Blue Caprice (2013) User Reviews

Very slow and unmoving

[dfranzen70 · 5/10 · 10 September 2013]

In 2002, the Washington, DC area was rocked by a series of sniper shootings. Alexandre Moors examines the events leading up to the killings, focusing on the unorthodox relationship between John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo in Blue Caprice, an unfortunately lifeless, plodding film that somehow manages to turn a riveting situation into a dull character study that fails even on that level.

Our story begins in the Caribbean, where John Allen Muhammad (Isaiah Washington) is vacationing with his three kids. Well, vacationing is a strong word, as apparently he's absconded with them from their mother, but more importantly this is where he runs into the young, lonely Lee Boyd Malvo (Tequan Richmond), who's just passing time after his mother's ditched him. Muhammad strikes up a paternal friendship with the boy and winds up bringing him to the United States, passing him off as his son.

The duo, now sans the children, wind up in Muhammad's old stomping grounds of Washington state, where they stay with John's old friend Ray (Tim Blake Nelson) and his wife Jamie (Joey Lauren Adams). While in Washington, Muhammad teaches his charge about life; specifically, how much it stinks and how killing a few people might be a good idea to square things with the world.

We follow Muhammad and Malvo essentially through the eyes of the boy. We learn he's a good shot with a handgun or a rifle (a natural, according to Ray, who knows nothing of Muhammad's plans). We see that Muhammad is the strong male influence on Malvo that the latter has probably never had. We learn that the kid, although quiet, has a cold, violent streak within him.

One reason the movie didn't work for me is that it seems to be perpetually building to some grand crescendo. Since this is based on a true story - with many facts accurate, according to my memory - the endgame is knowable. But for as much time is spent on the relationship between Malvo and Muhammad, it's a superficial treatment. What really makes either tick? We don't truly know. Even though Muhammad spouts off frequently about bringing down the system and how his ex-wife is evil, we don't really see how that resentment leaps into full-blown psychosis. In other words, what the heck really motivates him to kill innocent people? Moors doesn't even seem to speculate.

When all is said and done, we don't really know any more about the deadly duo than we do when we first encounter them in the film. There's hardly any character development, and that's true of the secondary characters as well. To use the old axiom, there's no there there. There's nothing. Even the moments that should have one jumping out of one's seat - such as when Malvo pulls the trigger - are telegraphed so obviously that they lose most of their emotional impact.

This movie may be better received outside of the DC area. Most of the audience at this screening were in the area during the shootings, and the sentiment seemed to be one of apathy, sort of the opposite of what a tragedy like this should evoke. People who were not directly affected by the shootings may be more amenable to the short shrift given to the story development and glacial pacing.

Doesn't attempt to recreate, and reconstructs the story from the inside out.

[nesfilmreviews · 6/10 · 13 September 2013]

Ominous and tense throughout, "Blue Caprice" is a slow burn that builds to an unsettling boil, leaving you with a known outcome that's hard to digest. Director Alexandre Moors crafts a deceptively eerie depiction of Lee Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, and to its credit, the movie never pretends to have the answer. Moors stunning debut captures a horrific and confining tone of the tragic three weeks in October of 2002, when ten people were assassinated in a random series of attacks spanning across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. "Blue Caprice" features two fantastic performances from Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond portraying the Beltway Snipers, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo.

The movie begins on the Caribbean Island of Antigua, where life is not easy for a young Lee Malvo (Tequan Richmond), who is left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him once again. Muhammad spots Lee who appears as if he is drowning, rescues him, and becomes an adoptive father figure. Moors uses Lee Malvo as the audience's entry point into Muhammad's world, and John's back story comes only in pieces. However, it doesn't take much to surmise that Muhammad is trouble.

Flash forward a few months, and Muhammad has successfully smuggled Malvo into the United States, returning to Washington, where they stay with John's old friend Ray (Tim Blake Nelson), and his wife Jamie (Joey Lauren Adams). When Ray introduces Malvo to his gun collection to blow off steam, both men recognize the raw talent Lee possesses. Muhammad then begins to mold Malvo into a mindless assassin, eliminating any shred morality that may still lie within. This bond between the two progressively develops into a powerful, warped father-son style relationship. As the blind loyalty grows, we learn of John's grandiose scheme to create widespread mayhem and terror, starting with random killings following no discernible pattern.

Moors directorial approach is consistent throughout, using restraint and creating distance from the actual assassination scenes. For example, he presents the reactions of Malvo shooting his weapon, rather than what is happening at the other end of the gun. A victim is only seen briefly as their body falls to the ground, while the Caprice slowly glides away.

Moors creates a disturbing portrait of two ruthless men in free fall, and Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond both do outstanding work here. Washington has the extraordinarily difficult task of methodically revealing John's inner rage, resentments, and hatred that simmers just beneath his calm exterior. He's both ferociously charismatic as well as deeply unsettling. Even more so impressive is the performance of Tequan Richmond, who must convey emotions, or lack thereof, in a character who rarely speaks of feelings at all. It's the sense of not knowing that makes his marvelous performance so chilling. The film owes a lot to its excellent cast, as well as the cinematography, and a sharp, minimalistic screenplay by R.F.I. Porto.

What makes the film so exceptional is that it doesn't attempt to recreate, and instead reconstructs the story from the inside out. This was a distorted, horrific mission carried out through manipulation and the escalation of evil. "Blue Caprice" generates an innermost sense of riding in the backseat with these two, only to leave you with introspection and muddled thoughts that linger long after the viewing.

Moody and atmospheric chronicle of Beltway killers is better left to the history books than the silver screen

[Turfseer · 5/10 · 25 November 2013]

Who remembers the horrific Beltway sniper shootings which left 10 dead and 3 seriously wounded in the Washington, D.C. area in 2002? I remember a friend of mine who lived in Maryland telling me how he was afraid to leave his house at the time. Was it really necessary to bring back up all the horrible memories? The American-based, French director, Alexandre Moors certainly thought so.

Moors' approach is to explore the relationship between the two killers, the adult John Allen Muhammed and his teenage partner in crime, Lee Boyd Malvo, avoiding any sensationalistic aspects of the shooting spree. That's a good thing, because what is the point of rehashing such tragic events that brought so much grief to the families of the innocent victims? Moors approach is psychological. But is there enough meat to the story to keep us interested and perhaps gain insight into what drove these psychopaths, to do what they did?

In Moors' narrative, Malvo is abandoned by his mother in Antigua where Muhammed just happens to be vacationing with his young daughters. Muhammed saves Malvo from drowning in the ocean and they quickly bond. The only problem is that Muhammed never saved Malvo and it was both the teenager and his mother who met Muhammed and she left him in his care. So the angle that Malvo bonded with Muhammed because he owed him his life, does not hold any weight.

After Muhammed brings Malvo back with him to the United States, we basically figure out what motivates Muhammed in about a half hour time. Most of those involved in law enforcement will tell you that the most dangerous type of criminal is the one who commits crimes of domestic violence. Indeed, it's Muhammed's loss of his children in a custody battle, that leads him to become extremely bitter and later paranoid. Finally, in Muhammed's deranged mind, it's the 'system' that is to blame; so taking lives methodically (and not randomly as the psycho killer puts it) is the name of the game. That's really all you have to know what Muhammed's motivations were and Moors has his anti-hero express those sentiments throughout the rest of the film.

Malvo on the other hand comes off as an empty vessel; a follower who utters few words. Muhammed boasts that "I've created a monster", referring to his young charge, who he now dubs his "son". It's not surprising this zombie-like kid would do the older man's bidding—when they're living with Muhammed's old Army buddy, Ray, a rabid gun nut, Malvo gains access to an entire arsenal of weaponry. Tutored on violent video games and actual target practice, Malvo becomes a crack marksman and later does the paranoid killer's bidding. There's one semi-violent scene where Muhammed ties Malvo to a tree in the forest and abandons him there, in an act of 'tough love'—expecting the teenager to toughen up, so he's ready to enthusiastically become a cold-blooded sniper.

Moors' treatment of the Beltway snipers is antiseptic. We never learn who the victims were nor experience the anguish of the families. Instead, 'Blue Caprice' is a beautifully shot, 'art' film. Moors seeks to illustrate what the concept of 'the banality of evil' is all about; but it's a slow tour through the wasteland. Ultimately, the killers' machinations are mundane—and inconsequential. Moors deprives his audience of the satisfaction as to how Muhammed and Malvo were captured and processed by the authorities (a routine police patrol check in a parking lot only suggests that this is where M&M reached the end of the line). And the most interesting information about the man-boy relationship is left out entirely: the assertion after Malvo's conviction, that he was sexually abused by the older man (see the Musical 'Thrill Me', which chronicles the gay affair between the two 1920s thrill killers, "Leopold and Loeb"—the author there was not afraid to explore the homosexual relationship between the two men).

Alexandre Moors is not without talent—usually with many of these neophyte filmmakers, it's in the realm of technical wizardly, as opposed to acumen with the script. Yes, 'Blue Caprice' has some mighty impressive cinematography and the two principals who play the killers, Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond, are completely believable as the brutal Muhammed and stone-cold Malvo.

In the end, the best word to describe Moors' examination of the Beltway snipers, is opaque. In perhaps better hands, this could have been a gripping crime story. But something also tells me that this was a story that does not really lend itself to good drama. 'Blue Caprice' is one such example that is better left to the history books than to the silver screen.

A well made indie but to cold for its own good

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 25 March 2014]

A well shot, moodily scored and impressively acted indie from last year, Blue Caprice is also a frustratingly cold film that in the end misses the mark in such a way that you just can't help but wish you were more affected by a story that is all different types of sad and horrific in equal measure.

Alexandre Moors film looks to delve into the events leading up to the tragic 2002 Beltway Sniper shootings around the USA that led to the deaths of 10 innocent civilians at the hands of John Muhammad and Lee Malvo. It must be noted that these events Moors displays in the film are largely dramatizations as facts concerning the two men remain sadly blurred. With the blurring of these facts and fictions the films growth as a narrative does suffer as what we are presented with is a strangely generic telling of a true story that is anything but. While moments in the film are at times extremely shocking and confronting they're merely short bursts of memorable material that quickly dissipates back to slow moving and uninvolving instances – these moments of quality are made increasingly more annoying due to the films many other affective sums not adding up to a satisfying whole.

Seasoned actor Isaiah Washington has rarely, if ever, been better than he is here in a role that must of required quite a lot of mental and emotional stress on his behalf. The character of John is a role that features much pent up rage and at times evil that Washington cleverly plays to and is backed up by a very assured performance from young actor Tequan Richmond as his surrogate son Lee. Lee is a boy whose lot in life has left him scarily low choices to make and Richmond does a fine job at displaying this sad boy and also excels at the moments where a boy becomes more than that and becomes a monster. Sarah Neufeld and Colin Stetson's affective score must also be commended here as a haunting accompanying piece to a growing terror.

A well-made movie yet undeniably cold and at times to distant for its own good Blue Caprice is an interesting look into an horrific situation that you get the feeling will one day be turned into a much bigger and affecting big screen treatment.

3 combat handbooks out of 5

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Blue Caprice has all the pieces needed to be an action film with a decent amount of drama, but it loses you somewhere.

[Amari-Sali · 6/10 · 7 October 2013]

I have an unfortunate curiosity when it comes to Black films. I say this because, while there are good ones out there, I don't find too many of them which aren't comedies. So, whenever a drama comes up like Blue Caprice, and it is an indie movie, I cross my fingers and toes and hope for the best. Now, besides the draw of being a Black drama, there are also a few familiar faces in this film. The first one I noticed was Tequan Richmond who most surely will know for his work on Everybody Hates Chris; then there is Isaiah Washington, whose career went to hell after he called someone something derogatory on Grey's Anatomy; and there is also Joey Lauren Adams who I know from Switched at Birth.

Now, the characters in this film, I feel, aren't that terribly compelling. Richmond's Lee, is a complicated role, but at the same time it only seems so because Richmond, thus far, is known for working in comedy. Due to this, seeming him as a mostly silent kid who is trying to figure out a way to survive, even if it means doing bad things, helps him be the only actor who benefits from this production. Washington, on the other hand, plays John, who you can tell has issues, but you aren't fully sure if he has PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) from being in the military, though he worked more so in the motor pool, or if he may be truly crazy. Both, for me, didn't really have well developed characters, and pretty much every other character in the film was put into a supporting role and, while given names, they gave you little reason to care about their characters.

Which sort of is why the story felt so dull. You see, Lee is a kid who might have been abandoned by his mother as she goes to work in America and she says she'll send for him soon. Thing is, we are left wondering who is going to take care of this 16 year old boy? He doesn't seem to have any family to help, or friends of his mother, so he just ends up wandering the streets until he meets John who is on vacation with his kids. From there, the story begins to make you question things, and seemingly it even deviates from its source material of the Beltway Sniper Attacks. So, for reasons never fully noted, John brings Lee to America and begins training the boy in the ways of handling a gun. After that, the boy slowly morphs into a hardened murderer who sees this man he didn't know for 16 years of his life, as his father who he would do anything for. Including shooting men, women, children and even pregnant women.

Let me first state, I have no issues with seeing Black people as villains. Part of the appeal of this film was seeing Washington and Richmond play something evil without being some sort of comical character or gangster. That, perhaps, was one of the few refreshing things about this movie. Also, I think Richmond did really well in his performance of Lee. I must admit though, his appeal as Lee is similar, but not as powerful, as Mo'Nique's performance in Precious. What is meant by this is, you don't really expect much out of Richmond since he has thus far worked in comedy, so you have little to no expectations out of him. So, while he surely didn't give the type of performance like Mo'Nique did, it did however have the similar "Oh, so you can do dramatic roles too?" type of effect.

But, outside of some praise for seeing Black villains and Richmond, this movie was just bland. Washington's character John has all this drama in his life with his wife, mistress and situation with his kids, and though it is mentioned a bit throughout the film, you aren't ever really sure what the catalyst was for all the issues the man has. Add onto that, Richmond's Lee, while an interesting character, I don't think they once said the boy's name in the film, or if they did it was rare. Also, they film snatches away the idea that Lee's mom knew John, so they make it so this boy wandering in Antigua finds this man and his three kids and forms a bond with him to the point where he forgets about his mother, and even finding her in America, and decides to stick with this guy who wants him to kill people to prove his love and loyalty. Now it could just be me, but that whole scenario just didn't click as logical, or possible, in my head.

Overall: Skip

To be honest, this may make a good film for background noise since the soundtrack has a lot of classical pieces in it, but those intent on watching the film for the story will be left disappointed. It takes a real life event, or better said: tragedy, and while it uses the actual act which would draw you to the story, everything else seems to be an overuse of artistic license. Because of this, I can't even say it is Sunday movie watching, for really why waste somewhere around $10 on a movie which tries, but sadly fails?

slow and meditative

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 20 July 2014]

In 2002, the Washington DC area was paralyzed by sniper shootings. John Allen Muhammad (Isaiah Washington) was in a relationship with Lee Boyd Malvo (Tequan Richmond)'s mother and became his father figure. John brings Lee with him to America and indoctrinates him. John is bitter at the being declared unfit to be a father. He is angry and paranoid. He convinces Lee to murder and turns the blue Chevy Caprice into a killing machine. He discovers his wife and children hiding in Maryland, but it's about more than them by then.

It's a slow meditative movie. It spends most of its time with the quiet young Lee under the unceasing domination of John. It spends little time with the DC killings. It's not altogether successful. There is no tension and it provides no great insights into either personality. It's the first full-length feature for Alexandre Moors and he shows a competence with the camera. However the movie is too slow and too quiet. I'm not sure he achieves anything more than an artsy film about two of the most enigmatic mass murderers.

French director tries to make sense of American violence

[Beginthebeguine · 27 August 2014]

The film begins where our two beltway killers meet and slowly become one in their hate and lust for murder. It is entirely speculative in its dialogue and development. The one thing I liked is that it was not acted like some Charlie Manson crazed mass killer. Nevertheless, the characters never really reach a believable characterization of the type of anti social personality disorder that makes it possible to behave in such a way. I would suppose that it would be hard for such a young writer to lose himself in such a mind as that.

The editing of this film is laughable and there really is no rhythm to the cutting, it jumps around which makes me think that the director was not experienced enough to get enough coverage. There is a lot of running through the forests, proclamations about why people are no good, but none of which have any impact or gives the feeling of menace. In fact, menace is lacking in every part of this film.

Any thought that there would be a payoff for the time spent watching this movie is lost with a uninteresting and boring final scene that could have been cut from the film without any consequence. I say skip this one...

Beltway Sniper Story

[motezart · 7/10 · 16 September 2013]

In 2002, ten people were randomly assassinated in the Washington D.C. area by a duo called the Beltway Snipers. Blue Caprice, a film by Alexadre Moors investigates these events. The film opens with the lush blues and greens of tropical Antigua, but to the young protagonist Lee Malvo (Tequin Richmond) having just been abandoned by his mother, this island paradise has become a prison. Just in time Lee is saved by John, a caring neighbour played Isaiah Washington. The pair soon depart Antigua for the US, Lee as John's adopted son. Fast-forward a few months to Tacoma, Washington. John's pathological personality has begun to emerge. Father and son drift from couch to couch. John's other kids have been taken away by their mother, a restraining order officially filed. Enter firearms, and John's maniacal attempt to transform Lee into an automaton assassin begins. John locates his ex-wife and kids in Maryland. Out for blood, John and Lee head east in a blue 1990 Chevy Caprice, what will become the epicenter for their killing spree. When they reach the Eastern US John's psychopathology is unleashed and Lee is forced to help avenge a fictitious, eternal grudge. Director Moors shows us that Lee is undoubtedly a bright kid. He memorizes his combat manual in detail and applies the instruction with expert precision. Had he been a year older Lee may have applied these mercenary skills in the Army. We sense Lee feels remorse and does not want to become a hardened, senseless killer. In a touching scene, Lee steals, of all things, veggie burgers. Post Boston Marathon bombings, this film resonates strongly of the psychologically excruciating manipulation of the underling by the elder. After the Tsarnev brothers why not keep this dialogue open? Or should we wait until after another docum-drama shows us the horrors, or another atrocity occurs?

Painfully slow biopic that misses its mark

[Robert_duder · 5/10 · 16 January 2014]

Blue Caprice has some notable and powerful scenes. Obviously the scenes with victims being shot is hard to watch, will turn your stomach and are very well shot. The film avoids being exploitative and yet at times you'll wonder if the film makers are trying to excuse and demonstrate why these men (especially the young boy) ended up doing what they did. Then again I struggled to really understand the point of Blue Caprice and why it was made at all. I don't know how I would have changed the film because its not that I wanted to see them commit the violence and yet I think the subsequent investigation and the desperate plight of law enforcement to stop these two would have made a more captivating film then watching a man and an impressionable boy, both of whom are clearly deranged. I just struggled to figure out what the film makers were trying to do with the story, the characters etc. I didn't find any of it overly interesting the pacing was excruciating at times. The performances of everyone in the film weren't strong enough to carry the movie or make it riveting. It needed better editing, a stronger cast, and a completely different screenplay to be effective. Unfortunately what we are left with is a bit of a let down.

Isaiah Washington has struggled to find his place since leaving Grey's Anatomy. I've never seen him as a leading actor and I don't find him particularly good in any role so this was simply too big for him to take on. He isn't believable or even interesting trying to play this supposedly charismatic sociopath. We don't understand him, and we don't even understand his motives and he really drops the ball and gives a rather ho-hum performance unfortunately. His young counterpart who becomes enamoured with this father figure is played by Tequan Richmond. Richmond tries very hard and he's trying to capture this quiet loner who has had a rough childhood but he takes it too far and too much obscure because he seems boring and just not what the role could have been. A supporting cast is basically wasted between Joey Lauren Adams (I'm still trying to figure out why they even had her in the film) and Tim Blake Nelson who is a good actor but completely underused in this particular cast.

I understand this is a hard story to tell and capture. That doesn't mean it couldn't have been done properly. Why would you get a director with little experience (this in fact Alexandre Moors first feature length film) and then a cast that is Sunday Night movie quality at best. It just seems this idea should have been brilliant and has Oscar quality idea all over it but a sincere lack of experience and quality makes this one an unfortunate dud. You really watch the film and feel the build up and you're waiting for something significant and powerful to happen and while the crime itself is of course shocking, the film ultimately lets you down and leaves you feeling empty. There are too many high quality "based on true story" films out there to give this time. 5.5/10

This is a good movie but very disturbing, not in a horror movie way but in a more realistic way. See it if you can handle it

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 10 December 2013]

"It could be anybody. Anybody could have done it and if it could be anybody then we're invisible." Lee (Richmond) is a young boy who is lost in the world with no real direction or family. John (Washington) finds him and begins to talk to him about the problems in his world. After describing the wrongs that have been done to him Lee decides to help by killing an innocent woman. After "getting away with it" John decides to up the stakes in order to cause chaos. The two begin their random killing spree. We know these two as the 2002 Washington D.C. Beltway snipers. This is a good movie but very disturbing. Not disturbing in a horror movie way but in a more realistic way. We see how easy Lee was manipulated by John and how neither of them seemed to show any remorse for their actions. The most disturbing thing to me about this though is that the killings seemed absolutely senseless. Targets were picked based solely on if they could be seen through the hole in the trunk. This is a hard movie to watch because of the subject matter but if you can handle it it is worth seeing. Overall, disturbing character study that doesn't do anything to glorify or make you feel sorry for the murderers, which is a good thing. I give it a B+

Not worth seeing it is junk

[colonel52 · 1/10 · 1 March 2014]

This is a purely fictional account of what really happened. the movie is slow and boring and inaccurate. It seems to be made to draw sympathy to 2 killers who deserve no sympathy. Very little is shown of the actual killing, it is all about leading up to the actual killing event.

I saw another movie which had them shooting thru a tail light that was removable, and caught by 2 detectives who tracked down the car. In this one they cut a hole in the trunk, and were caught sleeping in the car. This movie downplays the actual crimes and the intent and motivations, which makes it a bogus film.

Someone should make a accurate movie of this event, to offset crap films like this one.

A Portrait of a Doomed Bond and Disillusionment Gone Awry

[Simon_Says_Movies · 8/10 · 11 October 2013]

Those who demand easy answers in movies and clear cut motives from its characters will likely find Blue Caprice an unfulfilling and distant character study, one which centers on the Beltway Sniper attacks that left Washington paralyzed for three weeks in 2002. The brilliance of director Alexandre Moors feature debut, in addition to quietly powerful performances from its two main leads, is that it offers no definite answers as to why this massacre transpired. True to life, speculation as to motive ranges from plans to divert attention from the planned murder of one of the assailant's ex wife, revenge against the U.S. government, terrorist ties and general anarchy. Discovering what ultimately drives these monsters is unimportant in the context of this film, but rather it's the troubling and empty journey these men take down the path of evil that is so compelling.

Taking on the notorious gunmen John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo are Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond and both deliver nuanced and disturbing performances but with varying approaches. We witness a differing speed at which these two finally become the savages which made global headlines – these are individuals with which we both see deeply into but at the same time know nothing about. The way these actors and director are able to make enigmas out of its antagonists without resorting to painting them as faceless monsters is an extraordinary feat.

Channelling Idris Elba in the best ways, Washington does Oscar level work as a broken man whose anger and disillusionment manifests in the worst possible way. Between his work on Grey's Anatomy and supporting work in some higher profile fare, he has never really been given the chance to stretch his dramatic legs and he shows how capable he can be when given the spotlight. He plays off young Tequan Richmond with aplomb, with the promising North Carolina native truly coming into his character in the final act after long sequences of shyness and inwardly directed sadness. Among the most disquieting scenes comes when John teaches Lee how to drive, an act between father and son that is considered to be one of the most important bonding experiences of growing up. In knowing what is to come, it takes on a whole new (and ultimately very disturbing) meaning.

Aside from inherently being a taut and troubling scenario the way the tension and narrative drive is brought to the forefront is also noteworthy especially when the outcome is so widely known. When we first meet with Malvo (and to a lesser extent Muhammad) we see them as damaged but salvageable individuals – those given an unfair stab at life but who could display redemptive qualities if given the chance. As we see Malvo fall further and further under the manipulative spell of his surrogate father, and who in turn finds fuel in his adoptive son, it's hard to watch not simply because of their actions but where we know this is all headed. In wanting so much for these lost souls to find an honest meaning in life and see them both missing and avoiding them, the dread and tension ratchets up organically and with an impact you won't soon shake.

Moors also makes the sound decision never to distort or falsely heighten the actual acts of the shootings. Seeing a man in the throws of death in a pool of blood at the base of a gas pump is powerful enough without seeing these two perpetrate every single act. So to does the choice to not magnify the scope of the crimes with fictionalized getaways or close calls in their titular vehicle. The barrel of a gun sticking out of a trunk and an off screen shot does more than enough in the ugly world we're introduced to in Blue Caprice. There are certainly moments of graphic violence interspersed throughout but they're handled in a brief and ugly manner that serves to showcase the emptiness of it all.

Based on the subject matter and the recent horrific gun based acts that have rocked America as of late, Blue Caprice will no doubt bring up the hot button topic of gun control, with some likely looking at the film as a call for help and others as pro liberal pandering meant to take a past tragedy and use it as propaganda. In both instances they would be not only wrong but missing the point of this drama, or rather the pointlessness of these men's actions. Could this act have been avoided with tighter gun laws? Likely. But Blue Caprice has no such pretensions and simply paints a disturbing portrait of men on the edge of reality.

Both as a showcase for the skill of the filmmakers and actors and an examination of the flourishing emotional void this duo carries with them every day, Blue Caprice succeeds and does so in manner that will leave you exhausted and troubled. In having so much to hate on screen there is so much to love about this confident inaugural feature, one which worrisomely shows that the loss of one's humanity can begin with a single act.

Not what I expected - The film focused mainly on John and Lee's initial meeting

[Ed-Shullivan · 6/10 · 19 January 2017]

I cannot fault the first rate acting of the three main characters. The father John Allen Muhammad (then aged 42) played by Isaiah Washington, separated from his children, who was sour on life and straddled with a restraining order against him from being anywhere near his ex-wife, the young lad from Antigua Lee Boyd Malvo (then 17) played by Tequan Richmond that John brings back to the U.S. to commit his murderous spree, and John's friend and fellow gun owner Ray, played by Tim Blake Nelson. This is a true story and although all of North America's televisions audiences were glued to their TV's 24 hour news station between October 02, 2002 until that fateful morning on October 24, 2002, when John and Lee were discovered sleeping in their blue Caprice car at 3:15 a.m. in the morning, and then the world breathed a sigh of relief.

Surprisingly the film did not focus on this 22 day period of random shootings and the fear it spread across the United States. Instead the first hour or so of the film was dedicated to providing us the audience with insight on how John Allen Muhammad recruited his young naive accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo who had no father figure in his life and was basically abandoned by his mother with no food or money to fend for himself back in Antigua. It seemed too easy for the adult John Allen Muhammad to manipulate the much younger and love starved Lee Boyd Malvo to accept the role of sniper and murderer.

I would like to bring to your attention a comparison of how in 2005, the legal system went very hard on this young naive black man aged 17 sentencing him to six consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Now compare this harsh sentence to the pathetic light sentence that occurred in 2013, of ten years probation and no jail time for a then 17 year old white caucasian Ethan Anthony Couch from Texas who while driving impaired killed four (4) innocent bystanders who were assisting a stranded motorist on the side of the road that this drunk and under the influence of drugs ran over and killed. Two passenger's in Couch's truck that he was driving also suffered bodily injury, one with complete paralysis. His parents were millionaires and their costly legal team defended this despicable killer with a defence that their (very rich) client suffered from a term called "affluenza". After fleeing the country illegally to Mexico and witnessed drinking and partying Ethan Anthony Couch was brought back to Texas and served a two year prison sentence.

I am not disputing that both of these young men are responsible for the deaths they caused but without knowing which if these criminals was white or black skinned I am quite sure we could all ascertain by their imposed sentences which was the poor black youth and which was the rich white youth.

As for Blue Caprice the acting by Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond and Tim Blake Nelson was superb. The background story of how John Allen Muhammad manipulated and intimidated the much younger parent less Lee Boyd Malvo was understood and I would have preferred the film would have captured more of the documented details of how these two criminals plotted, some times executed and other times abandoned their plan of another random execution all in an effort to somehow cover up that John Allen Muhammad's real intention was to kill his ex-wife and throw the police forces off that this was his sole purpose in the first place. The resulting damage attributed to these two killers was the 10 non fatal injuries and 17 deaths attributed to what is now known as the Beltway killers.

Not Put Together Very Well and it Falls Apart

[LeonLouisRicci · 4/10 · 15 May 2014]

There are Parts of this Indie Movie that are Extremely Well Done. There is the Cinematography that is Stunning at Times, the Performances are All Very Good, and there is an Ominous, Chilling, Creepiness that Permeates the Picture.

But the Montage is Awful. The Overall Feeling that the Viewer is left with is Frustrating and Unsatisfying. it Seems that the Filmmakers Opted for Restraint and Offered a Cold and Overly Calculated Movie and it tries so Hard to be Unconventional and Non-Hollywood that They Forgot that this is a Movie.

It is Pieced Together with a Shaggy Assemblance of Disjointed Drama that Scene for Scene is OK but a Film is a Combination of Scenes that are Put Together to Create Seamless Storytelling and this Fails Monumentally on that Level, Especially in the Final Act.

The Pieces in this Misassembled Mess are on their own Remarkable and it is Obvious that there is Talent in this Creation, but all of that is Wasted as the Finished Film just leaves too much to be Desired and as Enlightened Entertainment or Even a Character Study the Completed Film Falls Apart and that is Inexcusable.

Overall, it Cannot be Recommended as a Film that is Worthy of its Subject Matter or as a Film as Completed. Because the Movie just can't Escape the Feeling that it is Incomplete and Ill Fitting.

Unintelligent, too slow for anyone who lived through the days that all of us were scared!

[alshwenbear1 · 7 October 2013]

This movie doesn't add anything, but it comes as a real bore! what they were thinking!, I have never thought much of Isaiah Washington as an actor, I could care less about his participation on every movie I have seen him before, and watching Tequan Richmond is like watching green paint dry, don't ask, but I think green paint is the most pathetic paint to watch while drying.

This movie is a really missed opportunity, the question is if the writer and producers Just said " Hey lets do an insipid, bland, characterless, and unmoving piece of nothing, "uninspired" on the beltway Sniper" the movie is not even all over the place, because has nothing to offer, it's a shameless situation that blue caprice get a 6.0 rating when "D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear" is just 5.8

Yesterday, I re - watched Bus 174 (2002) (documentary) and then "Last Stop 174 (2008)", I mention this just in case Alexandre Moors, R.F.I. Porto and everyone involved with blue caprice wants to see how a real movie based in actual events is made!

Maybe true

[sergelamarche · 7/10 · 7 July 2018]

Inspired by the events but the authors don't really know how the killers were thinking. It is still the important part. My take is that psychopathy is common in the US. That is why shooters are also common, relatively speaking.

We Have Met The Enemy.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 18 June 2014]

I'm probably giving this disguised story of the two Washington, DC, snipers more bonus points than it deserves, simply because it's not a sensationalize, dumbed-down piece of dreck dripping with exploding heads. Those who made the flick put some thought into it and made some hard decisions about how to structure it and bring the elements together. That they failed in many way doesn't detract from their willingness to take risks.

It's not "based on a true story," thank God. It's thoroughly fictionalized, although the two chief characters -- the embittered "father", Isaiah Washington, and his zombified "son", Tequan Richmond, obviously represent the two snipers of infamy who drove around Washington, DC, shooting people at random from a hole in the trunk of a blue Caprice.

Both performances are professional in caliber. As the kid, Richmond hardly has any lines. Washington is a fine actor. He gives a convincing impression of a distraught father over the phone while trying to con confidential information out of some bureaucratic cog. He's far from a stereotypical ghetto black thug. He speaks clearly, is intelligent, is a obsessive parent, and ends his gerund phrases with "ing." It's only his reasoning that is as screwed up as a super-long strand of rotini. They took his kids away, so he's going to bring the government down.

The photography is aptly blue and sepulchral. The shabby environment of the American Northwest, all rain and pitted aluminum siding, is neatly captured, as is the complex density of Washington's relationships with his few white friends. One of them, looking like a guy you'd cross the street to avoid, is a gun freak. They're old friends, evidently, yes, but they know trouble when they see it. The freak and his worried wife are only too glad to see Washington and Richmond take off in their Caprice for sites unknown -- without anyone saying a word to anyone else.

That holding back is innovative in a movie about serial killers. It's also a symptom of the film's weakness. It's very tense (we know what's coming) but not very exciting. Scenes that are important to the viewer are missing. A cop car finds them sleeping in a roadside pull off. Washington is very apologetic and polite. The cop says he will only write them a warning for parking overnight but don't let it happen again. He checks the rear of the Caprice then shuffles to his car radio and we hear him say, "I think I've got something here." And -- BANG -- the pair are in prison and we never see Washington again. No arrest. No interrogation. No trial. Nothing.

It's not much of a crime story. We only see one traffic cop. As a character study, it's okay but the dynamics between the two are so obvious that not much time needs to be spent on them. Richmond is a kid from the Caribbean without parents. Washington is a parent who wants his kids.

In it's own quiet way -- perhaps too quiet -- it's a powerful movie, worth seeing. I really dislike action movies in which Arnold wrenches off somebody's head with a wisecrack, but this one is a bit like watching a performance of Julius Caesar that skips Caesar's assassination and the suicide of Brutus.

THERE ARE SOME EVIL PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 30 August 2018]

"Blue Caprice" is a docu-drama about the DC sniper. It starts with a teen boy in the Caribbean and goes from there. He meets up in the US with his paranoid father/uncle/guy who has a grudge against the system that separates him from his children. He uses the boy to enact revenge.

The film doesn't have a lot of action. It is mostly a drama, a means to provide some closure for those who ask "why?" The killing scenes are not overly graphic and in many cases they jump over them as well as skip scenes such as the actual arrest and taking them into custody.

The acting was good although Lee (Tequan Richmond) didn't have a lot of lines and seemed to have lost his island accent by the end of the film. I found the film interesting as a biography of the killers, but overall lacking in shear entertainment value. The title is clever when you think about it literally (blue=sad, caprice=impulsive) and not a car.

Parental Guidance: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

No emotional impact what so ever

[mikey187-818-899620 · 2/10 · 15 March 2015]

For the story line the film has, its very badly written, directed and acted. Were talking about a movie trying to show the manipulation of a young mind and a killer out for revenge on any random person just for the hell of it. Someone who wants people to suffer as a consequence of his situation.

Not at any point in the film do we see a big transformation in the character, we don't really see a manipulation phase or an insight into the mind of the killer. Its not gripping, its not mind blowing , it doesn't have any emotion. The killings themselves are poorly shot, they aren't gruesome, in fact we don't even see most of them and we never feel sorry for the character who dies, we don't get offered a clip of them before their death to give us any sympathy for them, there's just no feeling, emotion or tension in the film. I was expecting at least some tension during the murders, like close calls, cold hearted comments but there's nothing.

The scene where they get caught at the end is also worthless again with no tension and then we see them locked up and it ends, its a poor film.

The story was there for them, all they had to do was add some tension, emotion and create a dark , overwhelming manipulating character . We don't get any of that, this film was a disaster.

feeble

[mcook2368 · 1/10 · 25 July 2014]

perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother.........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother.........perfect set up. done terribly, not exciting, no climax, fizzles out, feeble attempt, avoid all gore and action, continuity problems. .not good .rubbish .boring .unenjoyable .pointless .waste of time .meh .dont bother

enjoyed it

[marcusbpolk · 9/10 · 31 December 2018]

Great soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, and decent acting. film unfolds nicely, telling a grim but stimulating story of trauma and violence without being too aggressive / direct.

Off the mark! Entirely!!!!!!!!!!!!

[meeza · 5/10 · 13 October 2014]

"Blue Caprice" was out of cinematic fuel from the beginning. This indie movie is based on the Sniper incident that rocked the Beltway in Virginia & Washington in 2002. Speaking of Washington, Isaiah Washington's performance as John, the angry father figure sniper, was off target; and Tequan Richmond did not add much firepower either as Lee, the lost teen who gives himself entirely to John, and becomes John's surrogate son. Director Alexandre Moors focused on the father- son relationship of John & Lee, but I wanted more from Moors on the insight of the Beltway sniper killings and how it affected the fabric of society. "Blue Caprice" was not a true blue picture! Sorry Madonna! * Failure

It's Slow Paced & Boring But Worth A Watch

[FilmMan47 · 5/10 · 28 March 2014]

blue Caprice 2013 is about real life events that happened in 2002 this film tells the story purely so if anyone is expectation action will be disappointed but off-course there are some chilling moments in the climax yet its slow paced and boring but worth watchable.

the plot:lee is an abandoned boy he finds a new father john who brainwashes him lee is driven by hard times & under those circumstances he commit crimes that are unforgiven he kills many innocent people using a sniper rifle through the trunk of a blue Caprice car.

the cast is quite good all everyone did their best but the script does not allow & give full control to actors to get the best out of their characters.

john tried to stops lee in the beginning when he likes guns & wants to go on a killing spree but later he supports him if your watching these scenes please pay attention as there is a lot in them i will not be revealing the whole thing here.

what happened in reality was sad these guys were criminals i wont be discussing all motives but there are some differences in this film from real events however this movie does manage to tell the tale in a decent way because in many cases a lot of films have failed to do so when adapting a novel,real life event etc.

Overall Blue Caprise 2013 is a good film but keep expectations below then you might actually like it for what it is my rating is 5/10.

Tough to understand the motives of those snipers.

[JohnDeSando · 4 October 2013]

"Who knows the secrets of the human heart?" The Crying Game

The strength and weakness of the docudrama Blue Caprice are the same: It does not attempt to explain the reasons two human beings would randomly kill 10 unknowing victims. So be it. Yet, if a drama, inspired by the true events of the 2002 sniper killings in the D.C. area, recreates, then depth, even if speculative, would seem in order.

Otherwise, I'm left with a hollow feeling that I could have researched the Internet in less time to get the story as it really happened with no "In Cold Blood" insight. Lee (Taquan Richmond) is the lost young man (abandoned by mom and dad), John (Isaiah Washington) is the father figure who harbors resentments against more than one person in his life. John has Lee learn to shoot guns and then channels him into slayings, many without resentments but overcast with the urge to cause chaos.

After retrofitting their Caprice to be a murder machine, the gruesome duo cause mayhem in the D.C.-Virginia area until caught napping in a parking area-- hardly romantic. But then this is hardly a romantic drama. Its greatest virtue is an unwillingness to posit motives, although the boy's missing parents and the adult's bitterness about the loss of his children and the neighbor who testified against his custody are contributors, no doubt.

As the Beltway snipers got the attention they sought, this comment from a citizen best reveals the panic that ensued: "We'd run through parking lots. I'd try not to get gas when I was with family. Once while I was pumping gas, I said to my boys, 'You have to get down on the floorboards.' "

The horror is that the massacre could happen at the hands of such inconsequential losers whose actions would be most difficult to predict. The reasons are probably many, but maybe the most telling is what Lee shouts to John, after he has punished the boy: "Dad, Dad, what did I do?"

A Very Disappointing Movie

[Mewkebi · 2/10 · 2 July 2023]

This DC Sniper movie was so disappointing. I have no issues with slow moving films at all. Unfortunately this movie was not at all engaging and lacked emotion. It actually borders on boring. I know this was a fictionalised version of the real event. But even that was poorly done.

If you want to see a really really good DC sniper movie, watch D. C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear. Now that was a movie that kept you thinking long after it had ended. This movie, however, is a forgettable one.

I'm extremely baffled how Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie 85%. I normally have faith in Rotten Tomatoes' ratings; but I I feel they got this rating for this movie wrong.