Customer Reviews

The Deliberate Stranger [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I would say this television movie is a must see for anyone interested in the life and "career" of serial killer Ted Bundy. Mark Harmon does a very respectable job of portraying a man who is charming, intellectual, romantic, charismatic, intellectual, and digustingly despicable, all at the same time.

You must keep in mind that this movie was made in 1986, and for television. Because of that, it does not display the violence of Bundy's story the way movies today (in the 21st century) are likely to portray violence. Still, the graphic violence really isn't needed in this case. Bundy's story is really a tale of a life full of potential gone incredibly wrong. "The Deliberate Stranger" captures that theme very well, and Harmon portrays Bundy with a personality (and sickness) that has you glued to the screen.

In terms of accuracy, I would say this TV movie is 95% right on. It is perfectly understandable that the names of the victims were changed (for the most part), but the circumstances of their crimes were not. I would recommend reading Larsen's book of the same name or Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me" before viewing the movie. Trust me, you will be able to relate all the ficitious names in the movie to the real life victims and circumstances. Some of the scenes are so close to the real facts that it is chilling.

There have been several movies about Bundy in the years since "The Deliberate Stranger" was produced in 1986. I would still recommend this one above all the others. Again, you need to keep in mind that it was made for television and the year in which it was made, but even still, it is a compelling portrayal of the events as they unfolded. If you are simply looking for blood and guts, this is not the version for you, but if you are looking for a multidimensional look at the man -- Theodore Robert Bundy -- you will be quite happy with this version and with Harmon's portrayal.

Keep in mind that this movie was made within a decade of the actual events. So far, it is as close to the real life facts as I've ever seen in a dramatic presentation of Bundy's life. I'm still hoping for a *quality* feature film on Ted Bundy. If done right, and with the proper budget (and talented actors), I think that type of film could be an Oscar winner. Until then, Mark Harmon's television Bundy stands up quite well. Get it. Watch it. This fascinating, compelling, and tragic tale of wasted potential and lives ended too soon never goes out of style. You will be riveted. Its one major shortcoming is that is was filmed (and completed) three years before Bundy's real life tale finally came to an end -- in the electric chair at Florida State Prison. If only there could be an *afterward* to television movies.

I remember seeing this movie on TV when I was a kid, and from that, I became obsessed with serial killers. Not in a bad way...I've just found them fascinating, that they can appear so seemingly ordinary yet they're completely crazy. And we're not just talking a few sandwiches short of a picnic here either. Anyway, if you know about Ted Bundy, you will certainly enjoy this movie, despite some discrepencies in accuracy. I wish they would put this on DVD already! So, if you have ever been interested in Ted Bundy, The Deliberate Stranger will certainly appeal to you.

I have watched several movies, read books, and done extensive research on serial killers. I found this movie both accurate in the history of Mr. Bundy as well as a complelling story depicting the victim's families ordeal of losing their daughters. Serial killers can strike out at any one and no one is exempt. Everyone should be aware that all serial killers are not "ugly and fiendish", but some are handsome and intelligent men who can coerce even the most assertive women into their lairs. A must see for all women entering a college or university or just being themselves, a typical young woman.

This movie was a little dissapointing. Especially since I had to search high and low for a copy of it. I felt it was really rushed. I realize that they had a lot of Bundy's life to get through, however, they started out with the Lake Sammammish murders and skipped over the first few. I must agree that Mark Harmon did an exceptional job. I'm not sure they could have found a better on screen Bundy. It wasn't terribly accurate but it wasn't completely off either. I wish they would have made a movie from Ann Rule's, The Stranger Beside Me. That would have made for a much more interesting plot. Her book was amazing. If anything, I would recommend this movie just to see Mark Harmon's performance. His good looks and unmistakable charm really held this movie together. In Ann Rule's book, after this movie was released she said that she was getting so many letters from girls saying they were in love with Ted and they wanted to help him. She told them that they weren't in love with Ted Bundy, they were in love with Mark Harmon. Now I know what she meant.

the very first time i saw this movie was not long after i'd seen the movie summer school in which mark hammond also stares as the gym/english teacher. at first i thought it was a hard sell to move him from a goofy guy to that of ted bundy, but he eventually proved himself to be quite a good actor. loved the cameo of terry farrel, and the police were given a real human side that you normally don't see in a study of serial killers. also, the film quality and shots gave it a 70's feel to it which was in line with when the murders took place. i enjoyed it a lot and recommend it to anyone that likes learning about serial killers. this movie is 3 1/2 hours long and all of it's interesting.

I read the other reviews and I'm not sure what everyone else got so excited about. The movie opens with what I can only assume is the stalking of Georgeann Hawkins; I say "assume" because none of the victims are called by their true names---with the notable exception of Denise Naslund (and her mother Eleanor Rose), one of the Lake Sam victims.

Bundy's earlier victims (Lynda Healy, Susan Rancourt, Donna Manson, and Brenda Ball, among others) are barely mentioned. Details of the Utah and Colorado murders (Melissa Smith, Laura Aime, and Caryn Campbell) are mixed up with other victims or just plain wrong. I found this distracting, as I caught myself spending time trying to figure out which pseudonym belonged to which victim.

Robert Keppel, also called by his real name, gives some interest to the story as we follow his efforts to not only catch Bundy, but to establish a computer database to store, sort, and cross-index all the crime data, which did eventually help lead to Bundy's capture, and was the forerunner of the FBI's VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) database of today.

Mark Harmon's performance was good, although he does seem a little too wholesome for the role.

If you're interested in this movie to learn more about Ted Bundy (as I was), I would recommend instead A&E's Biography, or reading Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me" or Michaud & Aynesworth's "The Only Living Witness."

PLOT: Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy~ he nailed this performance~ excellent portait of Ted the man with charm and looks enough to fool JUST about everyone~ very good detailed.

Ted Bundy was charming and was headed to law school. He loved women and women loved him~ his charm, wit, very empathetic and most of all handsome looks made him stand out~ but his superior IQ all gave him the means to vent his Psychopathic personality and be very successful at serial killing. The actual number is still (some believe over 100 in 6 or more states)... BUT in "this" version about 20 girls over many years (1974-1978) were succesfully killed by TED~ why his own friends believe him innocent~ Ted has the charm to have girl friends and be fairly nice to them~ they fall in love with his charm and looks~ but some where the REAL Ted show up and then he sets off on a killing spree~the term THE DELIBERATE STRANGER IS BECAUSE TED ALWAYS "CHOOSE STRANGERS" TO MURDER~ but has lasting relationships with his friends and girlfrieds.....but TED sees his target and in broad day at beaches, ski resorts, school, college campuses and more... TED in plain sight knows how to "charm" and TRICK the women to go with him by any lie he can ...just long "enough for TED to abduct and kill them"~ and then next thing a girl is missing~ with some computer work and plain old fashion good detective work TED hit the top of the suspect list~ at the times the police can blame their own blunders when he escapes more than once the last time sadly he killed and raped many women in several days~ before one last capture~ ODDLY ENOUOGH what leads the police most of the time for his "captures" is his lousy driving he stopped and then gets arrested. GEE doesn't every one have a PAIR OF HANDCUFFS AND CROWBAR IN THE BACK OF THE CAR~? before DNA this is a good movie and clever Ted cons just about every one~ MARK HARMON IS EXCELLENT right down the charm and good looks and has women falling all over him~ he "becomes TED".

I GIVE THIS A SOLID 9 OUT OF 10 FOR A VERY GOOD TV MOVIE.