Product Details

• Actors: Mark Harmon, Frederic Forrest, George Grizzard, Ben Masters, Glynnis O'Connor
• Format: Color, EP, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 188 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302662486
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,561 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Don't think that because the Ted Bundy biopic The Deliberate Stranger was a TV movie it will somehow be tamer than a feature film on the same subject. Though there's very little graphic violence, the film is as disturbing and intense as the creepiest big-screen thriller. Mark Harmon, playing daringly against type (the film aired in 1986, around the time People magazine dubbed Harmon "the sexiest man alive"), is riveting as the charming Bundy, who is believed to have murdered dozens of young women in the 1970s--all while keeping up the appearance of being an earnest law student and rising political star in the Seattle area. Harmon, whose performance earned him an Emmy nomination, is commanding as Bundy; he's believably boyish and utterly charismatic, and has mastered all the Bundy tics we came to know during his televised trials, including the lopsided grin and the slightly bug-eyed stare. The film sticks impressively closely to the facts of the case and allows the viewer, along with his potential victims, to be swept away by Bundy's charm and craftiness. And it's the filmmakers' great achievement that knowing the ultimate outcome of the case--Bundy was finally executed in Florida in 1989--doesn't affect our involvement in the film. Watch this one with all the lights on. --Anne Hurley

Amazon.com

Don't think that because the Ted Bundy biopic The Deliberate Stranger was a TV movie it will somehow be tamer than a feature film on the same subject. Though there's very little graphic violence, the film is as disturbing and intense as the creepiest big-screen thriller. Mark Harmon, playing daringly against type (the film aired in 1986, around the time People magazine dubbed Harmon "the sexiest man alive"), is riveting as the charming Bundy, who is believed to have murdered dozens of young women in the 1970s--all while keeping up the appearance of being an earnest law student and rising political star in the Seattle area. Harmon, whose performance earned him an Emmy nomination, is commanding as Bundy; he's believably boyish and utterly charismatic, and has mastered all the Bundy tics we came to know during his televised trials, including the lopsided grin and the slightly bug-eyed stare. The film sticks impressively closely to the facts of the case and allows the viewer, along with his potential victims, to be swept away by Bundy's charm and craftiness. And it's the filmmakers' great achievement that knowing the ultimate outcome of the case--Bundy was finally executed in Florida in 1989--doesn't affect our involvement in the film. Watch this one with all the lights on. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eerie and Creepy, June 15, 2000

By 

Becky - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deliberate Stranger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is undoubtedly the finest performance of Mark Harmon's career, as he more than adequately steps into the shoes to play the part of Ted Bundy, probably the most notorious serial killer of the twentieth century. He effortlessly captures Bundy's on the surface boyish charm, explaining to the viewers why Bundy's protestations of innocence were able to fool so many people for so long, and also how he was able to lure his unsuspecting victims to their ultimate fate. Masters, Forrest, Walsh, and Ashton are also excellent as the frustrated detectives who spent years following Bundy's trail of death around the United States. Thankfully, this movie spares the viewers the grisly details of how the murders occurred, but the non exploitive way in which it deals with Bundy's destruction of so many lives is what truly makes this movie shine. It runs for over three hours and we all know what happened to Bundy in the end, but this fact is diluted by the way the excellent script and acting weaves a web of suspense and intrigue which is enthralling to the very end. I can guarantee two things - that whoever watches this mini series will never forget it, and they will forever speculate as to the true tally of lives that Bundy took, a tally which he carried with him to the grave.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harmon at his best, April 29, 2001

By 

Stacy Parenteau (Lawrence, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deliberate Stranger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Like many other people who saw this movie, I think Mark Harmon did a sensational job capturing Bundy's personality. As a psychology major, I was impressed with how Mark portrayed Bundy's charming, attractive exterior and the emptiness, frustration, and hatred simmering beneath the surface. Unfortunately, many of Mark's roles have merely exploited his good looks instead of capturing his talent, but here he deserves all of the praise he received for his performance. I like the fact that they also showed what the families of the victims and the police working on the case went through. To sum it up, an impressively accurate and captivating movie.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written movie., May 11, 2006

By 

C. A. Acosta "Writer and researcher, specialt... (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deliberate Stranger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

First of all, I must address the use of the names. It is perfectly understandable that some of the victims' names were not used on this. The reason being that this is still a very sensitive subject for the many that felt the results of Bundy's crimes. He may be dead, but the toll of destruction Bundy has caused cannot be so easily erased by time. I found this to be a good movie because it showed how Det. Keppel, now a PhD, had dealt with the greusome details of this case. It showed the terrible job that police had when they had the terrible duty of telling the parents that their child was not coming home. Bundy is also shown in a somewhat glorified light, except when committing his crimes. It may have been only suggested, but if you really want to see the brutallity of his crime, watch the movie "Ted Bundy" or "The Riverman" which had reference to one of Bundy's crimes in graphic detail. If one is concerned about the names, read Richard Larsen's book bearing the same title, as well as Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me." and a few other books on Bundy. You'll find those are graphic enough. One has to realize that this was made for Television, and for its time it was brutal enough. Bundy's victims weren't Only the ones he killed, but those affected by his crimes. The police, the families, husbands, parents, and lovers. I watched this movie, and the one thing it Did depict was the pain caused by Bundy. After watching some of the films of the same subject matter, I found this one quite accurate. If one is looking for the greusome details, look into the books on said subject. Take this movie for what it was, an observation.