Directed by: Joe Berlinger
Runtime: 108 minutes
Serial killer biopics are a difficult beast to master. Filmmakers must straddle the line between exploring a killer’s complexity while ensuring they do not glorify their actions. On top of this, there has to be considerations of factual accuracy, entertainment value, and the sensitivity of the subject matter. Ted Bundy, in particular, is not a life that would usually suit the two-hour film format. Handsome and charismatic, yet psychopathic and manipulative, Bundy still remains an enigma to criminal profilers and true-crime enthusiasts. However, when Zac Efron was cast in the lead role—spawning buzz, memes, and everything in between—I couldn’t help but find myself interested.
Interestingly, Netflix has been on a bit of a Bundy kick throughout 2019. With Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Joe Berlinger presented a four-hour documentary on the man, giving a detailed account of events while maintaining the elusive aspects of his story. Then, the same man took the same subject matter and transformed it to a fictionalised feature film, airing on Netflix mere months after the release of the documentary. Berlinger’s obvious fascination with Ted Bundy aside, it was a strange move to release both of these things so close together; however, it did not impede on my viewing of the film too much due to the shifted perspectives in the later installation.
Told from the point of view from Ted Bundy’s (Zac Efron) ex-lover Elizabeth Kendall (Lily Collins), Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile attempts to grapple with the life of an indirect victim: someone whose very association with a person can leave them with a lifetime of anxiety and guilt. Unfortunately, Berlinger can’t quite shake his past as a documentarian, at points merely recreating moments in a meticulous fashion rather than providing any interesting stylistic features. While I would say this was my biggest disappointment with the film, it is hard to be entirely negative about it; the direction was competent, if not a little uninspired, and for the most part I cared about what it had to say.
The performances within the film win it a few more points. Efron is magnetic as Bundy. In some moments, despite knowing the whole story, I found myself beginning to slightly believe his insistence of innocence before feeling uncomfortable that his manipulation almost worked on me. Collins, on the other hand, comes dangerously close to slipping in to the ‘stock character’ category until a fantastic performance in her final scene. In fact, the last conversation between both of our leads was well-written, well-shot, and definitely well-acted, making it the highlight of the film.
At the end of the day, this film was not directed by David Fincher, and was never going to come close to the magnificence that is Zodiac. However, for the people who are interested in Bundy, but not invested in the story long enough to dedicate an entire four hours to his tapes, this will serve as an engaging enough vehicle to educate them. As a stop-gap before Mindhunter returns in August, it was adequate. Essentially, Netflix is the perfect place for something like this—a perfect film to flick on when it is a Sunday night, ready for the water-cooler conversation the next day.
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