There have been plenty of real-life people and events that have been made into movies. From biopics and documentaries to making films about the world’s most notorious serial killers and criminals, Hollywood doesn’t seem to be slowing down when it comes to sharing stories about high-profile cases. The latest infamous figure to come under scrutiny is Jason Derek Brown, a charismatic con man who found himself on the FBI’s ten most wanted list back in 2007. In American Murderer, writer-director Matthew Gentile aims to capture the insanity and chaos of the events leading up to his infamy. Unfortunately, the film lacks any style, substance, or suspense despite a killer performance from Tom Pelphrey.
The story follows real-life con artist Jason Derek Brown (Pelphrey). Jason is charismatic, with a lust for life and a natural inclination to party 24/7. After growing up in a household in which his father perfected the meaning of scam, Brown soon adapts that life for himself to enable a luxurious lifestyle free of worries. Unfortunately for Brown, his funds begin to run low, and his past catches up with him, which forces him to initiate some shady business deals. Now, left to plot his most elaborate scheme yet to make up for his losses, Brown makes a decision that he can’t come back from. In the process, Jason becomes the FBI’s most unlikely – and elusive – top ten fugitive.
Gentile’s script captures the madness that ensues when money, wealth, and poor decision-making are at the core of one’s desires and characteristics. For Brown, that means focusing on getting money quickly, no matter how he does it or who he hurts in the process. Unfortunately for viewers, there’s no appropriate insight into how Brown became the con man that he was beyond small flashbacks that revealed his childhood and upbringing. But when one examines the life of the real-life Jason Derek Brown, it’s more interesting than anything showcased in the film, making it all the more difficult to find any inspiration to keep watching this uninteresting feature.
The problems for American Murderer unfortunately extend far beyond the script. There are very little thrills and style throughout that would indicate this is a film worth seeing in theaters. To make matters worse, this is a type of movie that could have benefited from a “Hollywood adjustment,” where an embellishment here or there could enhance the overall storytelling. If the aim was to make the real-life Jason Derek Brown appear to be an immature and repugnant figure who is easy to hate, the film succeeds. In fact, viewers won’t deem it necessary to fight any growing disdain for the character thanks to Pelphrey’s convincing performance. Yet, these aspects, with no foundation or narrative support, make the short 104 minute-long film damn near impossible to sit through.
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American Murderer may look good on paper, but it’s a dull and lazy interpretation of a story about one of the country’s most fascinating criminals. Not only is it disappointing from a narrative standpoint, but it’s even difficult to make a recommendation for it simply because the cast is wasted. In addition to Pelphrey, actors like Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, Jacki Weaver, and Moises Arias being in one film should be enough to get anyone running to the theater. But they are all so underutilized in a script that suffers from poor story choices, wonky editing, and a gaping mishandling of characters to the point that it doesn’t even try to hide its flaws.
After all is said and done, Gentile’s feature makes it difficult to determine what possessed the real-life Jason Derek Brown to go down a road of criminality and murder. While the film is compelling for the mere fact that it is based on a true story, it doesn’t provide enough detail to captivate audiences and get them to care about this particular criminal. Unfortunately, even the stellar cast couldn’t do enough to add life to this tedious script. American Murderer lacks any confidence to convince its audience that there’s enough here to keep their attention.
American Murderer premiered at the 2022 San Diego International Film Festival. The film is 104 minutes long and rated R for violence, drug use, some sexual content, nudity, and pervasive language.