Extremadamente cruel, malvado y perverso

Un perfil interesantemente captado y realizado con éxito de un loco capaz de ocultar su verdadera personalidad casi incluso de sí mismo. La película no muestra un solo asesinato de Bundy y sólo muestra su posición engañosamente «normal». Si no fuera por dos indicios de naturaleza oscura, parecería que tal vez quiere negar sus acusaciones judiciales. La actuación de Efron es entretenida, un retrato de la destreza de Bundy como estudiante de derecho en un tribunal. Y la emocional es la historia de su novia, desgarrada por un conflicto interior entre el enamoramiento y las dudas/temores de que pueda estar equivocada al creer en su inocencia. Esta situación de su personaje es el motor dramático de la película. (22.01.2020)

You can tell Joe Berlinger’s documentary background really shines through. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a solid drama about one of America’s notorious serial killers, though it leans heavily on factual accuracy over cinematic flair. The film feels more like a well-researched book brought to life than a suspenseful thriller. But even with that, Zac Efron is absolutely remarkable in the role. I was genuinely impressed with how he took on such a challenging character and nailed it. (15.12.2021)

He's young, charming, educated, handsome, and he also kills women sometimes. Ted Bundy was one of America's most terrifying serial killers, but what he was doing was long refused to be believed by those closest to him and much of the American public. And Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile shows that this is actually quite understandable... Zac Efron gives a very good performance and Joe Berlinger is quite clever at playing with the audience. Unfortunately, the film runs out of ideas somewhere in the middle and starts to become unnecessarily transparent and frankly a bit untrustworthy. Which is quite a pity. (23.05.2019)

You should definitely be prepared for the fact that the new treatment doesn't focus on Ted Bundy's rampage, but rather on its consequences, and I was very happy with it. Zac Efron has one foot in the electric chair and one foot in the Oscar, because not only does he give his best performance to date, but he will also stay in your memory for a long time. He will surprise a lot of people here with his acting qualities. The film more or less avoids violence and we follow Bundy's trials, his escape from prison and his relationship, and the most interesting thing is that his girlfriend had absolutely no idea what he was. It's got a very nice pace, a decent retro vibe, perfect courtroom scenes where Bundy confidently defends himself and downright wipes his ass with the judges, the lawyers and the whole proceedings. It's interesting that you are more or less rooting for Bundy, because he's likeable on the surface and he is very eloquent, but we all know he's a man who doesn't belong in society. The film is also decently emotional at the end and the acting is absolutely spot on. For me, a nice surprise this year, but not everyone will be happy with this version. 80% (05.05.2019)

Berlinger failed at this. In the documentary The Ted Bundy Tapes, he painted a very detailed portrait of a psychopath / uncertain poser / media star who perfectly enjoys the position of a manipulator. In the film, he immersed himself quite clumsily in one of the episodes from the life of the serial killer and tries to build a story whose perspective will be that of light enchantment. The film thus portrays Ted as he saw himself - as an irresistible sovereign, a romantic fugitive, or a charming star who lights up in front of the camera. Zac Efron nails this aspect of him with pleasure, which unfortunately sometimes borders on campiness (the scene where Ted escapes from the Colorado courthouse and walks down the hippie macho street is more like a B-movie comedy). The arc of the film has a clear tendency to shock by reversing the perspective in the last minutes, but it only works at the cost of a lot of cheap reduction and posturing. As a director, Berlinger is no great psychologist, and in fact the scene with the dog barking and demonic glances through the bars smells of a lack of a killer’s skills on the part of the creators. At the same time, there is no denying that the character of Liz (a victim that Ted did not physically harm) could be very impressive elsewhere... but here, she is so passive and purposeful that she cannot be taken very seriously. Bundy is a fascinating character at the very moment when he manages to penetrate behind the mask of the American dream. The documentary was able to deftly remove it, whereas the film gets a little drunk on it. (03.05.2019)