To Catch a Killer

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To Catch a Killer
To Catch a Killer FilmPoster.jpeg
GenreBiography
Crime
Drama
Thriller
Written byJud Kinberg
Directed byEric Till
StarringBrian Dennehy
Michael Riley
Music byPaul Zaza
Country of originCanada
USA
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersJud Kinberg
Jinny Schreckinger
Peter Filion (co-executive producer)
Lance H. Robbins (co-executive producer)
Producers
Patrick Whitley (co-producer)
David McAree (associate producer)
Production locationToronto
CinematographyRene Ohashi
Editor
Running time182 minutes
Production companiesCreative Entertainment Group
Libra Pictures
Telestories Entertainment Inc.
DistributorFOX
Release
Original networkFOX
Picture formatColor
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseMay 15, 1992 (USA)

To Catch a Killer is a two-part television film from 1992, directed by Eric Till and starring Brian Dennehy and Michael Riley. It is based on the true story of the pursuit of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Plot[]

As he investigates the missing person report of a teenager named Christopher Gant (based on Gacy's final victim, Robert Piest), Des Plaines, IL detective Lt. Joseph Kozenczak (Riley) becomes concerned that local businessman John Wayne Gacy (Dennehy) may be responsible for this as well as many other disappearances. However, when he and his team are ready to arrest Gacy, their evidence is viewed as being circumstantial. Worst of all, everyone (including Kozenczak's superiors) view Gacy as a respectable pillar of society. Meanwhile, Gacy himself begins a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse as he tries in every way to manipulate and outwit the police.

After eventually achieving two search warrants, Kozenczak finds a large amount of incriminating evidence, and later 29 bodies buried throughout John Gacy's property; the remaining four are found dumped in a nearby river, including Gant's remains. Afterwards, he is charged with the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men and convicted, being sentenced to death.

Cast[]

Impact/reception[]

The film was broadcast in three countries, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.[1][2] In general, the film was received well by critics. As a result, Brian Dennehy was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special." In addition, actor Michael Riley and director Eric Till were both nominated for two individual Gemini Awards.

Historical context[]

The film broadly follows the historical narrative of the investigation which lead to John Wayne Gacy's arrest in December 1978 and it does not directly depict his earlier life or his criminal activity prior to 1978. Several changes were made to the names and details of the real persons who were involved in the case. These changes were possibly made for legal reasons, because many key witnesses and victims' family members, as well as Gacy himself, were still alive at the time of the film's production. In the film Gacy's last known victim Robert Piest was represented as 'Chris Gant.' In the film the name of Gacy's contracting company was changed from 'PDM Contractors' to 'LPW Construction.' The real-life detective Lt. Joseph R. Kozenczak served as a technical advisor during the film's production.[3]

Dennehy's performance was widely recognized and the actor became associated with Gacy. In 2010, eighteen years after the film's first broadcast in the US and sixteen years after John Wayne Gacy's execution, a profile of Dennehy in Times of North West Indiana noted, "whenever Dennehy comes back to Chicago, which is often... he's inevitably asked about his made-for-television 1992 movie role in To Catch a Killer."[4] Dennehy received a letter from Gacy following the film's US broadcast, in which Gacy admonished him for taking part in a "fraud" film, and maintained his claim that "lots of people had access to that crawl space."[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (May 13, 1992). "TV Reviews : 'To Catch a Killer' a Cop's-Eye View of Gacy Case". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  2. ^ "TV Listings: 19 August 1994". August 19, 1994. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "Joseph R. Kozenczak, Des Plaines Detective Chief on the Gacy Serial-slayer Case, Dead at 75". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. ^ Potempa, Philip. "Offbeat: Actor Brian Dennehy Still Haunted by Killer John Wayne Gacy Role". nwitimes.com. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Potempa, Philip. "Offbeat: Actor Brian Dennehy Still Haunted by Killer John Wayne Gacy Role". nwitimes.com. Retrieved October 16, 2017.

External links[]

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