First-time writer/director J.P. Schaefer takes the reins for this haunting look at the mental collapse of Mark David Chapman in the days leading up to the murder of legendary musician John Lennon. Jared Leto stars as the man whose awe of Lennon and unrelenting drive to achieve infamy pushed him to pull the trigger on the former Beatle, and Lindsay Lohan stars as the devoted Lennon fan who befriended the killer on that fateful New York weekend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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.
By 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.
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.
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.
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.
Despite all his obvious effort and admirable Stanislavskian immersion, his Chapman is pure cinematic affectation, a compendium of great movie madmen of the past.
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.
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.
[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.
Lindsay plays her future self in a movie about some fuck with a gun and sideburns and he thinks hes Holden bla bla bla "John Lennon, sign my baseball cap, please!" that fucker didn't sign it... bla back to the crust hotel room cigarettes big sweaty gut, prostitute, "please please just be quiet while we make sex, i like
the sound of my own breathing, why should that freak you out, please dont go!" walks back to Lennon's apartment, waits for nine hours, "Hey Lennon!.... shoulda signed my rubber duckie, you fuck-hole!" BLAMMO! great, great scathing wit, soaked in satirical pleasure that will make your irony bone crackle!
Not exactly what I expected of this film, of course it represents the facts along with some assumptions no doubt, of the events leading up to the assassination of John Lennon and Jared Leto did play a very visually transformed character, along with (I'm sure) a very good interpretation of the man who became famous of
the crime, however...this film was like watching paint dry, I am a Lennon fan (hence my original interest in the film)but it's very dull and so is the character and his tedious ramblings. The only Saving Grace is that the film length is quite short for a full length feature.
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