Bundy: An American Icon (2008) aka A Legacy of Evil Movie Review
Written By: TJ
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Michael Feifer
Producers: Michael Feifer
Writers: Michael Feifer
Date Released: 2008
Cast:
Corin Nemec as Ted Bundy
Jen Nikolaisen as Stephanie
Kane Hodden as Warden
David DeLuise as Detective Jennings
Shannon Pierce Wilkins as Eleanor Bundy
Caia Coley as Prosecution Attorney
Rating: 1.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Experiencing traumatic events during his childhood, Theodore Robert Bundy, also known as Ted Bundy (Corin Nemec), grows up as a problematic man who eventually falls in love with Stephanie (Jen Nikolaisen). Their relationship fosters throughout the time but after Ted forgets a supposed dinner with Stephanie’s parents, they had a huge fight which finally leads to a breakup. Ted didn’t take it well and thinks that no woman can ever hurt his feelings again. As the story progresses, Ted commits numerous crimes which include kidnapping, murdering, and raping women of different ages from different places. When Ted meets with Stephanie again after a long time, he also has something else in mind that will serve as his revenge on her for breaking his heart.
Gore Factor
Bundy: An American Icon (2008) is a sorry excuse of a serial-killer-biopic of America’s infamous murderer, Ted Bundy. It didn’t involve gore as much as you’d expect for a twisted story of the man, nor did the film emphasize the excessive rape that was a big element of Bundy’s crimes. As a result, the film doesn’t stand out or even allude to the excessive amount of gore, violence or sexual acts despite the fact that it featured the life of a despicable serial killer. In all fairness, there are some cringe worthy scenes but nothing that has not been seen in other horror films as well. The best scene in this film which slightly made up for the remainder of the film was the depiction of the murders involving Lisa and Margaret, two of Bundy’s victims, which depicted a gruesome sight as described by the detective. There is still a lot of blood and another scene involving a woman’s which may save this film in respect to prosthetic work. However, for one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th Century, the film could have been more true to Bundy’s complete story.
The Grave Review
First, a short description of Ted Bundy as he was. Bundy was regarded as handsome and charismatic, thus his easy way of luring women to their own deaths. He was tagged as the most notorious serial killer of America, and his name is so widely known that when you say it, a murderer comes to mind. He even called himself as “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet”, and his crimes certainly proved this statement true.
Director and writer Michael Feifer definitely hasn’t reached half of the weight of Ted Bundy’s story in his film Bundy: An American Icon, also known as Bundy: A Legacy of Evil. It seems that Feifer doesn’t care much about facts as he created the portrayal with poorly researched events intertwined with a lot of inaccuracy, and that’s possibly where the film lost its way. They didn’t even mention Bundy’s wife whom he had a daughter with, taking a terrifying story and making it rather dull and pedestrian.
The performances range from bearable to disappointing. The acting of almost everyone is cheesy, except maybe from Corin Nemec, although I am not saying that he gave an outstanding performance throughout the film. He portrayed the role quite satisfactory, but not enough to show madness, brutality, and looming condescension. The script could’ve made it better, but apparently, it also wasn’t strong enough for the life of Ted Bundy.
The cinematography isn’t something to be proud of as well. The camera angles and shots are so ineffective that it doesn’t allow for any significant period design, making the film looks so painfully cheap at times. However, the musical background can be something noteworthy as it adds creepiness to the barren canvas of a supposed frightful depiction of an atrocious man who once walked the earth.
By far, this 2008 film following the life of Ted Bundy is one of the most disappointing portrayals in my opinion. The title can be a strong clickbait for most viewers but the film ultimately does not portray Ted Bundy even close to how he really was at all. So much material at hand and it turned out not great. I would rather recommend the 2002 Bundy or the 1986 The Deliberate Stranger as they are way more watchable than this 2008 version.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Bundy: An American Icon (2008) one and a half graves out of five graves.
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