" filled with flashbacks of his past. That's it.
MEMORABLE SCENES-Something tells me you'll enjoy this movie a lot more if you're extra-familiar with Dahmer already. There's a flashback scene where Dahmer's dad discovers a headless male mannequin in the young man's closet. Although no mention is made, it is widely known that Dahmer later would store the headless corpses of real men he'd killed.
DVD NOTES-This disc features a full-length commentary track with the director and two main actors, a trailer, and a decently long set of interviews with the filmmakers & cast.
(October 2002)