The thing about the 1968 movie “The Boston Strangler,” for which Tony Curtis received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the titular character, is that it was released just a few years after the brutal killing spree made headlines.
In a way, that made it feel more immediate as the true story on which it was based was still somewhat fresh in people’s memories.
Writer/director Matt Ruskin’s “Boston Strangler” (20th Century) comes knocking over 60 years after the first of the series of murders. The focus of Ruskin’s telling is Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), the female reporter at the Boston Record American newspaper who broke the story, making it front page news. Loretta, along with journalist Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), also shattered the glass ceiling that stood in the way of them becoming respected reporters in their male-dominated newsroom.
Initially stuck at the Lifestyle desk, Loretta wants to do something meaningful as a journalist. When she discovers that the other Boston papers are covering the murders, she approaches her grizzled editor Jack (a scenery chomping Chris Cooper) and eventually gets him to agree to let her do the research on her own time. Teaming up with Jean, who is much better connected to the Boston Police Department, the two women end up making important discoveries about the case, leading to the first of a series of front-page stories.
All the while, Loretta must also maintain her responsibilities as an early-to-mid 1960s wife to James (Morgan Spector) and mother of three, besides looking after her housebound mother. The strain wears on her, even intruding on her home life, but she strikes a precarious balance.
As for the killings themselves, they are presented with little shock value. When prime suspect Albert (David Dastmalchian) is arrested, many new revelations come to light, including the possibility of a coerced confession, as well as the chance that there could have been multiple copycats at work.
Sufficiently suspenseful, with murky lighting befitting the gritty story, “Boston Strangler” respectfully honors the sentiments of the period. But where are the Boston accents? It isn’t until several minutes in, after the fourth murder has occurred and Loretta meets with a policeman in a bah (that’s Boston for bar), that we get the trademark inflection. “Boston Strangler” essentially gives long overdue recognition to the work of McLaughlin (who became a medical reporter who was among the first to cover the AIDS crisis) and Cole, but it drags in spots and could have easily been at least 20 minutes shorter.
Rating: B-
Gregg Shapiro is the author of eight books including the poetry chapbook Fear of Muses (Souvenir Spoon Books, 2022). An entertainment journalist, whose interviews and reviews run in a variety of regional LGBTQ+ and mainstream publications and websites, Shapiro lives in Fort Lauderdale with his husband Rick and their dog Coco.
