Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders

	U.S. 2003 Director: Chris Fisher Cast: Brittany Daniel, Clifton Collins Jr., Lake Bell, Mike Hagerty, Eddie Jemison, Tomas Arana Release Date: 2006 Rating: R Running Time: 1 hour 25 mins 3 secs Review of the Movie		RAMPAGE: THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER MURDERS Storyline: Cast: Ending: Overall:
	Sometimes it's just a wonder (or a shame) how some filmmakers could deliberately ruin their own movies. And we are talking about movies which have decent storyline backed up by real-life incidents/story, believable performances from the actors and good element of shocks. Usually those types of movies could at least land themselves smoothly on "worth-to-rent" territory, but the filmmakers of Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders shows us how to ruin those things into something Un-watchable. Literally. But before we get to this point, let's dissect the story a bit. Surely any horrible horror incidents like the ones depicted in this film, and spiced up by a line that says" Based on a true story", usually tells of a serial killer. This time there are two of them, cousins exactly, namely Angelo Buono (Tomas Arana) and Kenneth Bianci (Clifton Collins Jr.) who terrorize the area near hillside of New York and Los Angeles. We are following the story through the accounts being told by Kenneth Bianci himself. After being held in a police station, a stunningly-naughty-but-smart psychiatrist, Samantha Stone (Brittany Daniel) is brought in to further investigate Kenneth's psychological condition. However in the era of sex and drugs, even a brilliant person like Samantha is often indulged in steamy sexual acts and in lots of partying, which implies she also has to deal with her own issue (mainly serves as side plot). Kenneth than starts to bond with Samantha and sometimes he's becoming a totally different person named Steve Walker, which probably the cause of all the killings. At this point he seems to suffer from 'multiple personality disorder', or is he? And what exactly would Samantha concludes from her investigation? The strongest positive value from this thriller movie comes from the story. These are real serial killers that have taken lives of poor young women in span of 1977-1979, that being said, means that they are cruel human beings and we are not going to root for them. Unfortunately we are also not going to root to anyone, even Samantha as the main protagonist. But the story is interesting enough to be followed till the end, which certainly owes to the acting quality of Clifton Collins Jr. and Brittany Daniel. Clifton could give creepy performance as a disturbed person, and Brittany Daniel is stunning in her calm way to deal with problems. And not just that, being performed in a movie where the sex and drugs are taking place, means Brittany Daniel will give her all out in this horror film. The backfire is her 'brave' performance and several other topless extras could easily make this movie as something cheap and exploitative, aside that minor gore scenes do also present. Several 'steamy' scenes also serve as lame fillers that should be amusing enough if only not being ruined by the director himself. So what could possibly ruin this motion picture, it's none other than the camerawork. Actually from the first 20 seconds into the movie, we are already hinted by this rolling-camerawork fact. I really can not guess what the filmmakers were thinking when they decide to employ such horrible shooting style. There is one scene where the killers are luring a prostitute into their car, as depicted on the first film still above, and the camera just circles around the car intensely for a couple of times, and it's not in a steady circling motion but shaky, it's so dizzying. And wait until you get to the part where the interview between Samantha and Kenneth is taking place, the camera repeatedly circles around them in wild motion. Basically, in most scenes, that camera angle treatment is what we are going to experience. And that is absolutely not a good experience. There is actually already a movie about these serial killers in 2004, called The Hillside Strangler. While that movie may be labeled Un-watchable because of the highly sadistic violence that are unentertaining and might be plain unbearable for some people, the 2006 movie Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders is simply Un-watchable because we value our eyes and health. And I don't recommend this to fellow moviegoers unless you are willing to suffer dizziness in viewing it. © iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com

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