Allan Watched "No Man of God"
No Man of God is a chilling study of what leads a person to commit horrible crimes, seen through the lens of an FBI agent trying to learn how to catch future murderers. No Man of God weaves through intense dialog-heavy interactions in a gripping, unsettling, and successful way, despite it being yet another movie about Ted Bundy.
Gut Feeling
As you are taken through disturbing interviews between Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby) and FBI Agent Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood), what’s left in each scene’s wake is an examination of why serial killers and horrible criminals act as they do, and what makes them different than law-abiding citizens. No Man of God discusses if it is religion, childhood trauma, pornography, or just just the desire of evil people that causes someone to commit these horrendous crimes, but it also pointedly shows how the media’s ability to make these killers into known names affects people who have to listen to awful stories over and over again.
Why Tell This Story Again?
What makes this intense psychological think-piece of a film different than other serial killer studies is how it subtly handles how these stories affect viewers and those around these killers who cannot avoid the constant reminders of their crimes. Director Amber Sealey is deliberate with the long shots she uses that focus on women in the film who are just like the innocent women murdered by killers like Bundy. Whether it is a lawyer working for something she believes in, a production worker powering through a mockery of a broadcast, or any other woman who is just doing their job every day or simply walking down the street, harshly aware of how prevalent violence against women still is in America.
No Man of God less delicately tackles religion and the ethics of the death penalty, along with how institutions like to pin sexual violence on the prevalence of pornography instead of the deeper societal issues the lead to men acting inhumanely towards women. In all, the story of Ted Bundy has been told too many times, but the early glorification of Bundy’s brain is quickly scrubbed away by the choices our storytellers make to show that Bundy is not special, just a plainly evil person.
Luke and Elijah
The film is driven by its two leads, Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby. Kirby taps into the disturbing, subtle wickedness of Bundy, and the moments which he snaps provides some of the scariest and most sinisterly chilling stretches of the film. Wood is admirable as Bill Hagmaier, and mirrors Hagmaier’s approach to interviews with his performance. Nothing gets too big and he never goes too far in any direction, but plays the needed sounding board as Kirby goes back and forth between cerebral and sinful.
It is Wood’s and Kirby’s performances that allow this to be a very good and worthy addition to the “serial killer” canon, but I think we could all agree we do not need many more films like this in the near future. There are other, more important, stories to tell.
Random Thoughts
When a film is almost entirely about one-on-one conversations, it is never surprising that the surrounding scenes are the clunkiest. The opening scenes getting us to the first interview feel like canned FBI headquarters scenes, as do any other scenes that take place in an office.
The supporting cast is fine in this film, anchored by two former The Sopranos supporting members, Robert Patrick and Aleksa Palladino. Palladino is particularly good as Bundy’s attorney, but she will always be Meadow’s royal roommate to me.
There are some really chilling sequences that work as transitions as time passes between interviews. It highlights how the film sticks to the darkness of the story in every moment.
Kirby is great, but he does have one very stereotypical serial killer moment where he literally says “I’m not crazy” and then laughs like a maniac for a little too long. Other than this moment, the film stays far enough away from serial killer tropes.
The film pulls no punches when dealing with religion.
I hope we are reaching a point where Wood can get more and more roles as time separates him from that one trilogy he did. He is a terrific actor, and No Man of God stands as more proof.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time! It came out this weekend.
Where was I watching it?
I bought it on demand and watched it in my office.
Favorite trivia about the movie
In 2009, Kirby was in an episode of both Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and they were released TWO DAYS APART! Imagine how confused big L&O fans were when he is in two episodes, two days apart, playing two different characters? Wild.
Favorite part
That climactic scene is terrifying and very powerful.
Least favorite part
The “I’m not crazy” moment was rough.
Would I recommend this movie?
There are a lot of triggering moments in this film, but if you are able to stomach a lot of discussions about violence, I do think this film approaches the material in a unique and meaningful enough way that it is worth it.
So What Does Allan Give It?
One Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 79. Gripping and well performed, No Man of God I think is the perfect film to end the focus we have as a society on Ted Bundy.
