Starkweather (2004)

Nebraska in the late 1950's. Angry and disaffected teenager Charles Starkweather (capably played with brooding intensity by Brent Taylor) and his blithely amoral 14-year-old girlfriend Caril-Ann Fugate (a fine performance by Shannon Lucio) embark on a brutal killing spree in the heartland of America.Director Byron Werner relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, makes nice use of the dry and desolate landscape, offers a flavorsome evocation of the 50's period setting, and maintains a grimly serious tone throughout. Stephen Johnston's tight and compelling script deviates quite a bit from the documented facts of the case, but nonetheless still paints a dark and disturbing portrait of a bitter penny ante loser with a burning chip on his shoulder due to his status as an insignificant nobody who desperately wants to prove to a cruel world that he's a "real" man by committing a series of heinous murders. Jerry Kroll lends sound support as the cagey and determined Sheriff Merle Karnopp while Lance Henriksen puts his familiar gravelly rumble to quite effective use as the voice of a gruff and browbeating mentor who eggs Starkweather on. The moments of sudden savage violence pack a pretty fierce punch. Werner's crisp cinematography provides a strikingly stark look. A solid little film.

Awful, awful, awful. Brent Taylor as Starkweather is passable, barely, as is Shannon Lucio. I'd give either another watch in something else - for a second chance. But here they're stuck in a formulaic, unimaginative script that seems terribly impressed with itself and its import. Worse, one senses the director cackling as he imagines how stunned we'll be seeing the murderous pair casually watch television, oblivious to blood still splattered (oh-so-artfully) across their faces. Excerpts from an episode of "Ozzie and Harriett" play in the BG as Caril-Ann's family is slaughtered. Goodness, how ironic! I note that actor Jerry Kroll's very few credits are also among those listed for Dir. Byron Werner. (Kroll was the sheriff.) Given Kroll's performance here, one has to assume Werner sees something in him that NO ONE else can.This film is packed with many more eye-rolling moments like those described above, and some truly appalling performances. Sheriff Karnopp and his partner - Al Sepianza - are especially dreadful; wooden, self-aware and thoroughly unconvincing. (Sepianza, a reliable, workman-like actor, seems to be performing for a film other than the one we're seeing. I just can't figure out if he's awful, if he's horribly miscast, or if he was terribly misled by the so-called director.) I gather Starkweather was shot with Acton, CA. and Palmdale, CA. passing for Nebraska and Wyoming. But I honestly thought the embarrassing performances unintentionally gave (desperately needed) credibility to the locale. That is, one had no trouble imagining they were shooting in the hinterlands of Nebraska, and so hired every last local community theater player to appear in major roles. The Governor, the "rich lady" and her maid, the happy, sweet couple, the patrolman coming upon the killers on the highway, Sheriff Karnopp and the deputy...and on, and on, and on.For a quick example of the hideous editing and directing, catch the patrolman radioing information in as he spots Starkweather wrestling a prospective victim - eventually PASSING the pair wrestling over a gun, and the subsequent "chase" scene (The deputy seems to "rack" his shotgun two or three times before every ridiculous shot).Even the wardrobe wanders from merely pedestrian to truly ridiculous. Witness the sheriff's ludicrous outfits throughout, and the "rich ladies" absurd housecoat and head wrap. The clothes put me in mind of the "it's best we can do" scrounging of college kids producing a short film... kids who are actually in the college's veterinary program.I rank the movie a TWO only because I save ONEs for movies that are this bad AND include (intentional) scatological elements. Starkweather rated R, and that should be R for "It's just Rful."

I have studied Charles Raymond Starkweather for the past six months. I was excited when I saw that it would be on Showtime. Not being able to order Showtime, I picked up a copy at Blockbuster. The review is as follows: In the winter of 1958-1959, Charles Starkweather murdered 11 people with his girlfriend Caril-Ann Fugate as his accomplice. Their symphony of murder is told through this movie inaccurately. The hour-and-a-half runtime it has is too short to tell a story of this magnitude. They could've done so much more with the material they had. They could've explored Charlie's personality. What they produced is a film lacking depth and any reason. The psychological effects that Starkweather's crimes had on the public was not displayed at all. And Starkweather's murders are not portrayed accurately.This movie could've been great given a longer running time and an accurate portrayal. But what the viewing public is left with is a Lifetime Movie on a different channel.4/10

I lived in Lincoln during the Starkweather era & couldn't believe this movie. First off, there are no cacti & mountains in Nebraska. Even in the 50's Nebraskans didn't talk with southern hick drawls. Also, I've never seen a '48 Ford described as a '55 Chevy. Starkweather was a short (5'8") bow-legged red head that wore very thick glasses. He was a real loser. So was his girl-friend. I thought this might be a good movie but have changed my mind since seeing it. It had the possibility to be one, but was really messed up. I had never heard that Starkweather heard "voices" or saw a "devil" when he was on his rampage. I don't know where that came from. Don't bother watching.