Blue Caprice | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alexandre Moors |
Screenplay by | R.F.I. Porto |
Story by | Alexandre Moors R.F.I. Porto |
Produced by | Isen Robbins Aimee Schoof Ron Simons Stephen Tedeschi Brian O'Connell Kim Jackson Will Rowbotham |
Starring | Isaiah Washington Tequan Richmond Joey Lauren Adams Tim Blake Nelson Leo Fitzpatrick Cassandra Freeman |
Cinematography | Brian O'Carroll |
Edited by | Gordon Grinberg Alexandre Moors |
Music by | Colin Stetson Sarah Neufeld |
Production companies | SimonSays Entertainment Stephen Tedeschi Production Aiko Films Intrinsic Value Films |
Distributed by | Sundance Selects |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $93,995 [1] |
Blue Caprice is a 2013 American independent crime film directed by Alexandre Moors, and based on the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks. The film stars Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond as the perpetrators of the attacks, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo, respectively, although the two are only referred to by their first names. It recounts how Lee, a lone teenager, was drawn into the shadow of John, who served as a father figure to him, and how they eventually began their killing spree.
Blue Caprice also stars Joey Lauren Adams, Tim Blake Nelson and Leo Fitzpatrick. [2] It was written by R.F.I. Porto. It debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released in theaters on September 13, 2013. [3]
Lee moves to the United States from Antigua by himself; his mother cannot move due to her job. As a lone teenager, Lee comes in contact with John. John is living with his three children: one daughter and two sons. After spending some time together, John and Lee move to Tacoma, Washington, alongside John's girlfriend Angela. John starts introducing Lee as his son.
John meets his old-time friend, Ray, while going for a jog with Lee. Ray introduces Lee to guns. Lee turns out to be a natural marksman. One day, John tries to contact his children in Maryland but is unsuccessful due to a restraining order. Frustrated by this, John comes home and has an argument with Angela over a petty issue; Angela throws John and Lee out of her house. John and Lee move in with Ray, his wife, and their toddler son. Lee discovers a cache of firearms in Ray's basement.
Gradually, John brainwashes an impressionable Lee into committing murders. Lee commits his first murder by shooting a neighbor point-blank in the head. John encourages Lee to commit more murders in order to pay back the favor of bringing Lee to the United States. Lee commits his next murder by shooting a pub owner in the back and robbing him. With the robbery money, John and Lee buy a dark blue Chevrolet Caprice Classic. John teaches Lee how to drive and modifies the car's rear, adding a small makeshift gun port to the trunk.
In October 2002, John and Lee conduct a siege of terror on the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Using a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle fired from the Caprice's gun port, they commit a series of random shootings in public places for two weeks, plunging the public into fear and hysteria. The Montgomery County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation start investigating the attacks. One night, the two park in a no-parking spot to sleep; law enforcement, having caught up to them, surround their car and apprehend them, ending their ten-month-long crime spree, which caused 17 deaths and 10 injuries.
Five months later, Lee is held in prison. He is visited by a lawyer who tries to question him about the motives of the random killings. Lee remains stubborn and asks, "Where is my father?" as police officers escort him back to his cell.
After premiering at Sundance, IFC's Sundance Selects acquired domestic distribution rights. [4]
Blue Caprice received generally positive reviews from critics. The film has a score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 84 reviews, with an average score of 7.3 out of 10. The critical consensus states "Smart, sobering, and quietly chilling, Blue Caprice uses its horrible true-life story – and some solid performances – to underscore the dreadful banality of evil." [5] The film also has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 25 critics. [6]
The film was given a limited release in North America in 36 theaters and grossed $93,995 in its entire run. [1]
In October 2013, it was announced that publisher Red Giant Entertainment would produce Public Enemies, a graphic novel based on the film, to be written by the film's screenwriter, R.F.I. Porto. [7] The comic was never released.
John Q. is a 2002 American thriller drama film written by James Kearns and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a man who takes a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a heart transplant. Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kimberly Elise, and Ray Liotta appear in supporting roles.
The D.C. sniper attacks were a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 throughout the Washington metropolitan area, consisting of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and preliminary shootings, that consisted of murders and robberies in several states, and lasted for six months starting in February 2002. Seven people were killed, and seven others were injured in the preliminary shootings, and ten people were killed and three others were critically wounded in the October shootings. In total, the snipers killed 17 people and wounded 10 others in a 10-month span.
John Allen Muhammad was an American convicted spree killer who, along with his partner and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, carried out the D.C. sniper attacks of October 2002, killing seventeen people. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested in connection with the attacks on October 24, 2002, following tips from alert citizens.
A Perfect Murder is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen. It is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names have been changed and much of the plot has been rewritten and altered from its original form. Loosely based on the play by Frederick Knott, the screenplay was written by Patrick Smith Kelly.
Lee Boyd Malvo, also known as John Lee Malvo, is a Jamaican convicted mass murderer who, along with John Allen Muhammad, committed a series of murders dubbed the D.C. sniper attacks over a three-week period in October 2002. Malvo was aged 17 during the span of the shootings. He is serving multiple life sentences at Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Virginia, a maximum security prison.
Double Jeopardy is a 1999 American crime adventure thriller film directed by Bruce Beresford, and starring Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, and Bruce Greenwood. Released on September 24, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $177 million.
Stephen Hunter is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic.
Man of the House is a 2005 American crime comedy film directed by Stephen Herek. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones as Roland Sharp, a lonesome Texas Ranger who goes undercover as an assistant coach to protect a group of college cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder. Much of the film was shot in Austin, Texas on the University of Texas campus.
U.S. Marshals is a 1998 American crime action film directed by Stuart Baird, and written by John Pogue. The film is a spin-off/standalone sequel to The Fugitive (1993), and is the second release from the franchise of the same name. Though the plot references the character, Dr. Richard Kimble does not appear; rather, it centers on United States Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard, once again played by Tommy Lee Jones. The plot follows Gerard and his team as they pursue another fugitive, Mark Sheridan, played by Wesley Snipes, who attempts to escape government officials following an international conspiracy scandal. The film cast features Robert Downey Jr., Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, and LaTanya Richardson, several of whom portrayed deputy marshals in the previous film.
Tequan Richmond, also known as T-Rich, is an American actor best known for playing Drew Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. Richmond played Ray Charles Jr. in the motion picture Ray, and in the soap opera General Hospital on ABC, he portrayed TJ Ashford.
True Crime is a 1999 American mystery thriller film directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on Andrew Klavan's 1995 novel of the same name. Eastwood also stars in the film as a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.
Blue Steel is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown. The film is about a New York police officer who shoots and kills an armed criminal on her first day of active duty, only for a witness of the incident to steal the criminal's weapon and begin tormenting her life as the object of a homicidal obsession.
Double Whammy is a 2001 crime comedy drama film written and directed by Tom DiCillo, and starring Denis Leary, Elizabeth Hurley and Steve Buscemi. Although intended to be released in theaters, it was ultimately distributed direct-to-video.
Sleepless is a 2001 Italian giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Max von Sydow and Stefano Dionisi and marks Argento's return to the giallo subgenre. The film was another box office success when it opened in Italy, taking in over 5,019,733,505 lira by the end of its theatrical run.
Twelve is a 2010 teen crime drama film directed by Joel Schumacher from a screenplay by Jordan Melamed, based on Nick McDonell's 2002 novel of the same name. The film follows a young drug dealer whose luxurious lifestyle falls apart after his cousin is murdered and his best friend is arrested for the crime. It stars Chace Crawford, Rory Culkin, Curtis Jackson, Emily Meade, and Emma Roberts.
Assault on Wall Street is a 2013 action thriller film written and directed by Uwe Boll and starring Dominic Purcell, Erin Karpluk, Edward Furlong and Keith David. It tells the story of a security guard who struggles to pay for his wife's medical bills and loses his investments in the financial crisis of 2007–2008, prompting a shooting spree on Wall Street after his wife takes her own life.
Chi-Raq is a 2015 American musical crime comedy drama film, directed and produced by Spike Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. Set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's south side, particularly the Englewood neighborhood.
The Yellow Birds is a 2017 American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston, and Jennifer Aniston.
Cut Throat City is a 2020 American heist film directed by RZA from a screenplay by Paul Cuschieri. The film stars Shameik Moore, T.I., Demetrius Shipp Jr., Kat Graham, Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, Eiza González and Ethan Hawke.
Spree is a 2020 American found footage black comedy horror film directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko. The gonzo-style satire follows a social media obsessed rideshare driver played by Joe Keery who, in an attempt to become viral, livestreams himself murdering passengers. The film also stars Sasheer Zamata, David Arquette, Kyle Mooney and Mischa Barton. It was executive-produced by Drake.