A Filmmaker's Review: "Dahmer" (2002)

“Dahmer” (2002) is a film starring Jeremy Renner as the serial killer and cannibal/rapist Jeffrey Dahmer. It happens as two separate timelines. One in which Jeffrey Dahmer is an already profuse serial killer and the other where he is still starting out and understanding that he may actually be a monster. The starting-off timeline happens backwards and therefore, requires you to pay a lot of attention to why there is a damned pandora’s box in the bedroom and why he won’t let his father open it. However, it also requires you to pay attention to how these flashbacks are placed, because they are never there for no apparent reason. For example: the reason why Dahmer can’t go into the bar when Rodney does is told to us through a flashback. Be that as it may, this film had many pros and cons and we’re going to investigate them in much more detail as we delve deeper and see exactly why this film got very good reviews critically, but seemed to leave audiences a bit spaced out.

One fault I found with the film was the fact that the flashbacks aren’t really distinguished from the chronological timeline and so, for the first few instances, you are left to figure it out on your own and hopefully by the nightclub scene, you have figured it out and can now carry on watching the movie in peace. I think it would’ve been better to maybe change the hue of the movie instead of just trying to make Dahmer look younger by lengthening his hair and putting glasses on him, I also would’ve thought it may be be better to use title cards as they do at the start and end of the movie. At least for the first flashback to do so would’ve helped out.

One advantage I noticed about the movie was that though the character of Dahmer was a little off, it was skewed to suit the medium. Jeffrey Dahmer’s monstrosity would not have been appropriate for cinema and so, Jeremy Renner actively made it suit the film he was making by requiring Dahmer to be more physical than just psychologically manipulative. I think there was a great amount of skill there and that in this case, the critics were very right. Jeremy Renner did an amazing job as Jeffrey Dahmer, bringing out the monster that was really inside instead of glamorising a serial killer. Jeremy Renner really understood the disgust people have with Dahmer and played that into the role he portrayed.

However, another fault of the film I found was the father. I don’t think the father did well at all. His dialogue was stuttered and forced, his actions were a little all over the place and he didn’t really act like a man who was scared for his son’s wellbeing and therefore sent him to therapy. He acted as if he was instead the guy who probably made his son go insane in the first place. Therefore, I can’t say he did a good job of remaining neutral to the situation and yet, having a problem with his child’s sexuality - which is what the source material on Lionel Dahmer actually states.

All in all, this film seeks to prove one thing - that this man was an absolute monster. Jeffrey Dahmer is not seen as sympathetic anywhere in this film nor is he seen as having need for sympathy in return. He is portrayed as a monster in the making and a man who really does not require anyone’s help. Jeremy Renner portrays him as a predator and a horrid human being who sought nothing more than self-gratification, which is exactly what he is. The film itself could’ve used some work with parts of the cinematography such as the bird’s eye view shots, not being used as much as they could have. And another fault being that the atmosphere wasn’t there unless Jeremy Renner was on screen and in his scene. The one thing I have to praise overall is the embedding of Jeremy Renner into the film. It really did feel like his world and so, he manipulated it to his own needs. Ultimately it went too far and we all know what happened. But I think there was no better man for the job than Jeremy Renner.