To Catch A Killer Movie Review 201

 To Catch A Killer is a 1992 made-for-TV movie about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy and it stars 

Brian Dennehy, Michael Riley, Margot Kidder and Meg Foster.

The movie starts with a young man called Chris Gant who disappears in 1978 at a local pharmacy after going outside to meet a guy who is offering him a job. His mother was waiting inside the store and she is very worried when he does not come back. The investigation is headed by Lieutenant Joe Konzenczak who suspects a local businessman and pillar of the society, John Wayne Gacy played by Dennehy. Gacy denies meeting the young man and there is no evidence that he did. The other cops think that the Lieutenant is clutching at straws as Gacy is so well respected but he perseveres with his case. He meets with Gant's parents and looks through his room. He finds a camera but not much else. The cops get a warrant to search Gacy's house, but they find nothing that would incriminate him, though he has men's underwear, dirty magazines, men's jewellery, handcuffs and they find a board with handcuffs attached to it and a pharmacy receipt for photographs.Konzenczak is disappointed there is no concrete evidence. Gacy is cocky, self- assured and very arrogant. He even plays Pogo the clown for kids in hospital! The cops even consult a psychic played by Margot Kidder and she gives them some clues.

The cops get information that Gacy sodomised a young boy and went to prison for it. They put surveillance guys on him and he teases them at every opportunity. He laughs and jokes with them and he is really cool about the whole thing which makes Konzenczak angry. To make it worse, Gacy brings a lawsuit against the Lieutenant for harassment. Things start to go wrong for Gacy when the cops talk to his pal. He tells them that Gacy liked young men and that he had them in his house on more than one occasion. He also tells them that the car he has was sold to him by Gacy and he doesn't know where Gacy got it. It happens to be identical to one belonging to a missing young man. Gacy is linked to missing young men and his world comes crumbling down. Konzenczak remembers the pharmacy receipt in Gacy's house and he talks to the young girl who was working there the night Gant disappeared. She tells him that she put it into the pocket of his jacket so he wouldn't forget it. That is proof that Gant was at Gacy's house and that links him to the murder.

The friend of Gacy's tells the cops that Gacy made him dig holes in the crawlspace under his house. He told him that it was for drainage. The cops get another search warrant for Gacy's house and this time they look in the crawlspace. They find human remains buried there. By the time they are finished digging, they have found 26 bodies and 3 more around his house. He killed others and disposed of them near the river, bringing his total murders to 33. They find Chris Gant's body and Konzenczak is finally happy to be able to bring the news to his parents. Now, they can bury their son. The movie ends with the cops unearthing more bodies in the crawlspace.

This was a very entertaining and well-acted movie. Dennehy is very good as the serial killer Gacy. He plays the part to perfection. He is arrogant, cocky and evil. It is a really great performance. Everyone in this movie was very good and it is faithful to the true story of Gacy. I would highly recommend this as it is suspenseful and interesting. I am going to give it an 8/10.