Red Ink/
Atlanta Murders - 2000 USA d:Jerry Henry
Now, I found this very interesting. First off: it's slow and talky and very, very "TV movie" like, so be warned if these things bother you.
In the early 80s there was a shocking series of murders of black youth in Atlanta, Georgia. At least 29 kids were killed and eventually Wayne Williams was convicted of the acts. The conviction was controversial and many - to this day - maintain his innocence of at least some of the murders and there are several conspiracy theories surrounding the Atlanta Child Murders.
This film takes this as a basis, fictionalizes it, and imagines "what if" on of the most popular and resonant conspiracy theories was actually true.
It starts off as a pretty straight
noir tinged, urban drama following a black reporter investigating the death of a doctor at the hands of three white off duty police officers, but it goes somewhere else. As the tale unfolds, medical science fiction and Mad Doctor* elements come into story and a world of institutionalised evil is revealed.
Acting is OK - good am-dram level, no, it's better than that...there's just the occasional stilted line delivery - and as I said it is technically flat but efficient. However, it weaves a mood of fear, anxiety and unpleasantness extremely well. The story is far fetched without ever becoming ludicrous and falling over itself, in fact, the story is controlled very well indeed, even when the potentially laughable premise of calling in a small band of retired marines to help emerges! But maybe I am more forgiving of cheesy cliché than many may be!
This is a most interesting, barely known film. That I found it in a pound shop under a new title (
Atlanta Murders only appears as the title on this UK DVD release it seems) indicates that it has been largely forgotten and brushed aside. Shot on tape, the over-saturated, detail-lacking quality indicates it is from a master intended for NTSC VHS or cable broadcast. If you see it, give it a go - I reckon it may surprise you as much as it has surprised me.
*If anything comes close to ruining things, it is the eye-rolling, scenery chewing turn from the Evil Genius figure. But what else do you want from a Mad Doctor performance?
