The directing is good. The acting is excellent. Even the underused score nicely fits, filling in certain gaps. It's the script that I find underdeveloped.
There's a reason authors of source materials rarely craft their own screenplays. It's a different medium that's usually delegated to established writers of adaptations. This story, based on fact, has multiple layers of complicated elements; and I think it tries too hard to cover all of them.
That being said, the story speaks volumes about a then-legal system rife with opportunities to exploit and manipulate it. It also shines a spotlight on the concept that the aftermath of violent crime is basically a lose-lose situation. The loss of loved ones due to murder is never something one "gets over"; it's something one comes to terms with on a day-to-day basis.
I've never read the source material, but I can't help to wonder if there was a deeper, more sexual relationship between the criminals than portrayed onscreen.
There's a reason authors of source materials rarely craft their own screenplays. It's a different medium that's usually delegated to established writers of adaptations. This story, based on fact, has multiple layers of complicated elements; and I think it tries too hard to cover all of them.
That being said, the story speaks volumes about a then-legal system rife with opportunities to exploit and manipulate it. It also shines a spotlight on the concept that the aftermath of violent crime is basically a lose-lose situation. The loss of loved ones due to murder is never something one "gets over"; it's something one comes to terms with on a day-to-day basis.
I've never read the source material, but I can't help to wonder if there was a deeper, more sexual relationship between the criminals than portrayed onscreen.