Movie Review: Chapter 27
Published May 16, 2008
Chapter 27 isn’t the type of widely focused study of a real life event and man that we usually get. It is, instead, a fascinating study of the inner workings of the mind of an obsessive fan and psychopath. The film tells the story of Mark David Chapman, and the three days leading up to the infamous killing of Beatle John Lennon.
Apart from Jared Leto’s utterly fascinating performance there isn’t much to Chapter 27. The whole film rests on Leto and that requires a considerably great performance, and I am happy to say Leto delivers. In a "Christian Bale in The Machinist"-type exercise, Leto has changed his weight considerably for the role, gaining over 60 pounds to not only play Chapman but to become him.
You’re either going to love and appreciate having to watch this man and his actions or you’re going to feel tortured by it. For Beatles fans this is going to be one tough film to watch, and perhaps one that will instill hatred for how plainly it displays the event that happens. But as someone who’s not a Beatles fan, I found the sense of realism and truth to it all the more interesting. However, as I said, this film isn’t really about John Lennon, or his untimely death, but the mind of his killer — how he ended up coming all the way from Hawaii to New York and the motives behind his actions. By the film’s end Leto's performance justified my having watched this messed-up guy for 80 minutes, if for no other reason than to get a sense of what it must have been like to be there on the day the killing took place.
I guess in my recommendation I am not really recommending the film itself, but rather Leto’s quite stunning performance. I find him a much underrated actor anyway and hopefully this will get his acting talent noticed by more people. The film certainly hasn’t been getting positive reviews from the majority, something which I can’t quite fathom. Maybe it was just my taking to the film and Leto’s performance that I can’t see past and that maybe most people just don’t see anything positive. I will chalk this up as one of the most underrated films of 2008.
- Movie Review: Chapter 27
- Published: May 16, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Crime, Video: Drama, Video: Historical
- Writer: Ross Miller
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It's good to hear that even a Beatles fan can look past having to sit and watch a film about the death of one of the members and see it for what it is - a fascinating portrayal of a real messed guy.
I think what a lot of people who actively hated this film, as fans of Lennon especially, partly thought was that it's a disgrace that there is even a film made about this guy. That he doesn't deserve to be known. And to an extent he doesn't, really. But I think it's a story that is well worth telling and Chapter 27 goes to very good lengths to do so.
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I agree with your assessment here, and I am in fact, a Beatles fan. Leto's performance is fascinating, and what I think a lot of people missed is that it is not at all a flattering portrayl. Lennon is such a revered figure that this is easily missed.
What Leto does is show Chapman for the narcissistic, pathetic sort of creep he basically was. This guy was the very definition of the sort of loser whose own life is so fucked up that he first has to live it out through his "idol," and then seek fame by snuffing him out.
It is tough to watch. But Leto's portrayl does provide an eerie sort of new perspective on an historical tragedy that was previously somewhat unexplored.
The rock is turned over, and underneath it we find...well, you know...
-Glen