Isaiah Washington
Tequan Richmond
Joey Lauren Adams
Tim Blake Nelson
Leo Fitzpatrick
Cassandra Freeman

R.F.I. Porto

93 mins.
Biography, Crime, Drama
January 19, 2013

Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and brief drug use. (MPAA)

“Blue Caprice” doesn’t do a good job of getting into the minds of the Beltway Snipers (John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malvo). Part of the problem is the script, which seems a bit shallow and doesn’t provide enough scenes to establish Mohammed’s progression into restrained madness. Another problem is that the director relies on shots of explosions, fires, cars being smashed in junkyards, and more, at times, to mimic the inner thoughts of Mohammed. This is amateur stuff.

Yet another problem is Isaiah Washington’s portrayal of Mohammed. I’ve liked Washington’s work in other films, but he doesn’t seem to be fully committed in this one. I’m glad that he decided against an over-the-top performance, but there needs to be more fire in his belly as his character starts to figure out what he’s going to do as payback for what he perceives as injustices against him. Washington needs to raise the stakes a bit. Where’s the intensity beneath Mohammed’s cool exterior?

Tequan Richmond, of TV’s “Everybody Hates Chris” and “90210,” does an OK job of portraying Malvo’s vulnerability and susceptibility. When he meets Mohammed, who has stolen his three kids from his wife and gone with those kids to Antigua at the start of this film (the kidnapping isn’t shown), Malvo has no one to care for him. His mother constantly leaves him to fend for himself. (Thanks Mom!)

After Mohammed’s kids are returned to their mother (not shown), he can no longer get into contact with them; so his downward spiral kicks into high gear. He sees Malvo as his son now, and Malvo sees him as his father.

All of that sounds compelling, but this film actually has a surprising lack of depth; and that’s largely the fault of the screenwriter. This isn’t a disaster, though. It’s just not the spot-on representation of a man who has reached his breaking point (for whatever reason) and has decided to groom a teenager in need of a parent to be his weapon of terror. Lots of things are glossed-over (much of the violence, for instance) in favor of showing the methods that Mohammed used to groom Malvo and, quite frankly, how Mohammed takes advantage of women. They also focus on a friend of Mohammed’s, who’s a weapons-enthusiast. But nothing’s really revealed. Where’s the insight?

Many critics have lauded “Blue Caprice” for its ambiguity. I have no problem with ambiguity, but it must be presented in an arresting way. As I watched this film, I just didn’t care.

Verdict: Whatever

About: (Source: bluecaprice)

The striking feature film debut of writer-director Alexandre Moors, BLUE CAPRICE is a harrowing yet restrained psychological thriller about an abandoned boy lured to America into the shadows of a dangerous father figure. Inspired by true events, BLUE CAPRICE investigates the notorious and horrific Beltway sniper attacks from the point of view of the two killers, whose distorted father-son relationship facilitated their long and bloody journey across America.

Marked by captivating performances by Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond, lyrical camerawork, and a unique and bold structure, BLUE CAPRICE documents the mechanisms that lead its subjects to embrace physical violence. BLUE CAPRICE paints a riveting portrait of 21st-century America and a haunting depiction of two cold-blooded killers that will endure long after the lights come up.