Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86% (Critics) / 63% (Audience)
Directed By: Alexandre Moors
Written By: R.F.I. Porto
Starring: Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond, Tim Blake
Studio: IFC Films

Synopsis: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. (Source)

The Good:
The performances by Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond as the beltway snipers were stellar. Washington gave a performance that was both chilling and compelling. His John Allen Muhammad was a small, petty man but Washington brought so much charisma to his portrayal that it was easy to see how he was able to con so many people into taking him and taking care of him as well as how an impressionable boy looking for parental approval and love would bend to Muhammad’s will.
Richmond, who I only recall from playing the younger brother on the sitcom EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS, gave such an intriguing performance as the damaged Lee Malvo who was molded from a polite, socially awkward young boy into a weapon by the man he loved like a father. Richmond’s ability to be convincing portraying Lee’s cold outward demeanor while still giving a peek at the broken, scared little boy underneath was very impressive.
I also was impressed by Alexandre Moor’s directing choices. This was a very still movie where the camera would linger on an actor or an image in ways that would somehow give the audience a feeling that something dreadful was going to happen even if that moment never came.

The Bad:
This movie was very antiseptic. With the subject matter at hand there should have been much more of a heightened sense of tension and emotion. I understand not wanting to be seen as exploitative but this film seemed to go so far away from even the hint of exploitation that it felt utterly devoid of any emotion.

The Ugly
The actual beltway sniper period was given short shrift in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen more of John and Lee’s interaction with one another while on their twisted crusade.

Final Verdict: A well-acted and competently made movie that takes a very clinical look at an event that was anything but. Despite what was done right in BLUE CAPRICE the decision to take such a coldly unemotional approach to conveying the story of the D.C> snipers takes away the most important part of the story and that is the feeling of fear and uncertainty that gripped a nation. Instead we are given a very well-made docudrama with no real emotional core to it.

Grade: B-