Despite all his obvious effort and admirable Stanislavskian immersion, his Chapman is pure cinematic affectation, a compendium of great movie madmen of the past.
Comment
10/18/08
Chapter 27 (2008)
20 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 45
Fresh: 9
Rotten:36
Average Rating: 3.9/10
Consensus: Despite Jared Leto's committed performance, Chapter 27 fails to penetrate to mind of Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s killer.
Theatrical Release:Mar 28, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: What went on in the mind of the man who felt compelled to assassinate John Lennon? Chapter 27 deftly pilots us into the dark psyche of Mark David Chapman the weekend before the December 8, 1980,... [More]
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Reviews for Chapter 27
The eternal question of why Chapman shot Lennon is not answered. And that's probably because there IS no real reason.
07/12/08
his drama, about the three days leading up to the murder, never overcomes its inherent ghoulishness, largely because Chapman, like so many mentally ill people, is a huge bore.
04/25/08
Top CriticChapter 27 just makes you feel bad for, and about, everybody -- including the wretched souls who made the thing.
04/25/08
Top CriticBy the end of this modest, strange venture, Leto made me believe it was worth being forced to hang out on the sidewalk with this man, if only to get a creeping sense of what that might've been like.
04/24/08
Top CriticImagine hanging out in the head of a psychotic, indefensible loser for 80 minutes and getting nothing worth remembering or admiring in return.
04/24/08
Despite the subject, the script is flat. Despite using the real locations, the production looked cheesy. Finally, the decision to strip Mark David Chapman (John Lennon's killer) of any humanity makes the narrative decidedly one note.
04/21/08
The film is impressively mounted and Schaefer has made a directorial debut of distinction, but it is an uncomfortable ride from the opening scenes of Chapman arriving in New York to the inevitable, inexorable final scene.
04/18/08
Top CriticStop the madness and please avoid this film at all costs.
04/18/08
The film manages to be entirely about Mark David Chapman without saying a single insightful thing about him.
04/14/08
If [director] Schaefer's intent was to provide some sort of insight into Chapman's character, some hint of explanation for this senseless tragedy, he fails, probably because there's none to be found beyond one lonely guy's addled brain chemistry.
04/11/08
Chapter 27 is far from flawless, but Leto disappears inside this angry, mouth-breathing psycho geek with a conviction that had me hanging on his every delusion.
04/09/08
Top CriticThere are cheesy special effects and even cheesier gags, and the schmaltz eventually piles on neck-deep.
04/04/08
It's a train-wreck turn in a dreary movie about a self-pitying loser responsible for murdering a beloved pop icon.
04/04/08
[Leto's] mumbled voiceover may perfectly reflect Chapman's inner world. [But] who wants to enter that world? Neither Chapman ... nor his inner life is very interesting ... I was looking at my watch before the first third of the movie had passed.
04/03/08
A study guide for celebrity bodyguards.
04/03/08
This is a very tough film to watch, especially for Beatles fans that worshipped Lennon, but it does provide a thought-provoking take on the inner workings of Mark David Chapman’s twisted mind.
03/31/08
Top CriticIf there is any good reason for an audience to spend an hour and a half wallowing in the psychotic reveries of this wayward young man, the filmmakers and their star have sadly failed to provide it.
03/28/08
However much objectivity the filmmakers try to bring to it, there is an inescapable element of glorification of thoroughly reprehensible characters.
03/28/08
The film's 85 minutes drag by painfully slowly, because there's no respite from Chapman's tedious, self-pitying reveries.
03/28/08
Latest News for Chapter 27
March 25, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
January 26, 2007:
Sundance Review: "Starting Out in the Evening" Is Funny; "Chapter 27" Needs to Lose Weight; "Once" Has Charms
Senh caught the screenings of three films making their stop at the Sundance Film Festival this week: a funny and well-acted drama about relationships and the creative process; a... More...
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