To Catch a Killer is one of those TV movies that are ‘based on a true story’ that you usually avoid like the plague when you see them in the video store. Invariably they involve sick kids, messy divorces or some other nonsense deliberately filmed to milk tear glands. To Catch a Killer is a little different. It tells the story of John Wayne Gacy, one of America’s most notorious serial killers.

I first saw this film some ten years ago when I caught it on television. Then it was a 6 hour movie split over two nights. The first half dealt with Gacy’s life in Iowa, where he was convicted of sodomy with young boys. The film showed his public side, a respected member of the community and a children’s entertainer as Pogo the Clown. It then finished just as he moved to Chicago and was charged with two counts of sexual assault, which were dropped because of the poor credibility of the accusers.

What the tape I watched today contained was the second 3 hour part, which details Gacy’s final victim and the police forces attempts to bring charges against him. I wish I had the full movie on tape as the second part doesn’t really show Gacy as the great public figure that he was. It’s mentioned, but only rarely do we see him at his place of business, or at the children’s ward dressed in his clown outfit.

The bulk of the film then is taken up with Kozenczak’s investigation and it makes for some intriguing viewing. The police team had little evidence to go on. Even though they knew that Gacy was to blame they could never quite seem to link him to the kid. Gacy was smart and he covered his tracks well. It was finally down to Kozenczak’s determination, a bit of luck and of all things a psychic that they brought him in.

Kozenczak is played by Michael Riley, whom as far as I can make out has spent most of his career working in TV movies. The most high profile thing he has done was a small part in Amistad. This is a bit of a shame, because I was quite impressed by his performance. He does well showing the determination of the man and has some nice scenes with the families of the various victims.

Also, I don’t know if it was added for dramatic effect or if it actually happened. But, it seems like even real life cops working on a ‘big case’ have troubled home life’s and captains shouting at them to hurry up and get results! This is probably indicative of the films made for television roots. The film is fairly pedestrian as far as direction is concerned, nothing too flashy. There are a couple of car chases, but nothing to get the blood pumping. The music is also a killer, generic drama nonsense, very bland.

If there is any one thing that raises the film above its humble TV roots it’s the lead performance from Brian Dennehy. I’ve seen a few of his films and along with First Blood I would say that this is his finest role. It’s testament to the power of his work that when I think of Gacy I automatically see Dennehy. When you see Dennehy dressed up in that clown outfit playing with the kids, well butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. However, when he is alone with a young boy, it’s like a monster erupts. The evil shines through from his deep set eyes, he is a scary individual.

One amazing scene sees Gacy in his house with a young boy guest. There are two cops stationed outside his house, but Gacy doesn’t seem to care. He brings out the handcuffs, the boy looks scared and Gacy looks like he can’t help himself. Amazing work from Dennehy there in a scene that has no business being in a made for TV movie, it’s that good.

Aside from Dennehy and Riley the likes of Margot Kidder and Meg Foster show up. They have small roles, but do fine. I actually liked the various actors that made up Kozenczak’s police team. I thought they all brought something different to the team. Some of the other actors are downright atrocious though, some really sub-par performances in the smaller parts.