Tom Pelphrey oozes slime as a narcissistic con man who became a cold-blooded killer. American Murderer is based on the true story of Jason Derek Brown, a notorious fugitive who spent years on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. Brown lied, cheated, and stole to fund his extravagant lifestyle. He portrayed himself as a wealthy businessman but was nothing more than a thief and scam artist. Brown could cry on demand and used sympathy as a primary tool. American Murderer overwhelms with disgust at his repugnant behavior. It has interesting elements but significant flaws. The constant use of flashbacks adds a layer of confusion that stumbles the narrative.
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The film opens in 2004 Salt Lake City, Utah. Brown (Pelphrey) weeps as he pawns an engagement ring and an expensive watch. His demeanor changes to a smirk when the owner looks away. As they haggle on price, Brown sees a car full of thugs pull up in the parking lot. He quickly settles and races out the back door. We are then introduced to FBI Agent Lance Leising (Ryan Philippe). He peruses a vacant house before turning around. Melanie (Idina Menzel), a realtor who literally lived across the street, claimed she hadn’t seen Brown since he left with six months on his lease.
Eighteen months earlier, Brown moved in with a plethora of expensive toys and a Cadillac SUV. Melanie was instantly smitten by his muscular physique and brash confidence. She lies to Leising about the nature of their relationship. Melanie had torrid sexual liaisons with Brown. He was kind to her son and became his hero. She refused to believe Leising’s account of Brown’s criminality.
Leising interviews Brown’s sister, Jamie (Shantel VanSanten). She talks about their father’s (Kevin Corrigan) disappearance ten years previously. Brown and their oldest brother, David Sr. (Paul Schneider), helped him escape authorities. Another flashback shows Brown as a child enamored by his father’s lawlessness. It laid the groundwork for a man who loved the thrill of deception but foolishly gambled. He became indebted to gangsters and was forced to extreme measures.
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American Murderer Copies American Psycho
American Murderer copies American Psycho in its depiction of Brown. He feverishly works out while admiring his chiseled body. Leising watches videos of a tongue-wagging Brown cavorting half-naked with girls and snorting drugs. The film is loaded with vignettes of Brown being a scumbag. He parties at strip clubs and bars with stolen credit cards. His arrogance charmed victims. These are the best scenes. Brown was a proud exploiter. Pelphrey does a good job portraying unrepentant villainy.
American Murderer needed to shore up the supporting ensemble. Philippe’s Leising looks like a crime-fighting robot. His dry delivery saps the character of personality. Leising was obsessed with hunting Brown but completely lacks emotion. Menzel, a superb theater actress, has little depth as a single mom duped. Jackie Weaver, who plays Brown’s mother, has a substantive performance but only appears in two scenes.
The film’s biggest problem is its structure. Writer/director Matthew Gentile hopscotches with time in his feature debut. Leising operates in the present, Brown in the past, with Melanie and his relatives in both. I missed a time caption and was bewildered why the scene changed. What happened isn’t complex. It’s mystifying why Gentile chose to represent it as such. Brown is still on the run. I wonder if he would be confused by his own story.
American Murderer is a production of The Traveling Picture Show Company and Gigi Films. It will have a theatrical release on October 21st. Followed by a streaming premiere on October 28th from Saban Films.
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