Rating: 
Summary: Low-Key Approach Lacks BITE
Review: This "art-film" about the life of serial-killer-cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer is pretty low-key and will probably bore horror fans looking for a sensational or gory thriller. In fact, the film never even touches on much of the graphic and grisly deeds committed by Dahmer --- there's no vat of acid, there's no cannibalism, there's no body parts in the refrigerator. Instead, the film is more of just a grim character study - through numerous flashbacks we see a young teenaged Dahmer already troubled with a fascination with death. His father, played by Bruce Davison, tries to help his son, but even at such a young age, Jeffrey has already gone over the edge. Why else would he keep a severed head in his closet? Cutting back and forth from past events to the present, the film focuses on several key moments in Dahmer's life, but leaving out many others and rearranging the timelines. We see a teenaged Dahmer killing and dismembering (mostly off-screen) the teenaged "hitch-hiker" (here, just a guy walking down the street) in one flashback (probably the grisliest part of the film) and see Dahmer drugging guys at a bar before graduating to his "drilling technique", but that's about it for horrific moments. The present day stuff is mostly Dahmer seducing and trying to kill one black guy he picked up at a knife shop...but the seduction goes on way too long and doesn't really end up anywhere (and it isn't even what actually happened). The juxtopistion between present-day and flashbacks works OK for the most part, but after a while, the film just loses it's momentum because both timelines become too fractured. And there is simply not enough horror in the story. Not that the film needs gore and blood and sleaze....but the way it is, it could almost play like the story of any mentally-challenged guy off the street. The filmmakers have made an admirable attempt at a mature, somber and respectable depiction of a grisly serial-killer's life...but this IS the story of a GRISLY serial killer so to avoid most of the GRISLY details make it all just seem very trite in the end. Jeremy Renner is very good as Dahmer, both in present day and uncannily looking much younger as a teenager in the flashbacks (with the help of large wire-rimmed glasses and slouched shoulders). Obviously chosen for his resemblance to the real Dahmer, Renner still manages to convey a vulnerability, charm and underlying menace in the role. But unfortunately, this Dahmer has barely killed anyone, his apartment is clean as can be (one clean corpse in the bed), and apparently he has no craving for human flesh since there is absolutely no hint at cannibalism. And don't expect any wrap-up or conclusion to the tale --- it's not here. What we are left with is simply a sanitized and piece-meal view of a troubled mind. It's definitely worth a look for the acting alone and some grim depictions of this psychopath's life, but don't go in expecting anything more than that. It's really neither an art film nor an exploitation film - so what audience is this for anyway??? The upcoming DVD from "First Look" appears to be another one of their bare-bones (no pun intended) discs and it will only offer a Full-Frame version of the film. Cheap!
Rating: 
Summary: A Dark, Brooding Film, Well Done
Review: Even though it only follows one or two of the murders, I recommend this film. It is a dark and brooding piece. It can be depressing to watch as it depicts the seedier side of the gay nightlife. If you want details of the murders this is not going to satisfy you. But I did like the mood of the film, and the actor portraying Jeffrey did an excellent job. Almost making Jeffrey likable.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind of a serial murder.
Review: Dahmer is an in depth look at the infamous serial killer. Instead of fully depicting Jeffery Dahmer's heinous acts of brutality and depravity, Dahmer focuses on the individual alone. The film raises the commonly asked question of why? How could this happen? Why did this happen? What turned Dahmer into a serial killer? Anyone going into this film looking for the answers to all of these questions is going to be let down because Dahmer is not about answering the questions. What this film gives you instead is an ambiguous portrait of Jeffery Dahmer the man. There are no solid answers to why Dahmer did what he did, but it does give you one interpretation of what turned Dahmer into a serial killer. In the film, Dahmer is portrayed as a loner who is incapable of connecting to anyone. Many of the scenes in the film depict Dahmer walking around in complete solitude. I think that these scenes of Dahmer are essential to understanding the movie. There is just a general sense of hopelessness and alienation in this movie. According to the film, alienation is what drove Dahmer over the edge. Dahmer is just so far away from humanity that he is incapable of being saved. No one could save him during his lone descent into madness. It is painful to watch the various people in Dahmer's life, including his father, try to connect with him completely oblivious to the fact that he is too far away from humanity to be saved now. How does this movie hold up to the actual events? The brutality of the actual murders is toned down and sacrificed for character development, which was a mature decision on the part of the film creators. There are several changes in the storyline, too, but none of these changes are blatant attempts to spice up an already deranged/disturbed story (see Nightstalker). These changes actually do not even effect the movie's overall impact, so do not worry because the overall story of the real life murders stays intact. The movie is still very disturbing without glorifying violence too much. Overall, the creators of this movie made a bold and mature decision to focus entirely on Dahmer the person. This is not a movie about the trial or all of the things that happened after Dahmer was discovered. This is the perfect movie for people looking for an in depth look at the mind of a serial murderer. There is not much blood, gore, and guts in this movie at all. This is not a Disney movie. This is not even a "real horror" movie. This is a very psychological movie that takes you into the mind of one of America's most depraved serial killers. If anything, you should be disturbed by the fact that this is based upon a true story. None of this was conjured up in someone's head; Dahmer is something that we can encounter in our own sick sad world. It is the kind of film that truly makes you question your own environment. Just how good do you know your own neighbors when appearances can be so deceiving? In the case of Dahmer, the movie succeeds to paint a portrait of a man that very few people would actually like to take a long, hard look at...
Rating: 
Summary: Oh my Lord this movie is terrible
Review: Don't waste 2 hours of your life on this piece of garbage. All I got to say.
Rating:
Summary: Dont Get this
Review: I am a big fan of many murder cases. this movie plays him quite innacurately. If you want the true facts read the books about him. this just doesnt do him any justice.
Rating:
Summary: A dark, unexpectedly thought-provoking surprise
Review: I had zero interest in seeing this movie. I don't like the subject and, frankly, the DVD's cover art screams "don't rent this movie." But I stumbled onto it on TV one night without realizing what it was (during the scene in which the crow gets loose in the house) and quickly became absorbed. No, the movie offers no answers about the real-life serial killer, it doesn't present a straight-forward biography and it's relatively light on gore. But what it does have is a thoughtful script and restrained-but-intense direction by David Jacobson, a challenging structure (it's basically a relay race of flashbacks and flashforwards) and great performances by Jeremey Renner, Bruce Davison, Matt Newton and especially Artel Kayàru as a deceptively simple boy toy. I love a good horror movie but few contemporary films scare me. I'd much rather be creeped out than grossed out. This one got under my skin in weird ways -- especially the scenes in which we know a murder is about to happen but... when???, or the sequence in which Dahmer's father demands again and again to know what's inside the locked box in his son's closet (and we *don't* want him to open it). Many reviewers here seem disappointed by what this movie is. And perhaps Jacobson should've called the movie and his main character something else if he wasn't going to make a detailed portrait of an actual person. But that shouldn't overshadow the fact that this is a well-made, intense, well-balanced little pressure cooker of a movie.
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