Movie Title: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Genre: Biopic, Crime, Thriller
Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jeffrey Donovan, Angela Sarafyan, Dylan Baker, Brian Geraghty, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich, Haley Joel Osment
Review: A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy (Zac Efron), from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend Liz Kendall (Lily Collins), who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a very interesting movie that looks at the infamous Ted Bundy trials that took place in the 1970s and 80s. I found the acting in this film to be impeccable, as Zac Efron portrays the character with a certain charm and charisma often associated with Bundy, but also a vast sense of brokenness and irreverence. It also should be noted that Efron bears a similar resemblance to Bundy that certainly aids in selling the character to the audience. The majority of this film revolves around Bundy's relationship with Liz Kendall, which can be looked at both positively and negatively. Those hoping for an in-depth action flick revolving around Bundy's murders may be left disappointed. While the film may drag at points, and be less thrilling than the aforementioned idea, I think the direction taken by this film is an interesting point of view that may shed some light on these high profile cases that isn't typically explored in other media. This film ultimately left me intrigued by some of the supplemental material revolving around this case, specifically Netflix's docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. I think this film in conjunction with this docuseries paints an all-encompassing picture that most fans of true crime will be particularly interested in. If this type of crime thriller entices you, then you should absolutely watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Despite it's slower pace and alternative point of view, I found this film to be well-crafted, well-acted, and well worth my time.
Fun Fact: The name of this film came from a quote from the court judge on Bundy's trial. He quoted, "The crimes were extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile, and the product of design to inflict a high degree of pain."