Dahmer (film)
| Dahmer | |
|---|---|
 Official logo | |
| Directed by | David Jacobson |
| Produced by | Larry Ratner |
| Written by | David Jacobson |
| Starring |
Jeremy Renner Bruce Davison Artel Kayàru Matt Newton |
| Music by |
Christina Agamanolis Mariana Bernoski Willow Williamson |
| Cinematography | Chris Manley |
| Editing by | Bipasha Shom |
| Studio |
Blockbuster Films DEJ Productions Two Left Shoes Films |
| Distributed by | Peninsula Films |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000[1] |
| Box office | $144,008[1] |
Dahmer is a 2002 American biopic horror film about the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeremy Renner stars in the title role. There are two timelines in the film: The "present" of the film runs in ordinary chronological order covering the period of one-to-two days; the flashbacks go in reverse order, so that Dahmer is seen as successively younger until the film arrives at his first murder and its aftermath.
Plot
During his murder spree, Jeffrey Dahmer (Jeremy Renner) conducts sadistic experiments on his victims before he murders them. He killed one man this way in Bath, Ohio and sixteen men in the metropolitan area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the same time, he rationalizes his crimes with the divorce of his parents and his emotionally isolated childhood; nevertheless, he can't stop inviting more and more young men from bars and clubs to his home, where he kills them. Jeffrey starts to be friends with a young man named Rodney and invites him to his house, but Rodney ends up getting attacked by Jeffrey and leaves.
Cast
- The real-life counterpart to the fictional victim is in parentheses
- Jeremy Renner as Jeffrey Dahmer
- Bruce Davison as Lionel Dahmer
- Artel Kayàru as Rodney (Tracy Edwards)
- Matt Newton as Lance Bell (Stephen Hicks)
- Dion Basco as Khamtay (Konerak Sinthasomphone)
- Kate Williamson as Grandma
- Christian Payano as Letitia
- Tom'ya Bowden as Shawna
- Sean Blakemore as Corliss
Production
Although the script recreates actual events, the names are changed out of respect for Dahmer's victims. In reality, the escapee who led to Dahmer's capture was Tracy Edwards, portrayed by Artel Kayàru as Rodney, and Dahmer's first victim was a man named Stephen Hicks, portrayed in the film by Matt Newton as Lance Bell. Production took place in Los Angeles and one scene in Milwaukee. The mask special effects were created by Christien Tinsley and Kelley Mitchell, who were involved two years later in the makeup of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.
Reception
Dahmer has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. It currently holds a 68% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
Legacy
In the DVD commentary track for The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow said that she cast Renner in the lead role because of his performance in Dahmer.
Awards
- Independent Spirit Award - Jeremy Renner (Best Male Actor in a Leading Role) (nominated)
- Independent Spirit Award - Artel Kayàru (Best Newcomer) (nominated)
- John Cassavetes Award - Larry Ratner and David Jacobson (nominated)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Dahmer (2002) - Box Office Mojo". 2002-08-11. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ↑ Dahmer at Rotten Tomatoes
External links
- Dahmer at the Internet Movie Database
- Dahmer at Box Office Mojo
- Dahmer at Rotten Tomatoes