Woman of the Hour is a chilling film about one of history’s most infamous serial killers. Photo: Netflix.
I’ve never really understood the true crime craze that so many people are now a part of.
Serial killers, gruesome murders and graphic crime scenes have never been my cup of tea. So when I jumped on the couch with the family to watch comedic actor Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut about an infamous game show serial killer from the 1970s, I’d be lying if I said I was jumping out of my skin to watch it.
Fortunately for me, it was a very entertaining thriller and a superb mystery flick for Ms Kendrick’s first time in the director’s chair.
The film follows the true story of Sheryl (played by Anna Kendrick), a young actor in LA who agrees to star in an episode of the popular game show, The Dating Game.
While on the game show Sheryl crosses paths with Rodney Alcala, an unknown serial killer who is currently in the middle of a murder spree.
Now for the sake of spoilers, I will try my best to explain why you should give this movie a watch without revealing any more of the plot.
First things first: the performances are very, very good. A lot of the cast play either contestants on the game show or victims of Rodney. In this case, a lot of supporting actors in this situation could be forgiven for not bringing their A-game, as a lot of the different characters could blend into one.
To this film’s betterment, they don’t. Each of the supporting characters is unique and memorable in their own specific way and it really adds to the peril of the story. If everyone feels the same, it can bring down the scope of the killer, that’s why episodes of Criminal Minds or what have you sometimes blend into one.
This is not the case here. Anna Kendrick cleverly chooses her supporting cast and characters to deliver personal emotional beats to the audience, while also adding to the drama of this real-life story.
The best performance of the movie is hands down Daniel Zovatto as Rodney. He’s a womanising piece of crap and a downright creep. This is the perfect balance for a film about the Dating Game Killer. As a viewer, you hate that he’s drawing people in but you can unfortunately understand how manipulative he is. This performance comes from a mix of great direction and even better acting.
The understated hero of this film is its script. It’s only a 90-minute movie but it uses its screen time perfectly and never wastes a moment. There’s none of this slow-burn rubbish that some people talk about. It’s all intrigue with the film’s dialogue creating its most tense scenes.
It is rare to see myself give two Netflix films positive reviews back to back, but fair play to the streaming giant – they deserve it.
There has been a recent transition from messy high-budget blockbusters to unique directorial passion projects, and for my money, it’s been a win.
The streaming service has seen higher viewership from these better-made movies and for good reason. Hitman is in my top five movies of the year, Rebel Ridge was a pleasant surprise and Woman of the Hour made me enjoy a film in a genre I don’t particularly love.
If Netflix can continue this strong run of form, hopefully, the stigma that ‘Netflix movies suck’ can be a thing of the past.
Woman of the Hour is currently streaming on Netflix.
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Riotact.
