Written by Ryan Murphy And Ian Brennan And David McMillan And Reilly Smith And Todd Kubrak
Directed by Carl Franklin And Paris Barclay And Michael Uppendahl And Max Wrinkler And Ian Brennan
Lyle: "Erik and I killed our parents together so I'd say that makes us pretty close."
Two years ago, the arrival of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story made quite an impression on Netflix. Yes, it warranted criticism but it also blew up in viewers and gave Evan Peters something of a career boost. It looks like history has repeated itself once again.
I'm familiar enough with the story behind the Menendez brothers and this isn't the first time we've had a movie or series on the high profile killers in the last decade. It's certainly however due to Ryan Murphy's influence become the most provocative with his usual tropes and dramatic licencing very much front and centre. For better and worse, depending on your point of view.
The one thing that Ryan Murphy can be credited would be casting and throughout the nine episodes, he's found future stars in both Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch. Regardless of your stance on Murphy's handling of true crime, both leading men give some of the best performances in this genre alone.
The first episode played out with both Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch) orchestrating the murder of their parents Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloe Sevigny) in rather graphic detail. Coupled with the lads hedonistic spending and Erik confessing to therapist Dr. Jerome Oziel (Dallas Roberts), the perfect crime wasn't so perfect after all.
Granted it was Oziel's mistress Judalon Smyth (Leslie Grossman) who ultimately reported the Menendez brothers to the police, albeit not for moral reasons but her actions certainly started quite the ripple effect. The boys got arrested, sent to the same prison but ended up separated in different wings before ultimately leading up a trial that took years to end the way it was inevitably going to.
In the boys corner, you had Erik's lawyer Leslie Abrahamson (Ari Gaynor) who believed in their innocence and tried to help them, even when the media eventually turned on them. She believed their story about being abused by their parents and fought to get them freed but couldn't win over the court or the general public who also turned on them.
On the other side, you had Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane), a journalist who experienced the loss of a child and seemed unconvinced of the Menendez brothers innocence throughout the entire trial. Sometimes it seemed like his own personal tragedy clouded his judgement but even then, this miniseries tried to look at both perspectives behind the motives of Lyle and Erik's crime.
- The episode titles are Blame It On The Rain, Spree, Brother Can You Spare A Dime?, Kill Or Be Killed, The Hurt Man, Don't Dream It's Over, Showtime, Seismic Shifts and Hang Men.
- Cooper Koch certainly gave an Emmy nominated worthy performance in the fifth episode, a two handed between him and Ari Graynor. The show hinted at Erik maybe being sexually confused though the real Erik is straight.
- The boys had an encounter with O.J. Simpson and even mention Jeffrey Dahmer, so there was those links to Ryan Murphy's other true crime exploits.
- The next (and presumably) last season of Monster/s will focus on Ed Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam.
- Standout music: A good selection including Don't Dream It's Over, which was used to great effect.
- Chronology: Mostly from 1989 to 1996 but also flashbacks to 1962 for the backstory of Jose and Kitty meeting each other.
I enjoyed the previous and I really enjoyed Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. Yes, there's creative liberties taken with it but there's also some career making performances from both Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, who excel as both Lyle and Erik. You might as well watch it.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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