Boston Strangler – Hulu Review (4/5)

BOSTON STRANGLER on Hulu is a new thriller about the real-life serial killer. Or rather, it’s the story of how a reporter noticed what the Boston PD did not. Inspired by a true story and being very direct and honest about it. A must-watch. Read our full Boston Strangler movie review here!

BOSTON STRANGLER is a new Hulu thriller inspired by the true story of how a reporter noticed similarities the police didn’t. There’s also a good focus on the victims and the families of victims. Especially because the reporter speaks with them. This is also when she discovers that the Boston Police Department isn’t exactly working these murder cases very intensely.

This new serial killer thriller uncovers what the real-life reporters, Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole, discovered and uncovered back in the early 1960s. However, it also follows up with what we’ve learned since. Right up until more modern-day discoveries via DNA. A definite must-watch for anyone who likes mystery and true crime.

Continue reading our Boston Strangler movie review below. Find it on Hulu from march 17, 2023.

Female reporter caught what the Boston PD missed

The Boston Strangler serial killer became known to the world when newspaper reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) was able to connect several murders in Boston. After fighting to move from writing about kitchen appliances to crime, she finally got her big break.

Working, initially, purely because she had a nose for crime reporting, she noticed that women were being murdered in the same way. Up until that point, each murder case was investigated separately. Actually, that’s not really true because the cases were not worked on very intensely. Also, the Boston Police Department was very bad at cooperating with detectives in other cities.

This became even more evident as the story about the serial killer broke. A detective from New York even reached out to the reporter when the Boston PD ignored him. In other words, this wasn’t just a “Police”-problem, but very specifically a Boston Police Department problem.

To help Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) get through to all the right sources, she was teamed up with Jean Cole (Carrie Coon). Jean Cole has already made a name for herself in crime reporting. In part by going undercover, so she had been in the trenches (so to speak) and was widely respected.

A stellar cast

I know not everyone is crazy about Keira Knightley (Silent Night), but I’ve always been very fond of her. In fact, I think it’s one of those silly things where some people just decide to dislike someone for no real reason. In any case, whatever group you fall into, you should know that Keira Knightley does an excellent job of portraying Loretta McLaughlin in this Hulu thriller.

The same definitely goes for Carrie Coon (Gone Girl, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as the more seasoned (but still quite young) reporter Jean Cole. And yes, we do get an explanation as to why she got into crime reporting where the other struggled.

Carrie Coon and Keira Knightley work wonderfully together, which is important as their characters do become friends in the process of writing about these murders.

In key supporting roles we also see Chris Cooper (Homecoming), Alessandro Nivola (Black Narcissus), David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad), Morgan Spector (Nanny), and Robert John Burke (Intrusion). Overall, this Hulu movie is just full of amazing talent. Some are in quite small roles, but all give strong performances.

Watch Boston Strangler on Hulu!

Matt Ruskin is the writer and director of Boston Strangler so this is very much his movie. He previously wrote and directed Crown Heights (2017) which was also based on a true story. That movie starred LaKeith Stanfield. An actor many horror fans will know from Jordan Peele’s Get Out or maybe Death Note or even The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

This is only the fifth movie from Matt Ruskin, but he debuted in 2001, so he is taking his time with each project. There seems to always be around five or six years between each movie. If this holds up, we’ll be waiting until at least 2028 before his next project, but I really hope it’ll come sooner.

This one even has a very strong team of producers on board – including Ridley Scott – so he has some heavy hitters people in his corner.

The pacing and unraveling of the serial killer mystery is tight and intriguing. Coupling this with a story that also focused on the struggles of two female reporters in the 1960s is a strong combination. Especially with a tough and resilient Keira Knightley in the lead role, supported perfectly by Carrie Coon at her side for most of the film. You’ll definitely want to watch this on Hulu!

Boston Strangler is on Hulu in the US (and Disney+ in other countries) from March 17, 2023.

Details

Director: Matt Ruskin
Writer: Matt Ruskin
Cast: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Cooper, David Dastmalchian