Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Synopsis: In director Robert Schmidt's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (the "in Suburbia" is Schmidt's addition), the role of the protagonist is played not by a troubled young man who kills his landlady, but by a teenage girl (Monica Keena) who murders an older man... In director Robert Schmidt's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (the "in Suburbia" is Schmidt's addition), the role of the protagonist is played not by a troubled young man who kills his landlady, but by a teenage girl (Monica Keena) who murders an older man who has been molesting her. The punishment, rather than a police interrogation and exile to Siberia, is a series of psychological discussions with a common cop who has a romantic interest in her. An interesting take on an old story, the film raises the nagging moral questions: When is a crime justifiable? and How does the punishment fit the crime? [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Monica Keena, Vincent Kartheiser, Ellen Barkin, James DeBello, Michael Ironside
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Reviews
The crime? Turning Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel into a glorified music video.
Despite its pretenses, the film fails to break the mold, presenting stock characters in predictable situations without a gimmick to separate it from the pack.
At one point Vincent muses, 'It's hard to lift somebody out of hell.' Not that hard if you're stuck watching Crime and Punishment in Suburbia. Deliverance is just below the exit sign.
Every single thing about Crime and Punishment in Suburbia is stolen and tired.
Watch this movie instead of reading Dostoyevsky's novel, and you'll still fail the exam. This movie fails, too.
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by: Andrew Colvin 1/13/01


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