Anyone who has an interest in the Lizzie Borden case will find this movie worth their while. The performances are all above average and the film does a good job of recreating late-19th century New England. The film focuses both on the murders of Lizzie's parents and her trial that followed. An interesting and highly plausible explanation for how the murders were committed (and by whom) is given towards the end of the film in a very effective and well directed sequence involving flashbacks, sound effects, and masterful editing.
The film also explores the complex relationships within the Borden household, and except for providing its own "solution" to the murders (the crime technically, to this day remains unsolved) sticks very close to the facts, as they're known.
A few scenes seem a little unnecessarily ghoulish. One in particular involves Lizzie as a little girl walking in on her father at work in the cellar (he once worked as an undertaker) embalming a corpse, another where he takes an axe to her pet pigeons. Although these scenes in themselves don't take anything away from the film, they take it further into a sensationalistic area than it needs to go. The mood of the film overall is creepy enough as it is.
Ultimately, the good subject material and high level of acting are what make this an above average film. As well, there's enough of an emphasis put on building suspense and telling a good mystery, rather than simply trying to extract a visceral response from the viewer.
The film also explores the complex relationships within the Borden household, and except for providing its own "solution" to the murders (the crime technically, to this day remains unsolved) sticks very close to the facts, as they're known.
A few scenes seem a little unnecessarily ghoulish. One in particular involves Lizzie as a little girl walking in on her father at work in the cellar (he once worked as an undertaker) embalming a corpse, another where he takes an axe to her pet pigeons. Although these scenes in themselves don't take anything away from the film, they take it further into a sensationalistic area than it needs to go. The mood of the film overall is creepy enough as it is.
Ultimately, the good subject material and high level of acting are what make this an above average film. As well, there's enough of an emphasis put on building suspense and telling a good mystery, rather than simply trying to extract a visceral response from the viewer.