Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile Review

I can’t emphasise how much I hate that title.

Before I get started with this review, I feel compelled to ask you all something. Before you watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile I urge you all to watch Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.  This documentary is essential viewing before you watch this new film. If you’re unfamiliar with Ted Bundy’s story you should inform yourself of what he did immediately. The film in question this week is a great insight into Ted Bundy but does not offer any details about his victims. I understand that this choice was probably made from respect. I just feel that when you’re watching a film about a monster you should know exactly what he did to his victims. Ted Bundy is inhumane. Don’t not make him out to be misunderstand after you watch this. This man is evil, and you must remember that.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile tells the story of Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) and Liz Kendall (Lilly Collins). What begins as a standard romance story takes a dark turn when Ted’s horrific secrets begin to surface. This is a film of two halves for me. The first half being an introduction to Bundy and the romance he had with Kendall and the second half being a court case where the truth begins to come out. Jon Berlinger, the director of the film, clearly knows Bundy’s story well. After all, Berlinger did direct the Netflix series I mentioned in the opening paragraph.  The opening act of the film had me worried. It flows like one of the romantic films that Efron would normally star in. To have a Ted Bundy film open with him being painted as a family man is certainly an odd choice. While yes, this did in fact happen. It feels that Berlinger is only trying to set up dramatic stakes later for later in the film. Even the films title, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile feels purely hyperbolic. There are dozens of other names that would be suitable for the film. Jut call it ‘Bundy’.  Trying to lure in an audience with a title like this one is disgraceful. Berlinger’s decision to try and make us doubt if Bundy is guilty was a very odd decision. It may be because I knew the truth, but I can’t shake the feeling that romanticising Bundy for a large portion of your film is disrespectful.  This is not a story that needed to be sensationalised. The film takes a turn for the better once it begins to focus on Bundy’s trials. The courtroom scenes elevate the film into a genuinely compelling drama. Once you get to see Bundy trying to weasel his way out of his crimes in front of an audience the films captivate you.  

Zac Efron gives a career defining performance as Ted Bundy. Efron does not bring any of his usual swagger to the table. Efron always relies on him charm to carry him through a role. There’s been many examples of Efron sleepwalking through roles because he knows can get away with it. Efron’s presence wasn’t distracting at any moment in the film. Instead what we got was a performance by a young man keen to prove that he is to be taken seriously as an actor. Efron pulls off the sadistic traits that Bundy possessed. Not only that, but he manages to convince you that he believes he’s done nothing wrong. It’s the type of performance that is make or break by the actor’s body language. Efron is so effective at portraying the wide variety of emotions that Bundy switched between that you could watch the film on mute and still be blown away by his performance. Props to Efron because everyone wrote him off. When his casting was announces we all laughed at the notion of Efron being sinister. Ted Bundy in general was a very odd man. Everything about him as a person seems unbelievable. Yet Efron against all the odds makes you believe.

Lilly Collins as Liz Kendall is the audience’s eyes. Through Liz we see Bundy as his most conning. As Efron is playing up the caring family man, Collins must convince the audience that Kendall was completely mislead by Bundy. Collins is exceptional in the role of the caring mother who doesn’t want to accept that her perfect man might not be so perfect. Anytime that Collins is on screen we can see confusion and despair on her face. When the film struggles in its first act, Collins carries it through with her dignified performance. Unfortunately, Liz is rarely seen in the second half of the film. It’s a real shame considering how great Collins is in the film. I would have appreciated more time focused on her reaction to her trauma and her eventual recovery. There’s a subplot involving Hayley Joel Osment that the film treats as an afterthought.  It’s creative decisions like this that bog the film down.

Director Jon Berlinger has never made a feature film before this one. Every single one of Berlinger’s directorial efforts were on documentaries. Berlinger is clearly a man who knows Bundy’s story; he did direct a documentary about him after all. Berlinger’s jump from documentaries to feature film was admirable, but ultimately flawed. The film always feels like ‘The Ted Bundy’ show instead of giving more time to the victims or their families. Berlinger has no idea what he wants the film to be. You’re left wondering what may have been if the film wasn’t a tad under-cooked.  If the performances weren’t all captivating, then this may have been a complete disaster. Jim Parsons gives fans a wonderful preview for what we may be in for in a post-Sheldon world with his performance as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson. Kaya Scodelario makes the most out of her underwritten role as Carole Anne Boone; a woman who is under Bundy’s spell. John Malkovich, who was anonymous in Bird Box and Velvet Buzzsaw, rolls back the years with a fine performance as the head judge of Bundy’s case. The performances are what makes the film work. It’s a real shame that they haven’t been given enough to work with. Had an esteemed director been on this film we may have been looking at a classic.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a tad disappointing. The film limits itself by not taking any real risks. It feels mundane for such a powerful story. Berlinger has diluted the public reactions towards Bundy. Berlinger must be grateful for his cast because this film would be forgotten about in an instant if they weren’t all bringing their A game. Each member of the cast has done themselves proud here. Not one performance was an easy one. With such a tender and difficult subject at hand it was essential that they handled it with care. Efron and Collins did exactly that with their masterstroke performances. While not a classic film their performances will be remembered for years to come.

Overall Score: 3/5