The Boston Strangler

Here it is, the film that proved Tony Curtis' worth as an actor; not just the pretty boy of a dozen identikit pictures of the 1950s - but here convincing as the cold blooded killer of various women; 'The Boston Strangler' now looks dated, particularly in its split-screen editing and gloomy editing, and in some of its references to 'queers', but is still a fine example within its genre. Bleak and uncompromising in its verbal and visual details of the murders, this film is held together by the excellent work by Curtis - he really is chilling as the psychopath preying on women. The ending is especially affecting, making superb use of silence as a cinematic trick and leaving the viewer curiously numb. Not a film to leave you anything but depressed, but a must-see at least once.

This account of Albert DeSalvo, a schizophrenic east coast furnace worker who may have terrorized early-1960s Boston with strangulations of women, plays fast and loose with the facts but is still pretty good as dramatic movie-making. An interesting, stylish, and yet sketchy picture which is ultimately convoluted with too many filmmaking styles. It wants to be quasi-documentary, flashy thriller and character study--but final results are half-baked. The multi-screen cinematography is arresting for awhile, but eventually this gambit becomes a nuisance (and seems to drain the movie of its energy). Solid cast is commendable, particularly Tony Curtis in the lead and Henry Fonda as DeSalvo's psychologist, but the picture is much stronger during the manhunt than it is after the capture--with 30 minutes to go. **1/2 from ****