Real life detective story - Murder in Greenwich DVD
 Jun 30th, 2009
Advantages:
Fascinating case, Fuhrman is a really interesting guy
Disadvantages:
Plodding and unconvicing film
Recommendable:
No
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
more
  julwhite
About me:
Member since:22.06.2009
Reviews:101
Members who trust:3
Review rated by 8 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Murder in Greenwich is a film released in 2002 which lasts 89 minutes and is based on the true crime book by Mark Fuhrman. He wrote the book following his investigation into a 22 year old murder case which had never been solved, and the success of the book led to this film. In the early 1970s, a girl called Martha Moxley has been murdered in Greenwich, Connecticut. Despite the police having the original murder weapon, the crime was never solved, and so after a period of time, the case became forgotten about and appeared as though it would never be solved.
However Mark Fuhrman decided to investigate the matter again to try and find a resolution, and he was helped retired local detective Steve Carroll, who had been involved in the original investigation into the murder. Whilst investigating this matter for a second time, Fuhrman's research proved successful, and they were able to find the culprit from the original murder, a very neat solution to a long unsolved crime.
The film stars Christopher Meloni, who may be better known for the TV series Oz, Robert Forster, whom I've never heard of, but I thought was relatively convincing in the film, and has apparently been nominated in the past for an oscar. The film also starred Maggie Grace, who appeared in many episodes of the TV series Lost, and also in the rather more forgettable film, The Fog. Also in the film was the actor Jon Foster, who had featured in the TV series Windfall.
I found the film itself to be based on a very interesting storyline, but the film felt very plodding and low on production quality. I think that this was for two reasons, one is that the film was really intended to be aired straight on TV, so without a cinema run. The second reason is that the film is very linear, it's a murder film without any real violence or horror, because that's not what the film is about. So the film in my view falls between being entertainment and a documentary programme, because it's neither. I'd really rather watched this having been made in a documentary style, but because the murder of the girl was real, it is difficult to gain any "enjoyment" from it being a horror film.
The DVD has very few extras, just the standard sub-titles and a couple of trailers. I've mentioned in the past in my reviews that I always like extras as I believe that they add some extra depth to the film, and so it's disappointing that there aren't any on this DVD. I suppose however that this is understandable given the low production costs and the intention in making the film a non-cinema, and straight to TV production. I think that the most interesting thing about this whole story is that of the author Mark Fuhrman. He is a former detective himself, and is now a conservative radio host who writes extensively on old crimes. He has also written a book on the JFK murder, and during his 20 year time in the Los Angles police, he received over 55 commendations.
So although this case is really interesting, and Fuhrman is a really interesting guy, the film doesn't recreate this excitement and sense of tension. It's plodding and unexciting, and the characters don't really appear to be convincing to me. Maybe the film would have been so more realistic if Mark Fuhrman had played himself in the film, rather than Christopher Meloni playing the part. If you want to buy the DVD, then it's available from Amazon currently for 5.97 pounds. However, all things considered, it's a film which is very missable, and in my view, probably more interesting to read in book format.
(also on dooyoo under same name)
Compare Prices
sorted by Price
Read more on this product
|
|
![Murder In Greenwich [DVD] [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78523911.jpg)
05.10.2009 17:08
Excellent review :)
01.07.2009 02:54
Well reviewed!