This is not one of those "[very loosely] based on a true story" movies like "Braveheart". This really freaking happened.
Anybody who has ever benefitted from heart surgery -- their own or a loved one's -- owes a debt of gratitude to an obscure southern Black carpenter with the unlikely name Vivien, on the payroll of Johns Hopkins as a janitor. This is a staggering story.
I don't know. I rented it from Netflix. And now I'm also getting the documentary about these men.
Rarely does anything take my breath away quite like when I checked and found out that it was all true. So many biopics take so much license. This one didn't.
Make sure if you rent or buy it that you also watch it with the commentaries. Wow! They uncovered more amazing things as they were researching and incorporated them into the movie. They strived to stay as true to real life as possible. Turns out this was one situation where truth was far, far more amazing and unbelievable than fiction ever could have been.
This is even more freaky than how Ann Rule got the advance to cover the hunt for a serial killer who turned out to be a friend of hers.
She had been a policewoman, then became a true-crime writer for magazines. When somebody started killing Seattle area coeds, Ann was given an advance to write about the search for the killer, who turned out to be her friend, Ted Bundy.
What a shock that must have been for Ms. Rule (yes, I realize that "shock" is probably quite the understatement). I didn't know that part of the Bundy story. I might have to check out the book sometime.
Actually, it dawned on her gradually. She and Bundy's girlfriend started to have suspicions and notified the cops, but this was back before behavioral profiling and he just wasn't the suspicious type.
That's awesome! Will it be available in (brick-and-mortar) stores, or only online? Looks worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I rented it from Netflix. And now I'm also getting the documentary about these men.
ReplyDeleteRarely does anything take my breath away quite like when I checked and found out that it was all true. So many biopics take so much license. This one didn't.
Oh, what a cool-looking movie! As someone who benefited from not just one but two heart surgeries, this topic always fascinates me.
ReplyDeleteMake sure if you rent or buy it that you also watch it with the commentaries. Wow! They uncovered more amazing things as they were researching and incorporated them into the movie. They strived to stay as true to real life as possible. Turns out this was one situation where truth was far, far more amazing and unbelievable than fiction ever could have been.
ReplyDeleteThis is even more freaky than how Ann Rule got the advance to cover the hunt for a serial killer who turned out to be a friend of hers.
GG, I've never heard of the Ann Rule thing. I assume it is a true story, because of the context of this conversation? Is it a book or a film?
ReplyDeleteIt's her first book, "The Stranger Beside Me".
ReplyDeleteShe had been a policewoman, then became a true-crime writer for magazines. When somebody started killing Seattle area coeds, Ann was given an advance to write about the search for the killer, who turned out to be her friend, Ted Bundy.
What a shock that must have been for Ms. Rule (yes, I realize that "shock" is probably quite the understatement). I didn't know that part of the Bundy story. I might have to check out the book sometime.
ReplyDeleteActually, it dawned on her gradually. She and Bundy's girlfriend started to have suspicions and notified the cops, but this was back before behavioral profiling and he just wasn't the suspicious type.
ReplyDelete