On the latest episode of Reel Shorts, an abandoned boy is lured to America and drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure in the gritty and hauntingly beautiful drama, Blue Caprice.
Audio Review
Alexandre Moors’ debut recreates the events that unsettled a region and community in 2002 with the twisted exploits of the Beltway Sniper. The film traces the origins of John Muhammad meeting Lee Boyd Malvo in the Caribbean and the father/son bond formed between the two that result in a series of mass executions in the Washington metropolitan area.
Washington is brilliant, portraying a seemingly well-adjusted man, who beneath the surface is a slow-burning, ticking time bomb full of anger, hurt and resentment and transfers that pain to his young protégé. Much of the film deals with Muhammad’s slow, brainwashing instilling hateful methodology to Malvo, which includes tying him to a tree overnight in an attempt to toughen him up.
Muhammad discovers a piece of innocent clay in Malvo and instead of molding him into a responsible young man, he trains him to be a cold-blooded killer. Moors does a great job of creating a gritty, claustrophobic atmosphere and mood that pervades throughout the proceedings culminating in a wonderful payoff.
The principal performances and R.F.I. Porto’s script are both top-notch and Washington’s gives one of his strongest performances in recent memory. Richmond, who played the overgrown younger brother of the boyhood Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris, is outstanding in a breakthrough performance in a film that in any other year would garner more attention but is overlooked by what is shaping up to be an outstanding year of quality films.
Make no mistake, Blue Caprice is a dark, brooding, yet very satisfying piece of filmmaking that will linger in your senses long after the houselights come up!
Grade: B