Dahmer (2002)

I'm a true crime buff and almost cringe at the thought of a movie based on someone like Dahmer. Number 1 because they don't deserve it, and number 2 because movie makers tend to mess them up. Not so in this case. I know the case fairly well and can tell you that this movie is fairly accurate. The few artistic type liberties taken were very well done and make sense in the context. The best part of this is Jeremy Renner's portrayal of Dahmer. Wow, what an amazing actor. I had no idea. The accent, the movement, the phrasing, all sound exactly like every interview of Dahmer I've seen. Just a terrific job on Renner's part. All in all I recommend watching a documentary on this case if you're interested in the true story, but then you'd miss Renner's brilliance in this one.

If you have read a bit about Dahmers life before watching this movie, as I have, then you will definitely be disappointed. The man was notorious for eating some of his victims and performing twisted acts on and with the remains, yet there's no or almost no reference to that in the movie.Despite that, Jeremy Renner did a great acting job, so the movie wasn't too boring, I just expected so much more of it. You can see it as the "light version" of Dahmers life.What bugged me the most, was the abrupt ending: you're still waiting for things to happen and then the movie just stops... really frustrating!So a 6 out of 10 it is for me. Could have been much better!

The first frame of the movie informs us that Dahmer was one of the most notorious killer of all time and he was sentenced to 937 years in prison!! You think that the movie will either tell you about the origin of this evil or will vividly show the kills. Alas, this is a philosophical discussion cum homoerotic dance which happens between Dahmer and one of his intended villain. Jeremy Renner is Dahmer, an unassuming guy who works in an ice cream factory. He is a homosexual. He lures guys to his home, mixes drugs in their drinks and then kills them. He likes a black guy, brings him home and the aforementioned philosophical bullshit starts. This is interspersed with scenes showing Dahmer's youth. Renner shows early hint of his awesome acting prowess but he cannot rise above the horrible script. It was as if the director chose the most boring 90 minutes of Dahmer's life to make the movie. Very disappointed. 1 out of 5 for Dahmer. This killer will bore you to death.

if I had not read so much about J, Dahmer than I think I would have enjoyed this movie far more. It wasn't badly acted or dull but the portrayal of Dahmer wasn't really that factual, you can tell by documentaries and reports that he was a quiet and shy man that wanted to be liked and didn't want to be alone, however this film almost see's him as arrogent. Also many of the details of when Dahmer was younger were wrong (first killing) and this almost made you think that what he was doing wasn't as shocking as what really had happened. Dahmer was a teenage alcoholic and it would have been good to see some of them factors that made him the way he was, also the fascination with road kill. the film wasn't boring but I felt that the portrayal wasn't what I expected and that made me some what frustrated at times. It is defiantly worth watching but if you have read/watched anything about Dahmer than you will understand the vast difference in interpretation.