D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear (2003)

Although we live further south now, at the time of the sniper, we lived in Frederick County, Maryland...Just to give ya an idea, it was 15 miles from where the sniper was caught, and around all the other shootings....The movie, I thought, captured everything just as it happened, and was not over-dramatized...There was real fear there, police escorts were available at shopping malls/centers 24/7,residents were warned to remain indoors/out of public as much as possible, and the highways really did back up miles and miles long looking for that elusive "white van" (initally suspected vehicle)..I think all of our guardian angels were working overtime that week...It could've been anybody, as the victims were picked at random, and the movie really got that message across flawlessly...Anyhoo, I just wanted to say that this, by far, depicts an actual event so correctly that I would (and plan to) buy it on DVD...That's my 2 cents LOL..:)Good job!P.S. - ::::A little prayer 4 the victim's families:::

I was very impressed with this made for TV movie. This movie is based on the true events of the Fall of 2002 in the Washinton DC Area. For 23 days a sniper bullied and terrorized the citizens of Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. With multiple people shot and killed the violence grows as the sniper gets more and more cocky. The feel of this movies is very authentic. The acting was good as was the way that the movie was able to show both side of the story. I really felt like I was experiencing those days all over again. The story is filled with emotions and facts that can be followed and understood.

The shocking case of the so-called "Beltway sniper" is dramatized in such a manner that you never really feel too connected to any of the main characters, but you do get a sense of the urgency for the investigators and the indescribable horror it must have been for the people in the area.In the case of 'Charles Moose' (Charles S. Dutton) I wish we could have gotten more under the skin of this very complex and fascinating chief of police. In real life, I remember watching him deliver all those press-conferences when it all happened, and how he gave an impression of being a very dedicated law-officer who truly lived up to the line "to protect and serve". Naturally I therefore hoped this film would give a better understanding of what makes this man tick, but it didn't really. This is no fault on Charles S. Dutton, a very fine actor, but more on the writers.On the other hand, the fact that we never get to know what makes the main characters act as they do, makes the portrayal of the two snipers even scarier. It's like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", the movie ends without us knowing what triggered all the bird attacks, and the fact that we don't get the answers we so desperately seek, add to the horror. Especially when the crimes in question are so horrific as they are here. Here we have two human-beings who really act like the world was their personal playground and the taking of human lives nothing worse than the actions in a video game. We will probably never get any real answer from the "lead" sniper John Allen Muhammad, as he was sentenced to death earlier this year, and considering the horror he bestowed upon America, it is not likely he will spend time on death row long enough to help give us an answer to the mystery.This movie dramatizes these perverse killings and it's grand-scale investigation in a straight-forward-manner that works, mostly thanks to the fact that this case is so dramatic to begin with that the film-makers really couldn't mess it up in the first place. As a matter of fact it is so harrowing that the movie itself leaves the viewer more disturbed than "entertained".Nice world we live in, huh?

The whole purpose of a documentary is to provide additional information rather than just the actual events. Everything displayed in this movie was widely available through media sources. We all knew the facts of this case. Especially those of us in relative close proximity of the crimes. What the movie fails to offer is any kind of insight as to why these 2 people committed these awful crimes. Why not? BECAUSE IT HASN'T GONE TO TRIAL YET!! Perhaps after the trial, we'll have a better idea as to why these 2 did this. But to release a movie like this before the trial is very irresponsible. It's already hard enough to find a jury for a fair trial. Now they come out with a movie depicting the actual events while jury selection is going on! Ridiculous, irresponsible, and greedy, USA Network should be ashamed for showing this trash.I think that USA Network just gave the defense lawyers great ammunition for declaring a mistrial once the trial actually begins. I'd be surprised if it doesn't happen.