Freeway Killer (2009)

It is interesting to see Leet in the principal role of Freeway killer William Bonin, who apparently was an extremely disturbed individual who also teamed up with young boys he either picked up hitchhiking, or at local parties in the area of Southern Los Angeles.The product of a pedophile grandfather and alcoholic mother (we only see a glimpse of his mother, a psychological wreck for certain). Yet none of the back-story of Bonin can explicate the heinous acts of kidnapping and torture he put his victims through, in real life.There is also an odd scene where his friend "Vern" is dressed as wizard, into the occult and Tarot cards, and helps host parties to attract young boys. (Reminiscent of John Wayne Gacy, Des Plaines Illinois serial killer).Actor Michael Rooker (from JFK film), is excellent as the detective who finally trails the killer, there is an especially good scene at a local newsstand, while Bonin is salivating over the headlines and murders, Rooker is observing him casually. Then Bonin suddenly turns to him to try and out him as a detective. If you like this type film you may also be interested in "The Hillside Stranglers" with Billy Zane and Dennis Farina as the killers (actually a good true crime story due for a re-make). As well as the Gacy film with Brian Dennehy, in the lead role as John Wayne Gacy.The story is based on facts, and a cautionary tale for random young people who will just trust any stranger. This story shows,no matter how friendly a sociopath may seem, they are chameleons, and capable of anything. You may also like criminologist author Michael Schecter's book "Serial Killers" . truly surreal and horrifying.8/10

OK, I don't want to say this movie had a "great " plot because the actual events were horrible and tragic. But the source material and all the information surrounding it was enough to give to writer and director what they needed to make this a chilling , horror classic. Though I was actually a little young at the time of these events , seeing the story on an episode of "very bad men " on ID channel made me want to take a closer look at this story. Anyway to be honest, this felt so much like a b movie, the acting, directing, the editing, even the music , that even though I sat through it, I didn't feel the performances where believable. I see some of the reviewers here are commending Scott Anthony Leet for his acting but I just didn't get it. It was a little over the top at times but forgettable. I don't believe you need a big Hollywood budget to make this movie great because it doesn't require a bunch go cgi effect or anything. It needs a great director. And a major part of what really happened was left out. I just felt like this was a missed opportunity. This movie just wasn't as dark as it needed to be in light of the tragedy of the real life events. The over all tone was just amateurish.

Cunning and charismatic serial killer William Bonin (a creepy, intense, and convincing performance by Scott Anthony Leet) preys on various hapless drifters and hitchhikers on the California highways in the late 1970's. Director John Murlowski, working from a compact script by David Birke, relates the gripping story at a steady pace, maintains a dark grim tone throughout, firmly grounds the premise in a totally plausible everyday working class reality, and handles the potentially lurid subject matter in an admirably tasteful and thoughtful manner (this film is more of a stark character study than an all-out gorefest). Moreover, Murlowski and Birke wisely don't try to explain Bonin; instead they merely present him as a ferocious predatory monster who not only was addicted to and turned on by murder, but also was charming and sociable enough to persuade others to partake in his horrible activities. The fine acting from the sturdy cast rates as another major asset: Leet clearly dominates the picture with his thoroughly chilling portrayal of an unrepentant beast, with excellent support from Cole Williams as wide-eyed hanger-on Kyle, Dusty Sorg as scraggly and sensible partner Vernon Butts, Michael Rooker as the no-nonsense Det. Sgt. John, Debbon Ayer as the grief-stricken Ruth Slobo, and Eileen Dietz as Bonin's sickly alcoholic mother Alice. The startling moments of sudden brutal violence pack a harsh punch. Erik Godal's spare moody score and Murlowski's plain cinematography further enhance the overall gritty authenticity. Recommended viewing.

"Freeway Killer" is based on real life serial killer William Bonin. He certainly isn't well known like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy or Henry Lee Lucas. But there were a lot of similarities with Henry. William also had a partner in crime. Mostly, these killers work alone. For the movie itself, I was really surprised. It isn't a big budget movie, which is often the case with these films based on real killers. But it certainly is one of the better ones. Scott Leet is not a known name, he mostly did some TV series stuff, but his performance is very good. The only familiar face is Michael Rooker (Cliffhanger, Slither). His breakthrough role was "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer" ! This time, his part is not that big, but once again, very strong. The story is entertaining and thrilling, there are a couple of shocking scenes but do not expect buckets of blood or "Saw-like" torture scenes. The terror is realistic and gruesome without any cheap thrills. This is possibly one of the best serial killer movies since "Henry" and Leet's performance is certainly up there with Rooker's Henry and Steve Railback's Ed Gein. Much better than most films about real life serial killers, too often the production values are kind of poor or the cast is just average. This is in fact one of the better in that sub-genre..