A single mother believes she's found the man of her dreams. But their seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when he's arrested on suspected kidnapping charges and linked to multiple murders. Adamant that he's being framed, he defends himself in America's first nationally televised trial while she struggles to come to terms with the truth.... (Full plot summary below)
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A single mother believes she's found the man of her dreams. But their seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when he's arrested on suspected kidnapping charges and linked to multiple murders. Adamant that he's being framed, he defends himself in America's first nationally televised trial while she struggles to come to terms with the truth.
Leave your thoughts about Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
| VarietyOwen GleibermanIn my judgment, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is an honestly unsettling and authentic inquiry into the question of who Ted Bundy was, how he operated, what his capture and trial and ongoing infamy has meant, and what, if anything, his existence tells us about our individual relationship to toxic evil. |
| RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRefusing to explain Ted Bundy is the strongest possible choice Berlinger could have made because it destabilizes reality. The film itself gaslights us, and this is where Berlinger and Zac Efron — an inspired choice—are powerful co-creators. |
| IndieWireKate ErblandMore sad than salacious, it’s the rare film about a criminal that offers human details without humanizing a man who so many agree was a monster. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperIf you want to see a solid movie about Bundy as mostly experienced through the viewpoint of the single mother who fell in love with him without knowing he was a murderer, check out the Netflix feature film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil. |
| Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattWhat makes it more than a slick impersonation of sociopathy, though, is the layers he peels — Bundy’s desperation, his endless calculations and longing for connection. He also has some great interplay with John Malkovich, as the Tallahassee judge who engages in a sort of folksy, combative back-and-forth with him in court that nearly verges on buddy comedy. |
| UproxxVince ManciniExtremely Wicked‘s portrayal yawns with a sense of incompleteness. |
| The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyIt’s quite a story, which Berlinger moves along with unrelenting energy. |
| TheWrapCarlos Aguilar“Extremely Wicked” winds up a thought-provoking piece of cinema that avoids the easy temptation of shock value in favor of a more philosophical take on a diabolical murderer. |
| Film ThreatMatthew PassantinoAt times, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is all about the performances because the movie itself struggles a bit with settling on a tone. |
| Vanity FairRichard LawsonIf all we’re really taking from a movie about a man who murdered 30-plus women is “Zac Efron sure is surprising,” then I don’t think that movie has earned its existence. Yes, it is all shockingly wicked and evil and vile. Shouldn’t we maybe just leave it at that? |
