5 ‘True Story’ Murder Films, That’ll Give You Some Serious Chills

Check out five of the most intriguing international films based on real life murder cases.

Films based on real life murder cases (Photo: iStock)

Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar is all set to explore the Rashomonesque take on the Aarushi Talwar murder case, and now, tinsel town is already abuzz with the idea of adapting the ongoing Sheena Bora murder case. We decided to pick five of the most intriguing films based on real life murder cases.

Vengeance Is Mine (1979)

Shōhei Imamura, one of the greatest Japanese directors, based his masterpiece on the infamous Japanese serial killer, Akira Nishiguchi, who was a murderer and a fraud. This film observes the idea of evil with an alarming passivity that’s unsettling to say the least. Conventional wisdom places a motive before a killer, but this film provides no explanation for his violent acts. The charismatic actor, Ken Ogata, wears the mask of a psychopath devoid of any emotional response, thus creating a protagonist that’s mysterious and magnetic.

Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies in coma, husband Claus is guilty of attempted murder; but he says he’s innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law scholar for his appeal. A sordid tale of the idle rich, this film meticulously re-enacts the creepy affair by sticking to known facts and theories, without vying for extra sensationalism. This real life case, as it turns out, has all the ingredients of a gripping drama and unfolds like a tragedy with an open ending. This is a film that is interested more in its characters than the mystery, and is a triumph of mood. And yes, five stars for Jeremy Irons as the unfathomable Claus von Bülow.

Snowtown (2011)

If you have a strong appetite for gut-wrenching violence, and can endure inhuman bleakness, this is the film for you. Justin Kurzel’s feature based on the much publicised case of the Snowtown murders in southern Australia, not only demystifies the ‘serial killer’ genre, it also presents the real life case as close to real as possible with a straightforward approach. This is the real strength of this film, baring the disturbing brutality with clinical precision and making it the horror of all horrors. You may never visit the film twice, but you must watch it once, because the level of craft at display is very, very impressive.

In Cold Blood (1967)

Truman Capote’s pioneering work of the true crime genre, In Cold Blood, inspired this adaptation. Remaining faithful to the book, it strikingly illustrates how the police caught the killers of the Clutter family, Richard ‘Dick’ Hickock and Perry Smith, with very few clues. The film depicts how they were caught, then tried, convicted, and finally executed. What makes this film interesting is that it goes beyond known facts, and instead of Capote’s detailing of the community of Holcomb, it opts for exploration of the complex psychological and sexual tension between the two murderers, and their flawed dreams. The black and white photography of Conrad Hall and the quasi-documentary approach by director Richard Brooks, only elevates the grim reality of a time gone by.

Memories of Murder (2003)

Unlike the traditions of murder mystery thrillers, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s film mixes social satire with a murder mystery, but never failing to keep the suspense up and running. Based on the true story of Korea’s first serial murder in history, it follows the misadventures of the cops who can’t seem to get anything right, and offer dollops of humour without forgetting the dramatic ambition. This is an investigation that offers a time capsule of the turbulent socio-political situation of the country with slow-burning effectiveness.

(The writer is a journalist and a screenwriter who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise. Follow him on Twitter: @RanjibMazumder)