The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008) User Reviews

Examines the tragic victims, a tribute to the anonymous...

[MarieGabrielle · 8/10 · 6 November 2009]

This film is not like most serial killer stories, in that it examines the lives of the young girls, tragic victims in the wrong place at the wrong time, born into the wrong social class with little choices Amy Davidson as victim Helen "Hel" Remus is particularly tragic and notable; a discarded child really, her mother Opal (Sharon Lawrence) is an impoverished waitress living in a trailer park, drinking, and attaching to any man who will be her meal ticket for a day.

Tom Cavanagh is good as local Detective Reichert, who persists on the Green River Killer case despite the foibles and arrogance of the FBI.

The actor portraying Gary Ridgeway is effectively sleazy and odious, he looks like any gas station attendant a young girl may hitch a ride from: that's the truly frightening aspect. Most serial killers blend in the scenery, hold steady jobs, and many are never caught.

Indeed the Green River Killer was free for over a decade and his tally of victims has never been clearly established.

Overall the film is not perfect in that some of the deeper psychological issues leading to these tragedies could have been explored, for instance what leads young girls to a transient life in the first place, and why is society failing here?.

Worth watching as it is respectful of the young and tragic victims of these senseless and random homicides. 8/10.

over-extended

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 15 December 2015]

It's 1982 Seattle. Police detective Dave Reichert (Tom Cavanagh) is investigating bodies being dumped in the Green River which is affecting his family life with wife Julie (Michelle Harrison). Helen 'Hel' Remus (Amy Davidson) makes a new friend with wild girl Nat Webley (Jessica Harmon). She rebels after getting raped by her mother (Sharon Lawrence)'s boyfriend. She runs away at 16 after a fight with her mother. Her boyfriend gets her into prostitution and she becomes convinced that the Green River Killer drives a pick-up truck.

This is a sincere but over-extended telling of the investigation plus a fictionalized story of one of his victims. This is better than most Lifetime movies. In the end, it tries so hard and falls short of greatness. There is a really compelling true story to be told. I like Cavanagh and he has some poignant scenes with his daughter. The up and downs of the investigation are great material. It's a bit extended and some of it feels repetitive. The last act is really stretched out.

The other half of the movie with Hel is fine. Davidson is good but I don't like spirit Hel. It's too lyrical. I would have prefer a true story for Hel. I also wish the movie takes a chance with the structure. The first part of the movie could be all Hel leading up to her death. Then the second part of the series could be Reichert doing the investigation. Generally, this is over-extended with some very compelling moments.

Sad tale of a prolific serial killer

[nicholls_les · 8/10 · 19 January 2019]

The content of this movie is why I give it 8 out of 10. It is incredible that one man can kill so many women over a couple of decades, despite a massive Police task force set up to catch him. One of the failings was listening to the FBI profiler who got it completely wrong but was so arrogant to accept any other evidence. Also reliance on Polygraphs which are notoriously unreliable. The killer had been arrested before but let go due to lack of evidence and because he passed the lie detector and didn't fit the profile at all. So many women and very young girls were raped and killed and it was only the advent of DNA evidence that got him caught. Even then a plea bargain means he is still alive, although in prison. Some of the acting in this movie was good, but it was over long and could have been tighter. The scenes with the dead girl talking was silly and detracted from the story.

Could this be any worse?

[DesertBeagler · 23 June 2021]

Where to even begin. The main detective's wearing a horribly obvious wig and makeup. His demeanor is more like a nerdy accountant than a hard headed detective. The film opens up with 2 actresses supposedly portraying teen girls but look more like 30 year-olds acting like they have developmental disabilities. You have people supposedly crying their eyes out but no actual tears (were eyedrops not in the budget?)

The dialogue is so dry, like the writers have no imagination at all. For example, a cop talking to a room of other cops: "We need to find clues and arrest this guy!". It's like the writer asked their 5-year old child what a cop would say.

The SeaTac Strip looks like they just went to some run down neighborhood, put up some lights and clothes racks to make it look like a busy area and called it a day.

Whoever was in charge thought absolutely nothing through about this. It deserves negative stars for how obnoxiously bad it is.

A very sad, but very moving movie

[wishihadanangel139 · 10/10 · 18 June 2008]

I watched this movie on lifetime movie network, and I cried through the end. These girls who were fictional , represented the women who went missing and were never found. I did some research on The Green River Killer and I was sickened this man was not already taken into custody before he could kill . I think that this is a great movie as it's really much like the real existing case, despite a few fictional characters. I really liked the acting in this movie, it was very emotional and moving. I don't think I'd ever want to think if I was a victim, or my friend was a victim to these heinous crimes! Watching the movie was enough to make me think hard about my own life and what I do to put myself at risk, in other words, a wake-up call.

One day all of the women will be matched to their families, as the movie says, there's always hope! Hope is what these families have to keep.

Tom is Brilliant - Movie is chilling 10 of out 10

[Kimberlyjeana · 10/10 · 8 June 2008]

I followed the story of the Green River Killer as the country did. After watching "The Capture of the Green River Killer" I have to say I too am in awe of Tom Cavanaugh's performance. I have loved him as the adorable Ed and in his romantic comedy's like "Grey Matters" and "Snow", but I too have to say that his role as Dave Reichert was just spell binding. This is a mind blowing TV movie. Better than most at the movie theater - very much like "The Lovely Bones", as the victims talk through out the movie. I was riveted by his and the whole cast's performances.

Just a fantastic movie.

"Thank You Dave Reichert"

[evon-wynn · 10/10 · 16 May 2012]

I have watched this movie almost every time it has aired on LMN! I was so touched by "Dave", that there were moments in the movie when he made me feel what he was feeling. I consider him my hero! I thank God for him and the people that protect us, he is to be forever commended for the years he devoted to his quest, I think every woman I know would give anything to have a husband exactly like him, a fine Christian, a man that had this ingenious insight; years before anyone knew his gift.I just absolutely adored this man, and the movie inspired me to read the book in two days time,I couldn't put it down. It just made me really be more aware and more careful when I met new men. I owe "Dave" for making me see things through his eyes, I pray God blesses him, and; I know he has really changed the way women think about dating!You are my hero and I love you "Dave".

Don't waste your time!

[scottdecristofaro-01033 · 2/10 · 29 July 2021]

Everything about this film is awful. The acting is horrible. It's VERY boring. It's not accurate. The video shoots look like a home made video. The made up story of the two girls is ridiculous. The narrative is annoying. Bad, bad, execution. The music during the film is hideous.

Good but

[zjcuda-68847 · 8/10 · 20 October 2021]

Everything was good excpet the very wrong depiction of john e douglas (the fbi agent) he did make the wrong call on the letter which was right after his near death problem but he never braided the cop.

Why did I watch this

[annasviolin · 3/10 · 8 July 2021]

Listen, I love a good detective story. I also love a good community theatre production. But this movie was the worst mix of the two I've ever seen. This movie has the worst script I've ever seen I'm not even kidding, how did someone green light TWO full hours of this? Where was the editing??? I literally can't with this movie. PLEASE hire a dramaturg next time I'm not even kidding. Absolutely none of the emotional moments in this movie felt earned in any way. HOW did they get spike from buffy in this movie???? I have so many questions about this movie.

Not Accurate

[qlzxnq · 3/10 · 15 February 2014]

The capture of Gary Ridgeway was due to science not police work .They tried police work for 20 years unsuccessfully , although the collection and storing of evidence is considered police work it is not done by police . The truth is Ridgeway was better at what he did then the cops were, he went out against a 150 man task force and remained prolific , in virtually the same location , I don't know of any other case like it . He killed at least 90 women , that is amazing in a city setting , over a 20 year period . If it wasn't for DNA and the advancements in science he'd still be free .This is really what got to Reichart , he was bested by a really sick person .Also they tried to make him look like Saint Dave , which is demeaning to him , a good man I think . How do you not take it personally ? You can't seeing innocent , sad , young runaways and the like discarded obviously took a heavy toll on Dave . A show about how a person deals with that would be fascinating .

Average True-Crime Story of Serial Murderer.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 10 April 2008]

The so-called Green River killer was responsible for more than three dozen deaths of women, mostly prostitutes, in the Seattle/Tacoma area of Washington state. This lengthy, slow, dark film isn't really his story. It follows the career of Dave Reichert (Thomas Cavanaugh), the head of the Green River task force at the King's County Sheriff's Office, with some additional time given over to the trials and tribulations of one of the killer's victims, Helen Remus (Amy Davidson).

It's not much more than a routine rendering of what has by now become a familiar narrative -- the mounting toll of bodies, the frustrated police, the dead ends, the pressure from the press, and finally the cathartic payoff.

"The Deliberate Stranger", the TV movie about Ted Bundy, for all its flaws, was a more tightly wound and better scripted tale, focusing as it did on the ensemble of cops, on the one hand, and Bundy's peregrinations on the other. The insertion of Bundy's affair with one or another woman was an informative diversion. Here, Helen Remus provides the narration, speaking from beyond the grave, in a warehouse filled with the GRK's other victims standing in a silent tableau. Her maunderings cover a lot of philosophy, with God dragged in by the heels, mostly centering around free will versus fate. (She quotes from William Henley's "Invictus" -- "I am the captain of my fate./ I am the master of my soul.") It all sounds like so much padding, although everyone is entitled to his or her philosophy about life, whether elegant or folksy. Heck, it's REQUIRED that we have one, even if we have to bootleg it in by the back door. It does get tiresome, though, and predictable. She was basically a good-hearted girl who came from a dysfunctional family and all the rest of it. If she weren't a hooker, she might have been a nun. That kind of portrayal of the victim as abused but still brave and generous, cheapens the narrative. She was murdered and her body dumped. Would it have been less a crime if she'd been shown as the cynical, self-indulgent hooker she might well have been? But that's just part of the problem with this film. There is no wit in the meandering script, no sparkle. And what passion it tries to evoke is undercut by the weak acting. Thomas Cavanaugh looks the part of the chief detective, but he has only a tentative hold on his instrument. His explosion of anger at the end of his interrogation of the captive killer looks like that of an actor trying to act out an explosion of anger, and his tender scenes aren't much better. I don't mean this as a slur on Thomas Cavanaugh the man. He probably has a loving family and a nice dog. It's just that, as a performer, he has a way to go.

There are a couple of nice shots of rivers flowing through dismal gray rocks, stirring and foaming, suggestive of peace and nature and submerged corpses. Now THAT makes one wax philosophical. It would have been nice, finally, if it had had a faster pace and if it had had a few more scenes that were brightly lighted. Even the sheriff's offices are filmed with only a few scattered lights. The lighting isn't stylish or dramatic. It's just too low. Where did this noirish nonsense come from -- "The X Files"?

RIDICULOUS!

[skarylarry-93400 · 5/10 · 14 July 2021]

The guy who portrayed Gary Ridgeway doesn't look anything like him. They didn't need commentary from that girl throughout the move; was stupid and was not needed! That ruined the movie!

Too long and boring

[mikelcat · 3/10 · 15 June 2008]

This '' chronicle'' of the capture of the green river killer is a story of Dave Reichart the cop who couldn't catch him . Given all the latest tools police technology had to offer and a lot of manpower he was unable to find the perpetrator .Hey , it happens . It tore Reichart apart for sure he was and apparently is tormented by this incident but it was hardly his fault . The person who caught Gary Ridgeway was the unknown DNA perfector and the crime scene tech .Ridgeway was interviewed several times some by Reichart personally , the searched his house twice and his work area and nothing . Reichart's obsession with this case is in my opinion his inability to accept the fact that he couldn't catch Ridgeway straight up .A post arrest interview between Reichart and Ridgeway spoke volumes /Reichart tried to intimidate and bully Ridgeway , his hostility and feelings of ineptitude were very evident as well as his guilt . Reichart it wasn't your responsibility even though you see it that way , its your job to do your best , thats it .Part of being a man is accepting when your best effort didn't produce a desired result .I believe his motives were genuine , but his ego doesn't allow him to move on .If you have difficulty think of all the innocent men you hounded on this case and were proved wrong , how you invaded their lives and privacy , feel bad about them instead of yourself.You must reconcile that with the fact you did your best , put extra-ordinary time and effort into this , sacrificed time with your family as well So don't waste any more time on the sicko . Your just a man who came up short on this occasion, move on .This film didn't effectively document this story in my opinion .

Historic Story/Fictitious Account

[thejesuscat · 5/10 · 13 February 2022]

The plot and (sadly) the account of the victims are a bit inaccurate, I felt I could not continue to watch the show. However, after a few hours, I continued watching. Pros: in the end, I gained a better understanding of the victims lives. Cons: I dismissed the actual facts about the case and watched it as a form of entertainment,sadly.

Overall, I would think an honest portrayal, especially in regards to the many girls and ladies who lost their lives due to the murderous "Green River Killer," would be a better way to remember their lives. So, an accurate telling of the story could have served as a benefit for all involved in that tragedy.

Horrible acting!

[jakebrann · 5/10 · 13 May 2022]

Other than the acting being horrible! It was really annoying how much they try to make this seem like some kind of Lifetime Christian movie where they kept bringing God up. Asking why he lets these things happen to people blah blah... not sure why the movie was made this way. Also, the soundtrack was cheesy and horrible.

Just. Awful.

[shebaoftheeast · 1/10 · 29 May 2018]

Did they actually do any research? Like, AT ALL? The Sea Tac Strip has NEVER been like that...they played it like Sunset Strip. It's NEVER been that busy, and shops DEFINITELY do not display merch out on the sidewalk like that. IT RAINS HERE! The body with the fish displayed? Wrong kind of fish. The pregnant woman's body found with the Space Needle in the background? You can't see the Space Needle from ANY of the body locations. Even from the Aurora end of the Strip, the Needle would look TINY. SO much bad I can't even get through it!

The Capture Of The Green River Killer

[a_baron · 5/10 · 14 May 2021]

This is neither the first nor the last film and/or documentary about this monster. This particular one has been called prolix and full of errors, but while it is indeed a tad on the long side, the errors aren't important. The real names of the victims are used, and though it isn't a documentary, it isn't much of a drama. A lot of it focuses on the publicity the murders generated and the red herrings the police chased, something they are forced to do in any complex investigation, especially those that involve missing persons or murders. At the end, we see Ridgway's confession made with all the sincerity of a turkey relishing the onset of Christmas. If you're tempted to watch this, think of a better way of spending three hours first, like watching three or four documentaries about other serial killers.

Lol.....

[luyaj7 · 1/10 · 10 July 2022]

.......... just shows how useless and dumb kkkops are. Over 20+ years with hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars and resources and they couldn't find him. Never trust a kkkop.

How do you film

[shapril-06953 · 20 August 2021]

A show based on the Green River killer and not film It in the cities where all of this happened? I know sounds trivial but make it right.