Review by Quin
When I first heard the Grim Sleeper had been arrested, I immediately went to Google maps to see what his house looked like and where it was located. Living in Los Angeles county all my life, I know the area well, but there are still some areas that seem foreign and distant. South L.A. isn’t a place where I’ve spent much time, but its edge is pretty close. When I located his address, I noticed a well kept house and yard. The house looked old but it was painted bright green – sort of a dull spearmint green. It really stood out from the other places in the neighborhood. Standing on the sidewalk were two men with blurred faces – clearly having friendly conversation. Could one of these men be suspected serial murderer Lonnie Franklin Jr? Well, apparently British documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield and I think alike and begin our research the same way. His new documentary, which is being released in the US through HBO Films, begins with an areal shot of Los Angeles taken from Google. The camera zooms in and we then see street view until we get to the green house and the two men with blurred faces. I had hoped that this detail would be addressed, but Nick Broomfield got to it right out of the gate. From that moment, he had my undivided attention.
Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in 2010, for several murders of crack addicted prostitutes that went as far back as 1985. His arrest was made possible when his son Christopher (who is a dead ringer for hip hop artist Tyler, The Creator) was arrested and his DNA was matched with saliva found on the victims. It wasn’t his, but he was related to the person whose DNA was found. I have no idea how all of this works, but it’s pretty darn amazing. The guy is behind bars, awaiting a trial that’s supposed to start June 30th of this year.
Nick Broomfield is a documentary filmmaker who has been either hit or miss with me. His best known film is the documentary Kurt and Courtney – a film that tries to get to the bottom of the allegation that Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain didn’t actually commit suicide, but was in fact murdered by his wife Courtney Love. To be frank, I thought this movie was a huge pile of horse shit. This film, as well as a couple others, have lead me to refer to Nick Broomfield as the British Michael Moore. I say this because Moore is notorious for employing methods to ensure he gets the results that he’s looking for. Broomfield has been known to do this as well. When he started making films in the 70s and 80s, he would pretty much stay behind the camera. Two of the best examples are Soldier Girls from 1981 and Chicken Ranch from 1983. In the early 90s, he decided to make himself the star of his films. The 1991 film The Leader, His Driver and the Driver’s Wife was when Broomfield became his own subject. It’s a fascinating film about the end of apartheid in South Africa, but there’s Nick in every shot with his headphones and boom mic which has sort of become part of his persona.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper isn’t Broomfield’s first documentary about a serial killer. He actually made two films with Aileen Wuornos (whose life was later turned into the biopic Monster). Both of these films are worth seeing, but if you read about what went on during the filmmaking, it just makes you think Nick Broomfield is a jerk who is just trying to make a name for himself. Luckily, all of the negativity that I had associated with Nick Broomfield went away when I saw Tales of the Grim Sleeper. Sure, he’s still front and center with his boom mic and headphones. He haphazardly trudges into harms way to find a tantalizing story. For an Englishman in the ghetto of South Central Los Angeles, it truly a site to behold. He makes friends with an ex-prostitute who promptly informs him that he needs to be a bit more inconspicuous.
You may be familiar with the old adage “Snitches get stitches.” This is a central theme in this film. Broomfield makes contact with some friends of Franklin. These guys seem like they could be the inspiration for Sweet Dick Willie and his two friends in Do the Right Thing. At first, they are tight lipped and unwilling to say anything that will incriminate their friend, but it doesn’t take long for all of them to change their tune. Nick Broomfield must have had quite an effect on everyone off camera, because snitches be damned, everybody sings like a canary when the camera is rolling.
The most important thing to note about this film is the way the LAPD investigates the murders. From the beginning, this wasn’t a widely publicized case, because it was a guy in a poor part of town, murdering prostitutes. If convicted, Lonnie Franklin may be the Jack the Ripper of Los Angeles. But, chances are, when the verdict is read, it won’t be the evening’s top story on the news. The murders committed are horrendous, but the fact that the police seem to think this was never a priority is the real story here.
Nick Broomfield has made the best film of his career with Tales of the Grim Sleeper. It’s smart and fascinating and I can’t help but wonder what an impact a film like this may have on a trial that hasn’t yet begun. It’s also worth noting that there is another film called The Grim Sleeper, which appears to be about the same subject matter (Starring Ghostbusters’ own Ernie Hudson as well as singer Macy Gray). I haven’t seen it and can’t tell you if it’s good or not, but this isn’t it.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper is available now from HBO Films and can be seen via HBO Now or HBO Go.