User reviews

The title says it all. There's no mystery here in who's doing it, breaking into houses stealing underwear and dildos, at the same time as he is living a perfect life and is just appointed the main boss at an important military establishment.

The mystery is how a well respected man can be such an offender. Well, he's not the first, and will not be the last, seemingly living a perfect life, but not able to control his sick sexual urges.

This Canadian movie, directed by Norma Bailey has Gary Cole in the main role, and he is doing a great job as always. As is the rest of the cast, though that's not a shock, as Canadians are very good at making films with true and realistic acting.

Well worth a watch!

This film is based on a real story that happened in Canada.I enjoyed very much the story: with a lot a patience the detectives try to make a profile of a man who began stealing lingerie then killing women.And the most interesting is that the main suspect is an very important officer , commander of the military base of Trenton. The performances of Gary Cole, Laura Harris and Rossif Sutherland are very good.

AN OFFICER AND A MURDERER (TV movie 2012) WARNING: VIOLENT REAL WORLD DEPICTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

He's out there...Pretending to be human 7 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:45min

BASIC PLOT: A fictionalized account of the crimes and capture of Canadian Air Force Colonel Russell Williams (Gary Cole).

The film starts with Williams burglarizing homes, stealing underwear and other personal items, and through his behavior, attempting to demoralize the female population of his small Canadian town.

He escalates to sexual assault, and eventually commits two murders, while trying to frame a neighbor for the crimes.

The film also chronicles the hard work of Detective Jennifer Dobson (Laura Harris) and Detective Nick Gallagher (Rossif Sutherland), whose resolute determination, and dogged investigation, eventually brings down a predator, who had been shielding himself in his nation's military uniform.

WHAT WORKS: *GARY COLE. FULL STOP. Gary Cole's embodiment of this character is outstanding! He is both full of rage, and detached. His portrayal of Colonel Russell Williams is par excellence!

*THE WRITING IS ABOVE AVERAGE, especially for a made-for-tv movie. Keith Ross Leckie does a fine job with suspense, pacing, and with presenting a fact based story that is graphic, without being exploitative.

*THE ACTRESSES WHO PORTRAY THE WOMEN SURVIVORS GIVE JUST ENOUGH They all do a good job (especially Kristina Pesic & Emma Campbell) with a difficult subject matter, and it never crosses into torture porn. It is real enough to be disturbing, without being salacious.

*LAURA HARRIS IS EXCELLENT AS DETECTIVE JENNIFER DOBSON, THE SMALL TOWN DETECTIVE WHO IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS HER BIG CITY PARTNER Her boss, Captain Novack (Catherine Disher) thinks Detective Gallagher has more experience, and wants to listen to him. But in these situations, you should always listen to the women (the survivors), and the women detectives. They will pick up on things the men simply cannot. Detective Dobson (Laura Harris) proves this again and again, as her instincts lead to the correct killer.

*ROSSIF SUTHERLAND DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB PLAYING DETECTIVE NICK GALLAGHER, A MAN WHO DOESN'T TRUST HIS INTUITION, AND THEREFORE DOESN'T LISTEN TO THE SURVIVORS Men in general have a hard time even knowing what to say to victims of sexual assault, much less how to relate to, or understand where they're coming from. Part of this is victim blaming (I can pretend the victim did something wrong, something my wife, sister, mother wouldn't do, so my world "feels" safe.) Part of it is the complete misunderstanding (and refusal to try) by men, of what it's actually like to be a woman. When the police find the videos of the survivor Nick didn't believe, he can't even watch, while his female colleagues are scouring the video for clues. All women understand male violence, but all men do not. It's an unfortunate fact, and Rossif Sutherland does a good job representing this male flaw, common in the police.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *NOT SURE ABOUT THE REAL CASE... But in the movie, two cops don't believe one the survivors of sexual assault (Linda Godmere, the young mother). But the perpetrator left her in someone else's underwear. That could be easily verified by checking with the other victims who had their underwear stolen, and would substantiate her story.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would absolutely recommend this movie to fans of: true crime, Gary Cole, made-for-tv movies, or fans of cautionary tales for women. It's well done on a small budget, and I highly recommend it.

(I also recommend Cosy Cove Killings (2015) as a companion piece to this movie. It's the personal account of the neighbor with the redheaded daughter, Russell was so obsessed with in the movie. It's an interesting real look inside the terror this man caused in one neighborhood.)

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

The lead actors carry this movie well, all avoiding over-acting. Cole and Sutherland deliver excellent performances with Laura not too far behind. Harris is handicapped by her stunning scandi looks. She needs to allow a persona which overcomes her looks.

Good script which allows the story to evolve simply. No gun battles, no unneeded nudity and ne explosions. Just a story based on truth, told well.

We are not told if Harria has a love interest, a n d frankly don't care. The bit where one of the earlier cases involved a dildo is handled in a straightforward, non purient manNER.

As a true crime aficionado (or is it afficionada?), I watched the true story and capture of Colonel Williams play out on one of the States' true crime networks. I was thrilled to find out that Lifetime had recreated the story, but I was very disappointed. Except for Gary Cole's performance, I found every other actor in this movie lacking any real depth. The performances by the leads- Laura Harris, Rossif Sutherland and the actress who portrayed Captain Novak-were so lackluster that I really didn't believe any of them could crack a case of this magnitude.

Gary Cole saves this movie from being completely horrible.

This is a very well paced and realistically made Lifetime movie about the true story of Canadian Air Force colonel Russ Williams. His gradual escalation from underwear theft to home invasion and murder is carefully and realistically portrayed here. Gary Cole gives a balanced and believable performance as the main character. The straightforward telling without flashbacks is good and the tension and fear of the victims is quite terrifying.

The police investigation is fascinating with the various mistakes and eventual breakthrough.

Looks like there are some crazy serial pervert killers up North too.

Worth a watch.

To be frank this movie doesn't really warrant a review so it will be a short one. The target audience for this 'straight to video' production is clearly not those that love quality movies, more likely bored stay at homes looking for some cheap thrills. The scenes involving the main actor and his victims are portrayed in a reveling manner, with the emphasis upon the suffering of the victim in the particular scene which invariably goes on too long. There is barely any character development to speak of. The relationships between characters are pretty much stereotypical - the loyal wife, the sad victim, the evil perpetrator, the honourable / incompetent policemen / women. In summary, avoid this film.

Gary Cole's understated portrayal of a psychopathic alter-ego taking control of the daily ego is relentless, disturbing, and masterful. This (along with the fact that it's based on actual events) makes this movie worth viewing. Cole does not go all dramatic and tear up the scenery. In fact his *persona* (his personality mask) remains the same throughout his changes -- meticulous, thorough, rigid, controlling, polite. It's his soul that darkens and falls into this demonic abyss. Cole somehow communicates this transformation and makes us believe him (to our horror).

It should be noted that the the police characters are all fictional, and they even seem fictional in the way they are portrayed. But for those of us who wondered how a "Base Commander" on a Canadian Armed Forces base could possible lead such a double life and be one person, Cole makes us see -- not comprehend but accept.

This very unusual true story has been filmed without any suspense build up towards an anticlimactic finale. Nobody acting in this movie except for the male detective shows any emotion whatsoever. The entire film screams for a tense, insightful build towards any of the players acting anything at all, even Gary Cole, who gets far less work than he should, especially after his superb performance as Geoffrey Macdonald, who was convicted of murdering his wife and daughters and remains in jail after his crime was committed in 1971, where Garys portrayal was breathtaking, he plays in this movie as ifthe director has told him to show no emotion. Its a shame as a bit more enthusiasm by all would have really lifted this movie.

Gary Cole walks off with the acting honors in this silly movie. Add the poker face Rossif Sutherland as a detective and a bland female, also with one look on her face of Duh, played by Laura Harris. Cole at least gives some depth to his character and manages to keep things going in an inane script for LMN of course. The channel that rarely presents any worthwhile project. And who knows where they keep coming up with these female leads that are more attentive to their hair, tight clothes and looks of boredom. Harris is a typical LMN female lead that goes nowhere with this film and gives nothing as an actress. Sutherland does a little better, but Cole takes over the movie and does a splendid job of a sexual deviate. I give this 1 star for Cole's work.

Amateurish student-type production with one competent actor - Gary Cole. Story by numbers and lame dialogue, no attempt to build tension or suspense. IOW: A Canadian production.

You can always tell a Canadian production because they needlessly insert a bunch of female characters to crack the case that didn't exist in real life. Never fails. IF you truly have nothing better to do with your time like de-worm the cat, and you're unfamiliar with this story, then I suppose it's worth a watch.

Dateline or Fifth Estate or the actual Police interview are much more interesting - telling of the true events do not require embellishment. Take a pass on this.

This is a the story of the Canadian Base Commander, Colonel Russel William in Southern Ontario, who first started collecting panties and bras in home break-ins, then advancing to holding woman hostage for his amusement, and then graduating to rape and finally murder. And yes, Lifetime presents us with yet another white male gone bad movie of the week.

The main point of the story is that Commander Williams, is beyond reproach or even consideration as an unsub. He is even enlisted to help in the search and of course blames the crimes on some wood chucker (tree trimmer) who is a blue collar guy and the cops love him as a suspect because he looks like a suspect. They do not even consider the ramrod "correct" military commander as he is beyond suspicion. Ah, but those blue collar guys...they must have done it.

Frankly, the movie showed how cops usually pick the wrong suspect but in this case luck out by finding tire tracks. One of the lady cops,from Toronto, checks on a possible victim, Jessica, only to miss the SUV parked nearby and is remorse she didn't get the plate number. Why should she? The tree trimmer is safely locked up. Lucky tho the Commander screws up and leaves some tire tracks, which almost did not get reported because he is the Canadian Base "commander". Respect his au THOR EH Tee.

The base commander, played by Gary Cole and the cop played by Rossif Sutherland really have great nuanced performances. And the interrogation is more realistic than the "badgering cop" style so often depicted on TV.

Where is the psychologist talking about fetish clothing and personification of the victim through clothing while acting out erotic fantasies? Guess he/she was on vacation.

The pacing was good and the story told in a straight forward manner, and hard to believe it is an American film as it has "Made in Canada" stamped all over it as there is little action. Where are the police waving guns around, guns pointed at people, guns being fired, CSI special effects, more gun totting, cops yelling "get down on the ground" at the top of their lungs after they have consumed a dozen cans of Red Bull. Where is David Caruso pointing a gun at the suspect? Not here.

This movie does take an analytic how-it-happened approach which simply tells the story. It reminds me more of Columbo or Monk episodes than police "action" dramas.

Lifetime follows the movie up with a documentary, which is pretty much the movie without actors. An easy 3 hrs for Lifetime programming, but worth a view. When the ads say 'based on a true story' there will be little action, but a re-telling of events, hopefully as interesting as this movie. Thumbs up. It kept me home on a Saturdy night.

This in my opinion is very disturbing and disgusting on how someone is allowed to create and publicize this sort of garbage just so that people will see what someone is capable of. I resided and worked on the specific base when all of this took place and it was a very dark time and this should be banned everywhere. Imagine just how you would feel if someone close to you had this sort of events happen to them. Would you want this publicized. All for the mode of the almighty dollar hey he who makes the most money still passes on. I hope that the author and publicist and all those involved in thinking this is a fascinating story for all to see get a hand of fate dealt to them.. Think I am being harsh why not contact the families whose lives will never be the same ever. Feel free to contact my email anytime and I am more than wiling to elaborate for you.

To John_Merritt2011

Just the fact that your very first statement tells us you did not even see this film, your critique of this video is nonsensical, uneducated, and flat out stupid! Your assertion that it should not have been made due to the brutality of it and insulting to the victims families, is ridiculous! By your way of thinking movies like: Full Metal Jacket (RIP Gunny), JFK, Goodfellas, Glory, and every other movie based on Actual Events. Gimme a break!

Russell Williams is a decorated officer in the RAF who has some troubling problems; one being he likes women other than his wife! This movie was quite good for Lifetime standards and the dramatic irony really helps a lot. It is based on a true story. Glad we caught it tonight and definitely recommended. Good acting by Gary Cole and Laura Harris with a very supportive Canadian cast!!!