Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

theinfamousblackraven Renner makes this movie worth watching. His acting of such a complex and disturbed individual is amazing. Its important to remember that Dahmer had a psychological disorder which deeply affected his emotions and Renner manages to convey the deep and painful emotions even through the cold and stoic face Dahmer presented. But as for the movie itself, it misses the majority of what makes Dahmer's case so memorable. In order to understand Dahmer and his actions there must be a portrayal of how desperate he was for a companion - the driving force behind so many of his experiments and murders. The movie switches back and forth between time periods in Dahmer's life with little explanation or transition making it hard to follow if you are not intimately familiar with the case. If you are familiar with the case you may enjoy seeing such an interesting portrayal of the man himself but you are likely to be disappointed by all the missing details. For true crime fans its not a waste of time but it won't be something you'll come back to again and again. For Jeremy Renner fans though, you'll see a lot of what makes him such a great actor.

BA_Harrison Movies based on real life serial killers tend to get a lot further under my skin than those with fictional maniacs—films like Dahmer, which details the nauseating activities of gay serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who drugged and dismembered his unlucky victims, concealing their body-parts in and around his home(s). The fact that these events actually happened (I can remember the discovery of Dahmer's victims in the news) and are portrayed so convincingly makes Dahmer seriously chilling viewing.Jeremy Renner, as the titular killer, is simply superb, effectively playing the character as both a teenager and an adult. Director David Jacobson shoots in a non-linear fashion, which adds a further dimension of interest, yet he also avoids sensationalism, the gore quotient kept relatively low and other unsettling details of Dahmer's lifestyle thankfully obscured in a drug and alcohol infused haze. It's a wise move: this study of Jeffrey Dahmer's life is disturbing enough without matters getting too graphic.

evejanelucille I've heard it said from those who were already familiar with Jeffrey Dahmer that this film is dull and makes little of its potential given the subject matter. I was in the privileged position of knowing only that Dahmer was a serial killer and nothing of the specifics of his acts when I stumbled this DVD cover depicting a young Jeremy Renner's menacing stare cast in shadow. This sold the film to me as a sinister slasher, maybe a little cheesy. So I picked it up for a bit of morbid evening entertainment. The film sparked my interest in the case so much so that I have now watched four documentaries, some archive news coverage, the DVD of the trial and two prime-time television interviews with the man himself. This is the most interesting serial killer case I have ever come acrossAfter surveying the available material, and I think I've surveyed all there is – Dahmer survived only two years after his sentence to 937 years in prison – this film on second watch is still worth viewing. The film explores not the gruesome details of his methods, it prefers to focus on the bleak mental state of the man behind the deadpan face and emotionless voice that is Jeffrey Dahmer. The gore that actually surrounded the crimes occupies only two short scenes and is done so well it made me cringe at the physical and psychological damage being done to the victim. This is when violence moves away from action-packed punch-ups to casual mutilation. Reminiscent of a Korean horror such as "Chaser". The film delivers accuracy whilst also changing names and minor details for tact. Apparently Kathryn Bigelow cast Renner in "The Hurt Locker" based on this performance and I can see why. This is an example of an actor being able to portray an established character with painstaking accuracy. Dahmer is an intriguing person who exudes intelligence and bamboozling likability. His face is motionless, his eyes dead and his attitude to killing unnervingly nonchalant. Renner pulls the portrayal off with uncanny mannerisms and an amazing ability to look just like Dahmer using only hairstyle and line delivery. Amazing. This film is haunting. The mark of a good film for me is one that makes you think back to it frequently. This succeeds. So if you're new to the case I recommend this movie as an introduction to spur your interest. If you are not I recommend it for some insightful suggestions as to Dahmer's motives and mental state. Not to mention an opportunity to witness the vast talents of Renner who slips into the role as if channelling the man himself.

gradyharp David Jacobson wrote (with David Birke) and directed this probing psychological study of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It is an extraordinarily fine film on every level, not the least of which is the manner in which Jacobson elected to dissect the slowly rotting mind of an avatar (as in the incarnation of evil) model of alienation, profound loneliness, and victim of sexual frustration that eventually explodes into the heinous results of those unrecognized symptoms. It is a masterpiece of understatement, not straying away from the horror of the idea of what is happening, but at the same time not relying on the graphic depictions that so many film on similar subjects stoop to in order to attract audiences. The Dahmer of Jacobson's vision is a lonely youth, a man who craves attention and affection of others but must resort to drugs and violence to reach his goals of partnering with a fellow human being, a coming together that though the means are abominable the end result is an expression of tenderness that few films have been able to reveal. Much of the success of this superb film is due to the acting of Jeremy Renner as Dahmer. He has created a character whose shy and desperate needs progress until he is able to achieve his obsession of feeling affection from others. The scenes in the bars where he repeatedly dances with attractive men, drugs their drinks, and then helps them to the back rooms where, comatose, they become his lovers for the moment (so very subtly suggested by the fine cinematography technique of strobe lighting momentary glimmers by Chris Manley with the able assistance of editor Biasha Shom). So much of the seduction and actually killing is left to the viewer's imagination that it is only with three encounters - played with virtuosity by Artel Kayàru, Matt Newton, and Dion Basco - that include the verbal interplay that reveal Dahmer's submerged yet profound needs and frustrations. Jacobson's use of flashbacks to Dahmer's experiences that fed his inability to relate to feelings that were denied him by society spare us also of witnessing all of the murders and associated atrocities that Dahmer committed, and in the end that technique helps us understand how a boy to man can alter in the direction of maturation to become one of the most famous serial killers of our time. (FACTS: Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (May 21, 1960 - November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys - many of whom were of African or Asian descent - between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders were particularly gruesome, involving rape, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism. On November 28, 1994, he was beaten to death by an inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution, where he had been incarcerated.) Made in 2002 and garnering many Indie awards, it is amazing that this film was not taken more seriously by the public. Perhaps the immaturity of the audience prevented those who usually flock to the blood and slaughter films of the 'Saw' series, 'Freddy Krueger' films, etc from accepting this story as a true one, not a festival of CGI effects. Jeremy Renner is now recognized as one of our leading actors: perhaps this film should be released again so that audiences can appreciate the masterful degree of his acting skills. Grady Harp