Boston Strangler, 2023.
Written and Directed by Matt Ruskin.
Starring Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, Alessandro Nivola, Rory Cochrane, David Dastmalchian, Peter Gerety, Robert John Burke, Ryan Winkles, Morgan Spector, Michael Malvesti, Aurora McLaughlin, Liam Anderson, Antonio Volpicelli, Nancy E. Carroll, Therese Plaehn, Stephen Thorne, Greg Vrotsos, Ian Lyons, Christian J. Mallen, Pat Fitz, Pamela Jayne Morgan, Robert, C. Kirk, Charlie Thurston, Kate Middleton, Ivan Martin, Tamara Hickey, Luke Kirby, Steve Routman,, Thomas Kee, Kyra Weeks, John Lee Ames, James Ciccone, Bill Camp, Jimmy LeBlanc, Josh Drennen, Brian Faherty, Caroline Nesbit, Michele Proude, Grace Aiello Antczak, Sheriden Thomas, Rosemary Howard, Kris Sidberry, Sissy O’Hara, and Kate Lynch.
SYNOPSIS:
Loretta McLaughlin was the reporter who first connected the murders and broke the story of the Boston Strangler. She and Jean Cole challenged the sexism of the early 1960s to report on the city’s most notorious serial killer.
If a serial killer strangling women (typically will nylon stockings) wasn’t horrifying enough, writer-director Matt Ruskin’s Boston Strangler, which smartly centers that three-year-long horror on the women responsible for the rabbit hole journalistic investigation for the killer’s identity, is scary in other insidious ways that don’t let society’s sexism of the 1960s off the hook. By effective design, the most startling aspect of Boston Strangler is that the same sexist motives of the murderer run rampant in other areas of society, including the Boston Record American, which at one point involves a publicity stunt of pictures of the female reporters taken for their bylines (something that backfires exactly as you would imagine.
The same women fighting tooth and nail, risking their lives in public to achieve justice, were essentially hindered and screwed over by every systemic institution that functions for society. The Boston Police Department turned out to be absurdly incompetent, refusing to work with other departments even when they were handed suspects on a silver platter (one detective drives all the way from out-of-state to relay his information because otherwise, no one is talking to him). And then there is the publication itself which, as previously mentioned, didn’t mind putting its female reporters in harm’s way, although they certainly had a problem handing the case over to a woman in the first place.
Loretta McLaughlin (Kiera Knightley) works the unfulfilling lifestyle portion of the newspaper, practically begging her editor Jack Maclaine (Chris Cooper), for something to really dig into. It’s not until weeks of the Boston Record American (and every other Boston publication) brushing off these concerning strangulation murders and time spent connecting some dots in public. Once she receives confirmation that every murder is connected by nylon stockings, beating the Boston Globe to the punch, Jack decides to partner up with Carrie Coon’s Jean Cole (a female reporter who does often sometimes get work that matters, such as undercover assignments, although when it’s revealed why she started getting bigger jobs and how she became involved with the publication, some ethical questions are certainly raised) to tackle the story.
Matt Ruskin seems aware of two things: considering how much true crime material modern-day society absorbs, they might already be familiar with the killers’ identities. He also knows that going the exploitative shock value route does not serve his feminist narrative angle. There are still scenes of the titular serial killer donning disguises and weaseling his way into the apartments of vulnerable and single women, and even strangling them, but it’s all done sensitively with restraint and more focus on the how of how the killer was able to accomplish this.
Instead, Boston Strangler fixates on that maddening escalation of systemic institutions working against these women, sometimes coming across as if they are interested in solving the case. Twists and turns are still here, with multiple names emerging as potential suspects and one infuriating get-rich-quick scheme. There’s also something truly sinister here about copycat killers and how they can co-opt the same motives to deal with an unwanted ex-girlfriend or any woman they grudge against. The film works on the wavelengths of serial killer thrills and journalistic drama.
The one subplot that feels rushed and off is the relationship dynamic between Loretta and her husband, which increasingly becomes fractured the more she commits to finding this killer. It is easy to believe that a 1960s husband would struggle with his wife spending so much time away from their family (even if he initially seems comfortable about it), but eventually, every time he’s on-screen, there is an argument that feels forced. He doesn’t always feel like a fully fleshed-out character.
Accentuating everything about are the accurate period piece details and solid performances, especially the outrage and determination coming from Keira Knightley. Boston Stranger is chilling and filled with integrity, even if there’s nothing especially outstanding about this familiar storytelling structure. But we do feel that same outrage that Loretta feels, which is enough to stay invested in the unsettling true crime.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com</em
