Movies based on real life serial killers tend to get a lot further under my skin than those with fictional maniacs—films like Dahmer, which details the nauseating activities of gay serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who drugged and dismembered his unlucky victims, concealing their body-parts in and around his home(s). The fact that these events actually happened (I can remember the discovery of Dahmer's victims in the news) and are portrayed so convincingly makes Dahmer seriously chilling viewing.
Jeremy Renner, as the titular killer, is simply superb, effectively playing the character as both a teenager and an adult. Director David Jacobson shoots in a non-linear fashion, which adds a further dimension of interest, yet he also avoids sensationalism, the gore quotient kept relatively low and other unsettling details of Dahmer's lifestyle thankfully obscured in a drug and alcohol infused haze. It's a wise move: this study of Jeffrey Dahmer's life is disturbing enough without matters getting too graphic.
Jeremy Renner, as the titular killer, is simply superb, effectively playing the character as both a teenager and an adult. Director David Jacobson shoots in a non-linear fashion, which adds a further dimension of interest, yet he also avoids sensationalism, the gore quotient kept relatively low and other unsettling details of Dahmer's lifestyle thankfully obscured in a drug and alcohol infused haze. It's a wise move: this study of Jeffrey Dahmer's life is disturbing enough without matters getting too graphic.