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Chapter 27 (2008)
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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
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 2/5 |
Despite all his obvious effort and admirable Stanislavskian immersion, his Chapman is pure cinematic affectation, a compendium of great movie madmen of the past. Full Review |
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The eternal question of why Chapman shot Lennon is not answered. And that's probably because there IS no real reason. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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0.5/4 |
Chapter 27 just makes you feel bad for, and about, everybody -- including the wretched souls who made the thing. Full Review |
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 3/4 |
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. Full Review |
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Imagine hanging out in the head of a psychotic, indefensible loser for 80 minutes and getting nothing worth remembering or admiring in return. Full Review |
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2/5 |
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. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
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. Full Review |
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3/10 |
Stop the madness and please avoid this film at all costs. Full Review |
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D- |
The film manages to be entirely about Mark David Chapman without saying a single insightful thing about him. Full Review |
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C |
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. Full Review |
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B |
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. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
There are cheesy special effects and even cheesier gags, and the schmaltz eventually piles on neck-deep. Full Review |
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It's a train-wreck turn in a dreary movie about a self-pitying loser responsible for murdering a beloved pop icon. Full Review |
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[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. Full Review |
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3/5 |
A study guide for celebrity bodyguards. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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1.5/5 |
If 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. Full Review |
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However much objectivity the filmmakers try to bring to it, there is an inescapable element of glorification of thoroughly reprehensible characters. Full Review |
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2/4 |
The film's 85 minutes drag by painfully slowly, because there's no respite from Chapman's tedious, self-pitying reveries. Full Review |
CommentLatest 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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