Dahmer (2002)
Review by Peter Syslo

DAHMER (2002) is another entry in the “real-life-killer” genre and, unfortunately, I have to say that I was a little disappointed by the film. It’s actually a fairly well-made movie but the main point of it - Dahmer’s twisted, murderous, cannibalistic lifestyle – was diluted and the whole film experience was basically unfulfilling, like 2007’s ZODIAC (although I did like that film more). Now, I wasn’t expecting an exploitative, slasher film but I did expect a little more “bite” to the picture. The movie wasn’t completely disastrous and it did have some interesting points, but it mainly focused on Dahmer’s quest for a male sexual partner, rather than focusing on the bizarre murders. Before I go on, I just want to say that my criticism has nothing to do with making fun of homosexuality or being disrespectful to the gay community; I ju st feel that the movie focused on the wrong thing and it wasn’t as good as it could have been, once again, like ZODIAC.

DAHMER is directed by David Jacobson and is written by David Birke and Jacobson. The film stars Jeremy Renner (Jeffrey Dahmer), Bruce Davison (Lionel Dahmer), Artel Kayaru (Rodney), and Kate Williamson (Grandma Dahmer).

The film is basically about Dahmer’s attempts at intimate relationships, prior to his capture. It explains some of his background, in various flashbacks, and you do get a sense of the development of his method of creating a “sexual zombie”, through his “serial” approach of seducing, drugging, and killing. There are also a few scenes involving his knack for collecting body parts, as in one scene at his grandmother’s house. His father wants to see what Jeffrey has in an old wooden chemistry box and after arguing, you do learn that Jeff has a head in the box. Scenes like that are interspersed with “current” action and the latter half of the film centers around Dahmer’s seduction and attempted kill of a young man named Rodney. He was Jeff’s last intended victim, before being arrested and the film ends with that thought, in mind.

Taking the story into consideration, there are only a few instances of Dahmer’s perverse and bizarre killings. The head in the box, the corpse in the bed, and a few attacks on his victims were pretty much the extent of his maniacal behavior. I think that the problem with the whole film can be summed up with this one statement: It showed Dahmer as a man when really I was interested to see Dahmer as “the monster”. Maybe even a better balance of the man/monster quality would have injected some fire into the depiction. However, I did like the fact that you did get some good background information on who he was and the problems he had, such as: his parents’ divorce; his father’s apparent yet subtle mental state; and his alcohol/substance abuse. Those were all high points to the film; I realize that his quest for “love”, acceptance, and/o r companionship had a huge influence on his murderous behavior but that aspect seemed to overshadow other, necessary components of the film.

Concerning other elements of the film - the direction, acting, cinematography, etc. were all good and were another “plus”. Renner was really good as Jeffrey and Davison was probably the best in the picture, as his father – Davison is always an interesting actor because he plays “weasilly” characters very well. I guess, overall, the film could have been worse – it could have turned into an overly dramatic “re-imagining” of Dahmer’s life and I applaud the filmmaker for not delving into that territory.

Cutting to the chase: DAHMER wasn’t terrible but I do feel that it missed the mark and it could have been better. My favorite killer biopic is still ED GEIN (2000) – that had the perfect balance of the man and the monster and it also kept true to the historical tale. If you like films about real-life serial killers or you like behind-the-killer pictures, then you may like DAHMER. It is worth checking out for some of the depictions of his background but don’t go into it expecting gore, cannibalism, or MURDER SET PIECES hyper-violence. I give DAHMER a 4 out of 10.